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William Blake

By: Philip Hoare
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Publisher's Summary

Weaving together fragments of artists’ stories across time and place, Philip Hoare embarks on a Sebaldian exploration of the enduring legacy of William Blake. A poet, painter and printmaker who was unappreciated and considered mad in his own time, Blake was eventually lauded as a key pillar of the Romantic movement. His posthumous influence reverberates endlessly, from the films of Derek Jarman to our ongoing fear of technological advancement.

With Blake occupying the narrative centre as a visionary and mythical inspiration, we discover the interconnectedness of artists and writers who came after him, including Paul Nash, Oscar Wilde, Francis Bacon, David Bowie and many more. Snaking around the intersections of history, memoir and art, Hoare looks to the sea while drawing a line from one figure to another, tracing their relationships to the natural world while always returning to the haunting genius of William Blake.

©2025 Philip Hoare (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.