Ellen Burstyn is in contention for a Grammy Award for best audiobook, narration and storytelling recording for her collection “Poetry Says It Better: Poems to Help You Wake Up,” published in April by HarperCollins. The audiobook, which Burstyn narrated herself over five hours and nine minutes, has earned a Kirkus Star and an Earphones Award. If she wins the Grammy, the 93-year-old actor would complete an EGOT—winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony—becoming the oldest person to achieve the distinction and only the seventh woman to do so.
Burstyn has already secured three of the four major entertainment awards. She won her Oscar for “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and her Tony for “Same Time, Next Year” in 1975. She received two Emmy Awards decades later for her work on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” in 2009 and “Political Animals” in 2013. This past September, she accepted the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival. According to Burstyn, the idea to pursue the EGOT came from her granddaughter, who pointed out she was only one award away from completing the achievement.
The poetry collection represents a personal project for Burstyn, featuring poems that have sustained her throughout her nearly nine decades of life, ranging from works by Edna St. Vincent Millay and Mary Oliver to Rumi. During an interview, Burstyn recited William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus” from memory, explaining how the poem had provided her confidence during difficult times in high school. She emphasized the importance of hearing poetry spoken aloud, urging people to listen to the audiobook recording accompanying the published collection.
Reflecting on her career and accomplishments, Burstyn expressed unexpected ambivalence about her achievements. Despite winning multiple prestigious awards and enjoying her work, she indicated she wished she had taken on more roles in significant theatrical productions, a path encouraged by her mentor Lee Strasberg. When asked about the forthcoming “Exorcist: Martyrs” film, scheduled for release the following year, Burstyn expressed frustration with the continued expansion of the franchise, stating that the “Exorcist” material had been explored sufficiently.
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