0
    • Close Modal
    0 0
    Penguin Random House, author portrait placeholder image

    William Butler Yeats

    William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) was born in Dublin. Yeats was educated in London and in Dublin, but he spent his summers in the west of Ireland in the family's summer house at Connaught. The young Yeats was very much part of the fin de siècle in London; at the same time he 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, and served as its chief playwright until the movement was joined by John Synge. His plays usually treat Irish legends; they also 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 his poetry is full of moving protests against it. He was appointed to the Irish Senate in 1922. His poetry, especially the volumes The Wild Swans at Coole (1919), Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921), The Tower (1928), The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1933), and Last Poems and Plays (1940), made him one of the outstanding and most influential twentieth-century poets writing in English. 
    When You Are Old
    When You Are Old
    Early Poems, Plays, and Fairy Tales
    William Butler Yeats , Jessica Hische
    9780143107644
    $19.00 US
    Paperback
    Jun 09, 2015
    Penguin Classics
    The Playboy of the Western World and Two Other Irish Plays
    The Playboy of the Western World and Two Other Irish Plays
    J. M. Synge , William Butler Yeats , Sean O'Casey
    9780140188783
    $15.00 US
    Paperback
    May 01, 1997
    Penguin Classics

    Books

    When You Are Old
    When You Are Old
    Early Poems, Plays, and Fairy Tales
    William Butler Yeats, Jessica Hische
    9780143107644
    $19.00 US
    Paperback
    Jun 09, 2015
    Penguin Classics
    The Playboy of the Western World and Two Other Irish Plays
    The Playboy of the Western World and Two Other Irish Plays
    J. M. Synge, William Butler Yeats, Sean O'Casey
    9780140188783
    $15.00 US
    Paperback
    May 01, 1997
    Penguin Classics

    Related Articles

    Live Inspired with Compendium: Now Available from PRH!
    Adults Children's General All Gift Blog

    Live Inspired with Compendium: Now Available from PRH!

    Exciting news! Compendium has joined the Penguin Random House family, bringing a proven line of bestselling, sentiment-driven gifts to our extensive and ever-growing catalog. Since 1985, Compendium has been creating meaningful moments with beautiful, thoughtfully made gifts that center connection and celebrate occasions both big and small. From greeting cards to inspirational books to impulse-friendly add-ons, Compendium

    Read more

    Live Inspired with Compendium: Now Available from PRH!

    Adults Children's General All Gift Blog

    Penguin Random House Retail

    © 2026 Penguin Random House

    Back to Top
    0
    Wish List (0)