Narrators

Talking with Michael York

Just in time for the release of Tim Burton's film Alice in Wonderland, AudioFile spoke with narrators of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. A delight for listeners of all ages, Carroll's imaginative classic is a natural fit for audio, with plenty of outlandish characters and absurd situations for narrators to voice.

An "actor's actor," Michael York is known for his impressive breadth and depth in audiobook narration. He speaks of the "fun" of differentiating voices for audiobooks: "I think it's easier on listeners if you can help them tell the characters apart and also give them some interpretation, especially if you have a book with a lot of dialogue." Oxford educated, the British performer began recording audiobooks in 1965 for Caedmon. He captures both the tone and spirit of literary fiction—from classics, such as Aldous Huxley's BRAVE NEW WORLD , to the contemporary, such as Michael Ondaatje's THE ENGLISH PATIENT . He can also be counted on for articulate narration and careful pacing of children's works, as in the classic ENCHANTED TALES BY ANDERSON, GRIMM, AND CARROLL, as well as the recent recording of C.S Lewis's THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE . --2001 Narrator Yearbook

Photo © Pat York