Author:W J McCormack
In June 1934, W. B. Yeats gratefully received the award of a Goethe-Plakette from Oberburgermeister Krebs, four months after his early play The Countess Cathleen had been produced in Frankfurt by SS Untersturmfuhrer Bethge. Four years later, the poet publicly commended Nazi legislation before leaving Dublin to die in southern France. These hitherto neglected, isolated and scandalous details stand at the heart of this reflective study of Yeats's life, his attitudes towards death, and his politics.
Blood Kindred identifies an obsession with family as the link connecting Yeats's late engagement with fascism to his Irish Victorian origins in suburban Dublin and industrializing Ulster. It carefully documents and analyses his involvement with both Maud Gonne and her daughter Iseult, his secretive consultations with Irish army officers during his Senate years, his incidental anti-Semitism, and his approval of the right-wing royalist group L'Action Française in the 1920s.
The familiar peaks and troughs of Irish history, such as the 1916 Rising and the death of Parnell, are re-oriented within a radical new interpretation of Yeats's life and thought, his poetry and plays. As far as possible Bill McCormack lets Yeats speak for himself through generous quotation from his newly accessible correspondence. The result is a combative, entertaining biography which allows Ireland's greatest literary figure to be seen in the round for the first time.
This sparkling book concentrates the mind in salutary ways, as well as being the most marvellous company
—— Bernard O'Donoghue , Literary ReviewFull of suggestive points derived from a delving into Yeats's family background... well-informed... wide-ranging... very useful and detailed
—— Irish University ReviewErudite and well-informed... A troubling, important assessment of Yeats's life and work
—— Kirkus ReviewsWonderful... Jack is a superb and diverse writer, with a mind and eyes and a nose for virtually everything... He's smart, proportionate, discerning and (rarest of rarities) decent. To me, this book is indispensable
—— Richard Ford , Guardian, Books of the YearIan Jack's superbly evocative essays are the ideal advertisement for the virtues of print journalism... superbly evocative
—— Rachel Cooke , The ObserverIan Jack does for Great Britain what Arthur Miller did for the US and portrays a land through journalistic vignettes and essays
—— Emmanuelle Smith , Financial TimesOne of our most prized journalists...we are lucky to have him. Where in many places else there is cant abounding, here is that rare thing, cant deficiency
—— Giles Foden , GuardianFor a perceptive perspective on the Britain that we're leaving ever further behind, Jack's journalism is hard to beat
—— David Robinson , ScotsmanAn intriguing selection of the writing of Ian Jack...Jack masterfully reflects on the past while bringing modern life into sharp focus...despite taking an unflinching approach, his work is often humorous
—— Tom Hicks , MetroThis is a beady, sometimes moving book which proves that the finest journalism is worth paying for
—— Rachel Cooke , New Statesman, Books of 2009Ian Jack's journeys in Britain and India are illuminating and memorable
—— Sean O'Brien , Times Literary SupplementNostalgia drives this collection of Jack's journalism... Jack's backward-looking stance works best when he is exposing the vandalism of the past
—— Guardian[Has] a meditative, often melancholy, quality that tells us a lot about what it's like to simply be in the Arctic...the author deftly weaves in some nicely crafted vignettes that illuminate various aspects of the Arctic experience
—— Jonathan Dore , Times Literary SupplementIt is the warmth and the honesty of the portraits that is Wheeler's forte
—— The TabletWheeler is excellent company for the journey, with her observations on the consequences of our actions always well balanced and open-minded
—— Big IssueIs an entertaining mix of popular science, history and reportage, wrapped up in some seriously fine writing
—— Katherine Hughes , The Mail on SundayWonderful account of her journeys through the region
—— Simon Kuper , Financial TimesOne of the greatest travel books of our times - poignant, funny, a delight to read
—— Christopher Hirst , The IndependentHer writing, while brilliantly evocative, is never overblown... If you are lucky you might get to travel in the Arctic yourself; if you don't, this book is the next best thing
—— Erica Wagner , The TimesA chilling and fascinating work
—— GuardianQuite wonderful
—— Stephanie Cross , Daily MailCarries lightly a depth of research that gives alarming edge to Wheeler's engrossing
—— James Urquhart , Financial TimesIt is a testament to the author's ability that the text never lurches into despondency- above all, this is a book that celebrates the inspiring endurance and colourful past of those who populate the area
—— Sebastian Clare , Irish TimesIn its many-layered discoveries, the book is truly magnetic
—— Jane Knight , The Times
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