Post by B on May 1, 2011 20:56:27 GMT -5
Other than a quick mention in Reply #52 here, William Butler Yeats has not
been mentioned on this site.
And that isn't strange, as he never showed up on the cover of Sgt. Pepper,
or as a reference in any Beatle lyric, yet somehow, I have always felt that
he was lurking about in the background, casting a shadow on the whole
business, somehow.
I am not a scholar of Yeats' works; in fact I am barely aquainted with them,
so trying to establish a somewhat nebulous connection of Yeats to The Beatles
is not going to be easy, but looking at a wikipedia bio of the man, a few things jump out.
"William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet
and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature.
A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments....
He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and, along
with Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn, and others, founded the Abbey Theatre,
where he served as its chief during its early years. In 1923 he was
awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for what the Nobel Committee
described as "inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression
to the spirit of a whole nation." He was the first Irishman so honoured.
Yeats is generally considered one of the few writers who completed
their greatest works after being awarded the Nobel Prize;
such works include The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair
and Other Poems (1929)..."
not to mention the moped scar! ;D
More to come
been mentioned on this site.
And that isn't strange, as he never showed up on the cover of Sgt. Pepper,
or as a reference in any Beatle lyric, yet somehow, I have always felt that
he was lurking about in the background, casting a shadow on the whole
business, somehow.
I am not a scholar of Yeats' works; in fact I am barely aquainted with them,
so trying to establish a somewhat nebulous connection of Yeats to The Beatles
is not going to be easy, but looking at a wikipedia bio of the man, a few things jump out.
"William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet
and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature.
A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments....
He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and, along
with Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn, and others, founded the Abbey Theatre,
where he served as its chief during its early years. In 1923 he was
awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for what the Nobel Committee
described as "inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression
to the spirit of a whole nation." He was the first Irishman so honoured.
Yeats is generally considered one of the few writers who completed
their greatest works after being awarded the Nobel Prize;
such works include The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair
and Other Poems (1929)..."
not to mention the moped scar! ;D
More to come