Most Popular Books by William Butler Yeats

Beautiful early writings by one of the 20th century’s greatest poets on the 150th anniversary of his birth A Penguin Classic The poems, prose, and drama gathered in When You Are Old present a fresh portrait of the Nobel Prize–winning writer as a younger man: the 1890s aesthete who dressed as a dandy, collected Irish folklore, dabbled in magic, and wrote heartrending poems for his beloved, the beautiful, elusive Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne. Included here are such celebrated, lyrical poems as “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” and “He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven,” as well as Yeats’s imaginative retellings of Irish fairytales—including his first major poem, “The Wanderings of Oisin,” based on a Celtic fable—and his critical writings, which offer a fascinating window onto his artistic theories. Through these enchanting works, readers will encounter Yeats as the mystical, lovelorn bard and Irish nationalist popular during his own lifetime. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Poetry.

First published in 1891, John Sherman and Dhoya was Yeats''s third separate publication. The stories were revised and reprinted in the 1908 Collected Works in Verse and Prose but not published again in Yeats''s lifetime. John Sherman, Yeats''s only completed attempt at realistic fiction, details the title character''s dilemma: He must choose between life in London and marriage to Margaret Leland, an English girl, and life in Ireland and marriage to a childhood sweetheart, Mary Carton. In addition to containing numerous autobiographical elements (for instance, the town of Ballah is modeled on Yeats''s Sligo), the novelette treats many of Yeats''s persistent themes, such as the debate between nationality and cosmopolitanism and the conflict between what he would later call the Self and the Anti-Self. In the end, Sherman reaffirms his Irish roots, and Margaret Leland''s affections are transferred to Sherman''s friend, the Reverend William Howard. Dhoya, a mythological tale set in the remote past, depicts a liasion between a mortal and a fairy, a motif that Yeats used in many other works. Describing the inevitable conflict between a world of perfection and the mortal world, the short story suggests that "only the changing, and moody, and angry, and weary can love." Well received by most contemporary reviewers, John Sherman and Dhoya are important both as works of fiction and as indications of the fundamental continuity of subject and theme in Yeats''s career. This edition offers an accurate text, an introduction, and explanatory notes.

The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats includes all of the poems authorized by Yeats for inclusion in his standard canon. Breathtaking in range, it encompasses the entire arc of his career, from luminous reworkings of ancient Irish myths and legends to passionate meditations on the demands and rewards of youth and old age, from exquisite, ocasionally whimsical songs of love, nature, and art to somber and angry poems of life in a nation torn by war and uprising. In observing the development of rich and recurring images and themes over the course of his body of work, we can trace the quest of this century''s greatest poet to unite intellect and artistry in a single magnificent vision. Revised and corrected, this edition includes Yeats''s own notes on his poetry, complemented by explanatory notes from esteemed Yeats scholar Richard J. Finneran. The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats is the most comprehensive edition of one of the world''s most beloved poets available.

Crossways - The rose - The wind among the the reeds - In the seven woods - The green helmet and other poems - Responsibilities - The wild swans at Coole - Michael Robartes and the dancer - The tower - The winding stair and other poems - Words for music perhaps - A woman young and old - A full moon in March - Last poems.

Reproduction of the original.

Here is the complete, standard edition of the verse of Ireland''s greatest lyric poet, including poems from Yeats''s plays and essays--edited by internationally acclaimed Yeats scholar Richard J. Finneran. This top-selling reference has been steadily in demand since its original publication in 1989. Index.

This volume assembles all the known surviving drafts of Yeats''s final sequence of poems, arranged to provide a history of each poem''s composition. Previously overlooked or missequenced final drafts presented here will oblige textual revision of several canonical poems. Invaluable as an archive of Yeats''s revisions, this volume resolves many of the textual cruxes posed by Last Poems ever since its publication, while highlighting ambiguities that remain.

The Wind Among the Reeds is a classic collection of Irish poetry by William Butler Yeats.

Supernatural tales are based upon Irish folklore, incidents related to Yeats by witnesses, and Yeats'' own experiences.

A collection of forty-one early love poems by William Butler Yeates.

This vintage book contains Y. B. Yeats''s 1912 collection of essays, "The Cutting of an Agate". The essays of this collection include: "Thoughts on Lady Gregory''s Translations", "Cuchulain and his Cycle", "Fion and his Cycle", "Preface to the First Edition of the Well of the Saints", "Discoveries", "Prophet, Priest, and King", "Personality and the Intellectual Essences", "The Musician and the Orator", "A Guitar Player", and more. William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939) was an Irish poet and one of the most important and influential literary figures during the twentieth century. A key figure in the Irish and British literary worlds, Yeats also served as an Irish Senator for two terms. He was an important force in the Irish Literary Revival, and co-founded the famous Abbey Theatre. Many antiquarian texts such as this are increasingly hard to come by and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

Reproduction of the original.

