A Protestant of Anglo-Irish descent, Yeats was born in Sandymount, Ireland. His father practised law and was a successful portrait painter. He was educated in Dublin and London and spent his childhood holidays in County Sligo. He studied poetry from an early age, when he became fascinated by Irish legends and the occult. While in London he became part of the Irish literary revival. His early poetry was influenced by John Keats, William Wordsworth, William Blake and many more. These topics feature in the first phase of his work, lasting roughly from his student days at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin until the end of the 19th century. His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and its slow-paced, modernist and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser, Percy Bysshe Shelley and the poets of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Vida y carrera
From 1900 his poetry grew more physical, realistic and politicised. He moved away from the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with some elements including cyclical theories of life. He had become the chief playwright for the Irish Literary Theatre in 1897, and early on promoted younger poets such as Ezra Pound. His major works include The Land of Heart's Desire (1894), Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902), The Wild Swans at Coole (1919) and The Tower (1928).
Datos clave
- Born: June 13, 1865 in Sandymount, Ireland
- Fallecimiento: 1939
- Campo: Literature
Legado e impacto
The influence of William Butler Yeats extends far beyond his own lifetime. He fundamentally shaped literature and the written word, and his written works and literary innovations remain foundational to this day.
Though he passed away in 1939, his ideas continue to be studied, debated, and built upon by scholars and practitioners worldwide.
William Butler Yeats sigue siendo una de las mentes más celebradas surgidas de Ireland, prueba del rico legado intelectual de la región.
Genios destacados de Ireland
Ireland ha producido muchas mentes notables. Junto con William Butler Yeats:
Ver todos los genios de Ireland →
Descubre más mentes brillantes en Literature
Explorar Literature GeniusesArtículos relacionados
Explorar más
Lee el perfil completo de William Butler Yeats
Ver el perfil de William Butler Yeats →