William Butler Yeats: biography and creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

William Butler Yeats is known as the greatest English-language poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who did much to transform the poetic style, as well as a playwright, essayist and prose writer. In the list of books recommended by Hemingway for mandatory reading for young authors, Yeats' Autobiography was also indicated. His poetry was honored by eminent translators. Not only as a poet, William Butler Yeats showed himself. His poems are certainly very valuable, but William Butler is also known as a playwright. Yeats's concept of dramaturgy had a strong influence on Thomas Eliot, who characterized the work of his predecessor as "an integral part of the spirit of our age."

Origin, youth and features of early creativity

The English-speaking poet we are interested in was born in the capital of Ireland, in the family of a famous artist who belonged to the Pre-Raphaelite school (to which, by the way, the Kipling family was also close). He did not receive any decent formal education, but did a lot of self-study. Earlybecame interested in literature.

The opening verses are heavily influenced by Shelley and Spencer. He began to write them as early as 1882, and the first publication dates back to 1885. Then, in 1885, William participated in the organization of the Dublin Alchemical Society, which was engaged in the occult sciences. The poet will remain interested in them for the rest of his life.

William began to print at the age of 20, and 4 years later he published his first book of poems. Brought up on the ideas of the Pre-Raphaelites, the young man, in his words, experienced "monkey hatred" for the rationalism and practicality of our time. It seemed to him that poetry was also affected by this destruction, he sought salvation in symbolism, believing that the image of beauty hidden from our eyes cannot be recreated except by resorting to the use of symbols. However, even then Yeats demanded from art not only an emotional impact on the reader, but also a moral one.

Outreach activities

The poet gave a lot of energy to educational activities. In 1891, he organized the Irish Literary Society in London, then the National Irish Union in Dublin, actively participated in the work of the Poetry Society, and took care of the popularization of Irish folklore. One of his accomplishments was the creation of the so-called Gaelic League - a public union that aimed to develop the Irish national culture, revive the indigenous language and transition to literature based on folk traditions.

The Irish people have a difficult history. "Greenthe island" was inhabited by Celtic tribes as early as the 4th century BC. In modern times, in the 12th century, Ireland fell under the rule of England. Only in 1921 did it receive the status of a dominion, and in 1949 - independence. Northern Ireland, often called Ulster, remained with the British. Foreign domination was cruel, the laws did not allow the Irish to use their native language under pain of death. By the middle of the last century, the struggle for their culture and language was complicated by mass emigration; now there are as many Irish people living abroad as in Ireland. the mother tongue has declined and even now that the situation is improving, less than a quarter of the citizens speak Irish.

Irish Literary Revival

The struggle against the decline of culture was the task of the Irish Literary Renaissance movement, within which the Gaelic League arose and the beginning of which is associated with the release in 1893 of a collection of poetry, authored by William Yeats ("Celtic Twilight"). The participants in the movement did not reduce its goals to narrow language problems, and many of them, including William, wrote in English. "Gaelic is my national language, but not my mother tongue," said William Butler Yeats. Quotes from him were often used to promote this movement. The objectives of the "Irish Literary Renaissance" were large-scale - to awaken the national spirit, preserve folk traditions, defend the independence of the country's culture.

Establishment of the Irish Literary Theater

BAs part of the movement, William Butler Yeats founded the Irish Literary Theater in Dublin in 1899 and was its director almost until his death, for about 40 years. He worked on the repertoire for his theater himself, turning mainly to the national epic and native history for problems. Here Yeats was a major innovator. He managed to create a kind of concept of "poetic theater", the antithesis of the dominance of naturalism.

Personal life and poems about love

In poetry, which became the main vocation of Yeats, he was also constantly in search. His early work was rooted in mythology and was fueled by the idea of "Eternal Beauty". Reality almost did not attract the poet. Love brought a peculiar tragic flavor to Yeats' poetry. At the age of 24, he met the young beauty Maud Goni, an actress and revolutionary, and for many years had passionate feelings for her that remained unrequited. Only at the age of 52, having received a fourth refusal from Maud to join their lives, did William Butler Yeats start a family. "He longs for a heavenly cloak …" - this is the name of one of his poems related to love lyrics. By the way, lines from it sound at the beginning of the film "Equilibrium". Many do not know that their author is William Butler Yeats. "But I am a poor man, and I only have dreams," says the lyrical hero of this poem, lamenting that he cannot spread "heavenly silk" at the feet of his beloved.

