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William Butler Yeats, born in Dublin, came to be known as one of the greatest poets and dramatists known today. Born in June of 1865, Yeats was alive at a very interesting time in history, and through his experiences during that time; they shaped his views on life, and the poetry that was to come.
William took a great interest in his Irish history, and dedicated much of his time to writing and studying the folklore of his Irish culture. This fascination influenced much of his career. Many of his writings contain a wonderful Irish flair, and he even penned some folk tales of his own.
Not only did he take a great interest in the literary culture of his homeland, he took great interest in its religious roots and mythology. This later brought Yeats to study many religions of the world. From Buddhism to Christianity, Yeats believed each had their own gift to offer, and that we should tolerate and revere all religions on the world, regardless of how much we may, or may not agree with them.
Yeats began to dabble into the occult on many levels. William was known to have joined Hermetic societies, take part in séances, and dabble in the realm of possession. In 1890, Yeats was initiated into The Order of the Golden Dawn, a well-known Hermetic group. He achieved a significant ranking in the Order and eventually left due to some differences with its members. William moved on and established other groups on his own, and continued to study the many mysteries in the occult realm. Later in life, he took a wife, who shared many of his beliefs, and was well known for her ability to perform automatic writing.
William was twenty years old that when he began to publish his poetry via the college paper, The Dublin University Review. His work continued to be published in several American journals, and pursued a career in various aspects of the creative writing field, as editor, reviewer and critic. Yeats was also responsible for founding several literary societies throughout his career. He believed that there was a great power to be had in the art of writing.
As many people already know, Ireland is a very torn country and has been for many, many years. Political and religious differences abound, and people continue to fight in the streets. Yeats spent a great deal of time and effort trying to help establish some peace in his home country, and even hoped that he could help resolve some of these political differences in Ireland through the power of art and literature. He received a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923.
Just a few of the works he’s published:
The Wanderings of Oisin
Crossways
The Rose
The Wind Among The Reeds
The Old Age of Queen Maeve
Baile and Aillinn
In The Seven Woods
The Shadowy Waters
The Green Helmet and Other Poems
Responsibilities
The Wild Swans At Coole
Michael Robartes and The Dancer
The Tower
The Winding Stair and Other Poems
Parnell's Funeral and Other Poems
New Poems
from On The Boiler
Last Poems
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