Irish Writer William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, and prose writer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. Yeats was born on June 13, 1865, in Sandymount, Dublin, Ireland, and spent his early childhood in London, England. Despite living in London or maybe asa result of city life, Yeats had a deep love of nature and interest in Irish mythology and folklore, and his work often drew upon these themes. It was a desire to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and return to a simple, natural way of living on Innisfree.
“I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade.”
Some of Yeats’ most famous poems include “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” “The Second Coming,” and “Sailing to Byzantium.” He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923, and his work continues to be widely read and studied today.
In addition to his poetry, Yeats was also a playwright and wrote several plays, including “Cathleen ni Houlihan” and “The Countess Cathleen.” He was a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival, which sought to promote Irish literature and culture. Yeats was also a member of the Irish Senate from 1922 until his death in 1939. He remains one of the greatest minds in Irish literature and we raise a glass of IrishTIpple in Yeats honor.
Here are some of his most famous writings:
Poetry
- “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”
- “The Second Coming”
- “Sailing to Byzantium”
- “Leda and the Swan”
- “Easter, 1916”
- “When You Are Old”
- “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death”
- “The Wild Swans at Coole”
- “Among School Children”
- “A Prayer for My Daughter”
Drama
- “Cathleen ni Houlihan”
- “The Countess Cathleen”
- “On Baile’s Strand”
- “The Shadowy Waters”
- “The King’s Threshold”
Prose
- “The Celtic Twilight”
- “Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry”
- “Ideas of Good and Evil”
- “The Trembling of the Veil”
- “Autobiographies” (consisting of “Reveries over Childhood and Youth,” “The Trembling of the Veil,” “Dramatis Personae,” and “Estrangement”)