Confessional and civil poetry

Over time inYeats' work was marked by a turning point. "Eternal beauty", poems about love - all this gradually became a thing of the past. Beginning with the collection "Responsibility" (1914), William Butler gravitates more and more to confessional and civil poetry. The collection's poems convey a tense social atmosphere. In the constantly restless Catholic Ireland, dissatisfaction was accumulating with the domination of Protestant England. The crisis was resolved by the Dublin uprising of 1916. Ireland declared itself a republic, but the insurgents held out for only five days. William Butler Yeats was in London at the time, and the events came as a complete surprise to him, but they left a deep imprint on his mind.

It took a painful reassessment of the past. Instead of mythology mixed with mysticism, Yeats's work includes the history of the country with its real heroes. The bloody reality of the uprising, which claimed 450 lives, the death of its leaders prompted the poet to cast aside the sublime aristocracy, to take a fresh look at people.

Tragic tone of lyrics

Life did not allow me to find a solid support. The ensuing guerrilla war with the English conquerors caused Yeats bitter disappointment. He was overcome by fear of a chain reaction of hatred and violence. Tragic tonality is characteristic of most of the poems of this period. But, of course, there were cheerful chords in Yeats's lyrics. An example is the poem "Fiddler from Dunia".

Authority of a poet

Yates' poetry enjoyed widerecognition. Apparently, one should not look for hyperbolization in the formula of the Swedish Academy, where it is noted that his work "gives an expression of the spiritual essence of an entire nation." The authority of the poet was great. From 1922 to 1928, Yeats was a member of the Irish Senate, one of three senators who advised the government on education, literature and the arts. His reasoned speeches contributed to the preservation of many national monuments. However, for the most part, attempts to interfere in politics did not work, and he refused the honorary title.

Senate speeches

Yates's Senate speeches make it possible to judge his assessment of the role of culture in the life of society. In one of them he said that he himself had no hope of seeing a united Ireland, of seeing the annexation of Ulster; but he is convinced that in the end it will happen, and not because the Irish will fight for it, but because they will govern their country well. William Butler Yeats noted that this can be done by creating a culture that will represent its country and that will attract the imagination of young people.

The last decade of life and creativity

In the last decade, his life seemed to be going smoothly. Great moral and material support was the Nobel Prize, which he received in 1923. The poet is again full of spiritual and physical strength, he speaks of approaching old age with calm humor. But this is only external calm, the spiritual life of the poet is still full of struggles. In his declining years, a revered author,looking back at the past, thinking about the future, he asks himself questions one more disturbing than the other. In his work, fresh themes arise, new ideas are nurtured, and poetic technique changes. The poet, as it were, constantly refutes himself. The state of the search did not leave him until the end.

It should also be noted that the poems relating to the late period of his work have a more personal character than earlier works. In particular, they mention the children of William, presented Yeats' reflections on his aging.

For the last fifteen years of his life, Yeats was recognized as the national Irish poet. He was often sick, but continued to create. In the last decade of his life, he created works that are marked by extraordinary skill, great passion and imagination. Among them, such collections as "The Tower" (1928) and "The Spiral Staircase" created in 1933 should be noted.

The poet died on the French Riviera, in the town of Cap-Martin, on January 28, 1939. Death came after another illness. According to the will of Yeats, which was indicated in his poetic will, in 1948 his remains were reburied in Ireland.

Disputes around the personality and work of the poet

Sharp transitions have characterized Yeats the artist throughout his nearly 60-year career. He often abandoned what he had achieved, changed and varied his works. The facts of Yeats's life and literary biography are also contradictory. All his life hewas fond of mystical teachings. This was reflected in his work as well. In particular, William Yeats was fond of spiritualism. "Vision" is a book published in 1925 in which the author interprets psychological and historical moments from the position of mysticism. At one time, William Butler even believed the primitive fascist demagogy.

Accordingly, the judgments of critics about his ideological positions often mutually exclude one another: Yeats is presented either as a revolutionary, or as a reactionary, or as a traditionalist, or as a modernist. Judgments are supported by references to articles, statements, poetic lines. Disputes surrounding the personality and work of William Butler Yeats have become a tradition. One thing is clear - he was a man constantly striving for new spiritual beings. And it was this property that prompted him to create a new form and content of poetry, which has become an integral part of modern culture.