Yeats, W. B. (William Butler), 1865-1939

W.B. (William Butler) Yeats (1865-1939), poet and dramatist, born in County Sligo, Ireland.

British poet.

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was an Irish poet and dramatist.

Poet and dramatist William Butler Yeats is widely acknowledged as one of the most significant 20th century poets. Rich in tradition and steeped in Irish culture and mysticism, Yeats' poetry is distinguished by rhythm, energy, and a fortuitous marriage of technical proficiency, natural prosody, and universal themes.

W.B. (William Butler) Yeats was an Irish poet.

Irish poet and author.

Yeats was an Irish poet, dramatist, and prose writer, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

Irish poet and playwright, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

Irish poet and dramatist.

Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright.

Irish author W.B. Yeats is widely considered the finest of all 20th century English poets. Born in Ireland into a gifted family of English descent, Yeats constantly affirmed his Irish nationality, and it became a touchstone for his writing. His unique verse is marked by striking symbolism, unparalleled cadence, and brilliant phrasing, making him popular with readers and writers alike. He also helped found the Abbey Theatre, where a number of his plays were performed, and the Irish Academy of Letters.

William Butler Yeats, the Irish poet and playwright, was born on 13 June 1865 in Dublin and died on 28 January 1939 at Roquebrune, near Monaco. Jack Butler Yeats, the Irish painter and writer, his younger brother, was born on 29 August 1871 in London and died on 28 March 1957 in Dublin. For fuller details of their lives and achievements see the Dictionary of National Biography . John Butler Yeats (1839-1922), the painter, was their father. For fuller details of his life and achievements see Who was who, Vol.2. Mary Cottenham Yeats was Jack's wife. Elizabeth Corbet Yeats and Lily Yeats, the sisters of W.B. and J.B. Yeats, were the founders of the Dun Emer (later known as the Cuala) Industries, at Dundrum, Co. Dublin. Here Elizabeth Corbet Yeats established a private press, where many of W.B. Yeats' books were published. Elkin Mathews and John Lane (1854-1925) were both publishers. For fuller details of John Lane's life and achievements again see the Dictionary of National Biography .

Irish poet and playwright.

William Butler Yeats, Irish poet, dramatist, essayist, and a driving force of the Irish literary revival, was the son of the famous portrait painter John Butler Yeats. Yeats developed an interest in mysticism and visionary traditions as well as in Irish folklore, and both interests became the sources of poetic imagery for him. In London he was a founder of the Rhymers' Club and friend of Ernest Rhys, Ernest Dowson, Lionel Johnson, William Morris, W. E. Henley, and Arthur Symons. In Ireland, he was associated with J. M. Synge, "AE" (George W. Russell), Douglas Hyde, George Moore, and Lady Gregory. He helped establish the Irish Literary Theatre in 1899 (later the Abbey Theatre) and was its director till the end of his life. He was a member of the Irish Senate from 1922 to 1928 and received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. His brother Jack Butler Yeats was also an artist, and his sisters Susan (Lily) and Elizabeth (Lolly) assisted in the establishment of the Dun Emer (later Cuala) Press.

Yeats was an Irish poet, dramatist and prose writer. Katharine Tynan was an Irish poet and friend of Yeats.

William Butler Yeats, Irish poet and dramatist, co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre, and served as a Senator of the Irish Free State, 1923-1929.

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, playwright, and essayist, and the cofounder of the Irish Literary Theatre.

Epithet: poet

Irish poet.

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, playwright, and essayist, and the co-founder of Irish Literary Theatre.

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was born in Dublin, Ireland, the eldest of four children born to Susan Pollexfen and John Butler Yeats. While the family lived primarily in Dublin and London, time spent with relatives in County Sligo influenced Yeats' dreams and aspirations. In Sligo he learned the folk lore, myths, and legends which provided the structure and background for so much of his poetry.

An uninspired student, Yeats spent five years at the Godolphin Day School while his father studied painting in London. Upon the family's return to Ireland in 1880 he attended Erasmus High School before being sent to the Metropolitan Art School. His artistic talent proved to be as indifferent as his scholarship, but he came away from the experience with a lifelong friend in his fellow student George William Russell. Russell may have provided impetus to what became Yeats' lifelong interest in mysticism and the occult.

Yeats' first published poems appeared in The Dublin University Review in 1885. By 1889 Yeats was able to publish an entire volume of poems, The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems. When Maud Gonne, an actress and Irish nationalist, sought an introduction to Yeats to praise Oisin, Yeats fell immediately in love with her and she became a fixture in his imagination and poetry. She refused his many offers of marriage; however, she encouraged his involvement in the Irish Nationalist movement, thereby adding another dimension to his work.