Book Excerpt: I have founded societies with this aim, and was indeed founding one in Paris when I first met with J.M. Synge, and I have known what it is to be changed by that I would have changed, till I became argumentative and unmannerly, hating men even in daily life for their opinions. And though I was never convinced that the anatomies of last year''s leaves are a living forest, or thought a continual apologetic could do other than make the soul a vapour and the body a stone; or believed that literature can be made by anything but by what is still blind and dumb within ourselves, I have had to learn how hard in one who lives where forms of expression and habits of thought have been born, not for the pleasure of begetting but for the public good, is that purification from insincerity, vanity, malignity, arrogance, which is the discovery of style. But it became possible to live when I had learnt all I had not learnt in shaping words, in defending Synge against his enemies, and knew that rich energies, fine, turbulent orRead More

Reproduction of the original.

Reproduction of the original.

The Collected Works of W. B. Yeats, Volume IX: Early Articles and Reviews is part of a fourteen-volume series under the general editorship of eminent Yeats scholars Richard J. Finneran and George Mills Harper. This first complete edition includes virtually all of the Nobel laureate''s published work, in authoritative texts with extensive explanatory notes. Coedited by John P. Frayne and Madeleine Marchaterre, Early Articles and Reviews assembles the earliest examples of Yeats''s critical prose, from 1886 to the end of the century -- articles and reviews that were not collected into book form by the poet himself. Gathered together now, they show the earliest development of Yeats''s ideas on poetry, the role of literature, Irish literature, the formation of an Irish national theater, and the occult, as well as Yeats''s interaction with his contemporary writers. As seen here, Yeats''s vigorous activity as magazine critic and propagandist for the Irish literary cause belies the popular picture created by his poetry of the "Celtic Twilight" period, that of an idealistic dreamer in flight from the harsh realities of the practical world. This new volume adds four years'' worth of Yeats''s writings not included in a previous (1970) edition of his early articles and reviews. It also greatly expands the background notes and textual notes, bringing this compilation up to date with the busy world of Yeats scholarship over the last three decades. Early Articles and Reviews is an essential sourcebook illuminating Yeat''s reading, his influences, and his literary opinions about other poets and writers.

Reproduction of the original.

Reproduction of the original.

The Complete Works of W.B. Yeats offers a comprehensive anthology of the renowned Irish poet''s oeuvre, capturing the multifaceted nature of his literary journey. Spanning from his early engagement with Romanticism to his later exploration of Symbolism and modernism, this collection showcases Yeats''s evolution as a lyric poet profoundly influenced by the tumultuous politics and cultural revival of early 20th-century Ireland. Each poem, richly imbued with themes of identity, myth, and the interplay of time and memory, reflects his unique style characterized by musicality, vivid imagery, and philosophical depth, providing readers with an insightful glimpse into his artistic psyche. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was a pivotal figure in the Irish Literary Revival and one of the foremost poets of the 20th century. His passion for mysticism, theater, and Irish folklore profoundly shaped his literary voice. Caught between the tradition of the past and the turbulent events of his time, Yeats articulated a vision of Ireland that was both romantic and political, an exploration that undoubtedly influenced his poetic output, as evidenced in major works collected here. For readers and scholars alike, The Complete Works of W.B. Yeats is an essential volume that not only preserves the legacy of one of the greatest poets in the English language but also invites a deep engagement with the complex threads that define the human experience. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the rich tapestry of literature reflecting societal change, personal struggle, and the enduring power of art.

Contents: In the Seven Woods; Old Age of Queen Maeve; Baile and Aillinn; The Arrow; Folly of Being Comforted; Withering of the Boughs; Adam''s Curse; Song of Red Hanrahan; Old Men Admiring Themselves in the Water; Under the Moon; Players Ask for a Blessing on the Psalteries and Themselves; Rider From the North; On Baile''s Strand, A Play.

Reproduction of the original.

This antiquarian book contains Y. B. Yeats''s 1914 autobiography, "Reveries over Childhood and Youth". His first autobiography, it covers his life from its beginning - and his earliest memories to his early twenties. Rich in poetic description and genuine sentimentalities, this fantastic and insightful biography is highly recommended for those with an interest in his life and work, and it would make for a great addition to any collection. William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939) was an Irish poet and one of the most important and influential literary figures during the twentieth century. A key figure in the Irish and British literary worlds, Yeats also served as an Irish Senator for two terms. He was an important force in the Irish Literary Revival, and co-founded the famous Abbey Theatre. Many vintage texts such as this are increasingly hard to come by and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.