New Zealand Listener

Flawed genius

illiam Butler Yeats was one of the greatest poets in the English language. Ever. At his best, his poetry reaches the sublime; and at his less than best, he is still a master of his craft. But even literary geniuses can be foolish. Socially, Yeats was an Anglo-Irish snob, looking down

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from New Zealand Listener

New Zealand Listener1 min read
Friday July 5
Season five! It seems to be going well. As with The Great British Bake Off, contestants can often make a career out of a win. “The show is such a springboard – that’s what I love about it,” Alan Carr told House Beautiful. “[2022 winner] Banjo Beale h
New Zealand Listener2 min read
Short Cuts
Can you really summarise a giant continent in 463 pages? Zeinab Badawi, a Sudanese-British journalist, travelled to more than 30 countries and conducted dozens of interviews for AN AFRICAN HISTORY OF AFRICA (WH Allen). It’s not an academic book, nor
New Zealand Listener1 min read
Monday July 1
Beyoncé’s eighth studio album Captain Carter seemed to cause a great deal of consternation among the country music establishment, for no other reason than she is a black woman who stepped out of her lane. But as this doco makes clear, she really didn

Related Books & Audiobooks