The 1890s were busy and pivotal for Yeats. His family had returned to London where he co-founded and participated in the Rhymers club with Ernest Rhys, Richard Le Gallienne, Arthur Symons, and Oscar Wilde, among others. He founded the Irish Literary Society in London and in Dublin the National Literary Society, which spread throughout Ireland. During the same period, Yeats began to envision an Irish National Theatre, partly as a vehicle for his first effort at play writing, The Countess Cathleen, but also because he had begun to develop an idea of transforming and uplifting the Irish notion of culture through theatre and literature. In 1896, shortly after returning to live permanently in Ireland, he met Lady Gregory who sought to help the habitually impoverished and frequently ill Yeats. She provided him with summers in the country and it was largely through her efforts that the Irish Literary Theatre, later the Abbey Theater, came into being.

An American lawyer, John Quinn, first met Yeats in 1902 and proposed an American lecture tour. Yeats agreed and in 1903-4 he traveled to America appearing at most of the major American colleges and universities, clubs, and societies. He made an excellent impression and returned for similar tours in 1912 (with the Abbey Theatre troupe), 1914, and 1920.

In 1912, Yeats took up fencing at the suggestion and under the direction of his new secretary, Ezra Pound. Pound also introduced Yeats to Japanese Noh drama, which became a strong influence on his later theatrical works. In 1917, Yeats bought Thoor Ballyle, a stone tower near Coole Park. In the same year, the 52-year-old Yeats married Georgie Hyde-Lee, who was 26. The marriage was a happy one and the couple had two children, Anne Butler (1919) and William Michael (1921).

The year 1922 saw the start of the Irish Civil War, during which Yeats supported the pro-treaty governments, and the death of his father in New York. In 1923 Yeats received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Over the next decade Yeats' health slowly declined; however he continued to write and take an active part in the new politics of Ireland. He worked on a committee to advise the government on a new coinage and in 1928 he served a term in the Irish Senate. By 1936 he was suffering from serious heart problems and nephritis and in January 1939 he died in France. His was originally buried in Roquevurne, France, but in 1948 his remains were reinterred in Drumcliff, County Sligo.

William Butler Yeats, one of the twentieth century's best known poets, was also an accomplished Irish playwright and co-founder of the Irish Literary Theatre. Born on June 13, 1865, in Sandymount, Ireland, he was the eldest child of the renowned Irish painter, John Butler Yeats. W. B. Yeats died on January 28, 1939, in Roquebrune, France.

Draper, James P. and Susan M. Trosky (eds.) Contemporary Authors. New Revision Series , Volume 45. New York: Gale Research, Inc., 1995. pp. 483-491.

George MacDonald (1824–1905) was a Scottish author of poems, novels, and fairy tales.

"MacDonald, George, 1824–1905." Literature Online . http://lion.chadwyck.com (accessed April 10, 2007).

Irish poet, playwright and author.

William Butler Yeats' early years were spent in London, with vacations in Sligo. His first works appeared in the 1880s. He was a founder of the Abbey Theatre, a spokesman for the Irish Literary Revival, and a member of the Irish Free State Senate. Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

Irish poet, playwright and author.

Yeats' early years were spent in London, with vacations in Sligo. His first works appeared in the 1880s. He was a founder of the Abbey Theatre, a spokesman for the Irish Literary Revival, and a member of the Irish Free State Senate. Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

Irish poet, playwright and author.

William Butler Yeats' early years were spent in London, with vacations in Sligo. His first works appeared in the 1880s. He was a founder of the Abbey Theatre, a spokesman for the Irish Literary Revival, and a member of the Irish Free State Senate. Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

Irish poet, playwright and author.

William Butler Yeats' early years were spent in London, with vacations in Sligo. His first works appeared in the 1880s. He was a founder of the Abbey Theatre, a spokesman for the Irish Literary Revival, and a member of the Irish Free State Senate. Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

Irish poet, playwright and author.

William Butler Yeats' early years were spent in London, with vacations in Sligo. His first works appeared in the 1880s. He was a founder of the Abbey Theatre, a spokesman for the Irish Literary Revival, and a member of the Irish Free State Senate. Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

Irish poet, playwright and author.

William Butler Yeats' early years were spent in London, with vacations in Sligo. His first works appeared in the 1880s. He was a founder of the Abbey Theatre, a spokesman for the Irish Literary Revival, and a member of the Irish Free State Senate. Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was born in Dublin and was educated in London and in Dublin. The young Yeats was active in societies that attempted an Irish literary revival. His first volume of verse appeared in 1887, but in his earlier period his dramatic production outweighed his poetry both in bulk and in import. Together with Lady Gregory he founded the Irish Theatre, which was to become the Abbey Theatre. His plays reflect his fascination with mysticism and spiritualism. The Countess Cathleen (1892), The Land of Heart's Desire (1894), Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902), The King's Threshold (1904), and Deirdre (1907) are among the best known.

Although a convinced patriot, Yeats deplored the hatred and the bigotry of the Nationalist movement, and was appointed to the Irish Senate in 1922. Yeats is one of the few writers whose greatest works were written after the award of the Nobel Prize. His poetry made him one of the outstanding and most influential twentieth-century poets writing in English.