
#William butler yeats free
The celebrated writer then became a political figure in the new Irish Free State, serving as a senator for six years beginning in 1922. They soon had two children, daughter Anne and son William Michael. The newlyweds sat together for writing sessions they believed to be guided by forces from the spirit world, through which Yeats formulated intricate theories of human nature and history. More works soon followed, including On Baile's Strand, Deirdre and At the Hawk's Well.įollowing his marriage to Georgie Hyde-Lees in 1917, Yeats began a new creative period through experiments with automatic writing. Around that time, Yeats helped found the Irish National Theatre Society, serving as its president and co-director, with Lady Gregory and John Millington Synge. He teamed with Lady Gregory to develop works for the Irish stage, the two collaborating for the 1902 production of Cathleen Ni Houlihan. In addition to his poetry, Yeats devoted significant energy to writing plays. The title work of The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems (1889) draws from the story of a mythic Irish hero. While he was fascinated with otherworldly elements, Yeats's interest in Ireland, especially its folktales, fueled much of his output. He also joined the Order of the Golden Dawn, an organization that explored topics related to the occult and mysticism. He dedicated his 1892 drama The Countess Cathleen to her.Īround this time, Yeats founded the Rhymers' Club poetry group with Ernest Rhys. He even proposed marriage to her several times, but she turned him down. This revolutionary woman served as a muse for Yeats for years. He also became acquainted with Maud Gonne, a supporter of Irish independence. Career BeginningsĪfter returning to London in the late 1880s, Yeats met writers Oscar Wilde, Lionel Johnson and George Bernard Shaw. Following the publication of his poems in the Dublin University Review in 1885, he soon abandoned art school for other pursuits.

In the mid-1880s, Yeats pursued his own interest in art as a student at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin. Yeats spent much of his early years in London, where his father was studying art, but frequently returned to Ireland as well. Although John trained as a lawyer, he abandoned the law for art soon after his first son was born. William Butler Yeats was born on June 13, 1865, in Dublin, Ireland, the oldest child of John Butler Yeats and Susan Mary Pollexfen.

Yeats, who died in 1939, is remembered as one of the leading Western poets of the 20th century. He went on to pen more influential works, including The Tower (1928) and Words for Music Perhaps and Other Poems (1932). In 1923, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

His early accomplishments include The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems (1889) and such plays as The Countess Cathleen (1892) and Deirdre (1907). William Butler Yeats published his first works in the mid-1880s while a student at Dublin's Metropolitan School of Art. (1865-1939) Who Was William Butler Yeats?
