YEATS, William Butler, Irish author: la Dublin, 13 June 1865. He obtained a second ary schooling in England and Ireland, u-as for three years a student of art, but turned to literature in 1886. He was a leader in the foundation of the Irish Literary Society and the National Literary Society of Dublin. and a prime mover in the Irish Independent Theatre. thus becoming one of the chief representaterts of the Irish Literary Revival. Yeats has no superior as a lyric poet in his generation, be' he is perhaps best known as a playwright After a few years spent in the literary circles of Lon don and Paris he returned to Ireland about 18% and devoted himself assiduously to litera ture, drawing largely on Gaelic myth, legend anti folklore. In 1903-8t again in 1914 and NW he lectured in the United States on subjects con nected with this movement. With F_ he edited 'The Works of William Blake' (1893) and 'Ideas of Good and Evil' (1903). Among his various further publications in prose and verse are 'The Wanderings of Oisin' (1889); 'John Sherman' (1891) •, 'Countess Kathleen' (1892); 'The Celtic Twilight' (1893) • 'A Book of Irish Verse' (1895); 'Poems' (1895); 'The Secret Rose' (1897); 'The Wind among the Reeds' (1899) ; 'The Shadowy Waters' (1909); 'Cathleen in Hoolihan' (1902); 'Ideas of Good and Evil' (1903); 'In the Seven Woods' (1903) ; 'Hour Glass and Other Plays' 0900' 'The King's Threshold' (1904); 'Deir dre' (1907) • 'Collected Works' (8 vols., 19014);
'Green Helmet and Other Poems' (1910); M. Synge and the Ireland of his Time' (1911); 'Plays for an Irish Theatre' (1912); 'Responsibilities' (1914); 'Reveries' (1916). Consult the autobiographical 'Reveries' (1916) • Gregory, 'Our Irish Theatre' (New York 1913) Kraus, W. S., 'William B. Yeats' (ib. 1904); Moore, George, 'Hail and Farewell' (3 vols., ib. 1912-14)• Reid, Forrest, 'W. B. Yeats' (ib. 1915) ; Weygand, Carl, 'Irish Plays and Playwrights' (ib. 1913).