William Blake

An English poet, painter, and printmaker, largely unrecognised during his lifetime. His work is today considered influential and sigicant in the history of both poetry and the visual arts. He was voted 38th in a poll of the 100 Greatest Britons organised by the BBC in 2002.


Once considered mad for his differentiating views, he is highly regarded today for his expressiveness and creativity, and the philosophical vision that underlies his work. He himself once indicated, "The imagination is not a State: it is the Human existence itself."


So where exactly is it you grew up, Willy?

I was born to a middle-class family on the 28th of November, in the year of 1757. I was the third of seven children, who consisted of one girl and six boys, two of whom died in infancy.

Sorry to hear that. When did you start writing poetry, then? How did you get into it?

Well, I began engraving copies of drawings of Greek antiquities given to me by my father, this was a practice of mine that was then preferred to actual drawing. My parents lent me alot of support and within my drawings I found his my exposure to classical forms, through the work of Raphael, Michelangelo, Marten Heemskerk and Albrecht Dürer. My parents knew enough of my headstrong temperament that it was not possible to send me to school, and instead instead enrolled in drawing classes. I read avidly on subjects of my own choosing as a child. During this period, I was also making explorations into poetry; and my early work displays knowledge of Ben Jonson and Edmund Spenser.