The Collected Letters of W.B. Yeats: Volume 1: 1865-1895

The Collected Letters of W.B. Yeats: Volume 1: 1865-1895

Vividly entertaining and entirely unselfconscious, these early letters of W.B. Yeats reveal the sensibility of a great literary figure. This first volume of Yeats's correspondence contains 350 letters covering the first thirty years of his life, a creative period that saw the publication of his first three books of verse, the first performance of his plays, the beginning of his relationship with Maud Gonne,,and his increasing involvement with the Irish nationalist movement. The annotation is lively and detailed and gives the full literary, social, and historical context of the letters. Also included are an introduction, a detailed chronology of the whole of Yeats's life, and a biographical appendix on his principal correspondents and others mentioned in the letters. This is the first of 12 or more volumes of Yeats's correspondence planned for publication over the next decade. Containing some 350 letters, Volume 1 is a comprehensive, meticulous work of scholarship, providing thorough annotations, a chronology of Yeats's life, and a useful biographical and historical appendix. The letters themselves shed light on the life and art of one of the century's greatest poets; they also reveal an intelligent, vital man with a remarkable range of interests. This volume and future volumes in the series will be the definitive edition of Yeats's correspondence, and they belong in any serious modern literature collection. Michael Hennessy, English Dept., Southwest Texas State Univ., San Marcos Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. "What a vibrant, complex, forceful, self-questioning personality shines through these letters.... Kelly shows epic scholarly skills. His notes are copious and informative, and he adds considerably to our understanding of Yeats. he has taken on the task of editing the letters of one of the greatest poets and worst pellers of our times, and he has done a magnificent job.... Yeats...is here honored by the sort of scrupulous attention he himself gave to all poetry and people he considered worthwhile."-- The New York Times Book Review . "Compelling, entertaining, stamped with Yeats's creative power; dip into it almost anywhere, and you are likely to find yourself completely absorbed."-- The New York Times . "The editors have performed an amazing feat...and all students of literature in English will be indebted to them."-- Choice "What with its beautiful notes and photographs, the completed project will enable us to see a Yeats heretofore known only to intimates and biographers."-- Virginia Quarterly Review "The project, when completed, will be one of the most exemplary scholarly achievements of the century."-- Journal of Modern Literature "This volume and future volumes in the series will be the definitive edition of Yeats's correspondence, and they belong in any serious modern literature collection."-- Library Journal "The editor's illuminating notes and vignettes...are all worth their weight in gold. Yeats is now a world author, and these notes make him available to the world." -- The New Yorker John Kelly is at St John's College, Oxford. Eric Domville is at University of Toronto.