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Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of W.B. Yeats

The Yeats Society
/
http://www.yeatssociety.com/

Today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of W.B. Yeats.

From Jonathan Swift to James Joyce through writers of today; the Irish literature tradition has remained a strong one. 

However, throughout history no name is as large as poet William Butler Yeats. W.B. Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, and his work continues to hold great influence a century later. 

"He's a man for the future. His words will never ever decrease in their meaning, their content," says Martin Enright, president of the Yeats Society based in Sligo, Ireland.

"He was a creator of a body of work that has not been paralleled. It's everlasting," says Enright.

According to Martin Enright, during this week of June 13th, a celebration of Yeats' 150th will be ongoing throughout not only Ireland, but worldwide in a cultural event called Yeats 150. There are over 300 events ongoing which celebrate not only the vast work of W.B Yeats, but also the life he lived and the effect he had on a multitude of generations.    

Bonnie North
Bonnie joined WUWM in March 2006 as the Arts Producer of the locally produced weekday magazine program Lake Effect.