W.B.Yeats. A Life

London: Hodder & Stoughton. Paperback. W. B. Yeats. A Life. Heavy book. Overseas orders will have to pay extra postage. The profoundly original poet rose thorough the despair of his unrequited love for Maud Gonne to become one of the leading figures of the decadent 1890s; the friend of Wilde, Morris and the doomed poets of the Rhymers' Club. He was also prime mover behind the foundation of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The author skilfully weaves Yeats's own life into the developing consciousness of his nation and reveals him as the ardent Irish nationalist creating in his work an Irish soul that would soar above materialism to the timeless world of myth and magic. The bitterly disillusioned observer of the Irish Civil War is shown emerging from his famous Tower to become the Senator powerfully advocating greater freedom for Ireland even while interesting himself in the rise of Fascism and the cause of the Irish Blueshirts. From the great conflicts of his old age arise some of the supreme poems of the twentieth century: 'Sailing to Byzantium' and 'A Prayer For My Daughter. This epic biography takes us into that fierce forge where Yeats constantly strove to make vision, poetry and politics one and brings the man outstandingly to life. Illustrated. 612 pp. 709277425 . Fine. Paperback. 1st Paperback Edition. 1997.