Early Poems and Stories – W.B. Yeats (1925)
This collection gathers the formative works of W.B. Yeats, showcasing the evolution of Ireland’s greatest poet from his Romantic, folklore-steeped beginnings to his early modernist experiments. Included are lyrical poems like The Lake Isle of Innisfree and The Stolen Child, alongside Celtic Twilight-era stories such as The Secret Rose, all brimming with mysticism, Irish mythology, and a longing for transcendence. The volume captures Yeats’ pre-occultist phase, where his voice—melancholic yet vivid—laid the groundwork for his later, more politically charged masterpieces.
If You Admired This, Explore:
- The Tower (Yeats, 1928) – His mature, symbolist-rich poetry of cyclical history and passion.
- Dubliners (James Joyce, 1914) – Contrasting Irish realism with Yeats’ mythic idealism.
- The Celtic Twilight (Yeats, 1893) – Essays on faeries and folk tales that shaped his early aesthetic.
Note: This 1925 compilation predates Yeats’ Nobel Prize (1923) and his later, esoteric works.