Anatomy of Sound

This collection examines the work of Norman Corwinone of the most important, yet understudied, media authors of all timeas a critical lens to view the history of multimedia authorship and sound production. Known as the ';poet laureate' of radio, Corwin is most famous for his radio dramas, which reached millions of listeners around the world and contributed to radio's success as a mass media form in the 1930s and 1940s. But Corwin was also a pioneer in other fields, including cinema, theater, TV, and journalism. In each of these areas, he had a distinctive approach to ';soundwork,' relying on inventive prerecorded and live-in-real-time atmospheric effects in the studio, among other aesthetic techniques. Exploring the range of Corwin's workfrom his World War IIera poetry and his special projects for the United Nations to his path-breaking writing for film and televisionand its influence on media today, these essays underscore the political and social impact of Corwin's oeuvre and cement his reputation as a key writer in the history of many sound media.