Fresh hints for new ways of writing came from Ireland. One of the protagonists of the Irish Revival was William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939).Poet, essayst and playwright, Yeats, born in Dublin,spent his life between London and his hometown (città natale) remaining deeply rooted(profondamente radicato)to the Irish tradition. He used to spend his holidays in Sligo, a small village in the west of Ireland, where his grandparents lived and the scenery, the folklore and supernatural Irish legends impressed him greatly in these early wanderings. In his early poems the the themes are mystical and dreamlike (onirici) and the style is characterised by beautiful images,delicate and refined like the pre- Raphaelite’ s picture (his father was a Pre-raphaelite Irish painter). The second and most important phase of his production, starts after 1909, the year of the meeting with Ezra Pound. His style becomes more concise, and the poet tends to use more concrete and precise images. Also his themes range(variano)from Irish national culture, to love and politics. The poetry becomes often highly personal, but it also developes Yeats’ s theories of anarchy, violence and tragedy in human history.
2012-12-09