William Butler Yeats, born in 1865, is considered one of the pioneers of poetry of the 1900s. He is best remembered for his work focused on the myths, folklore and history of Ireland, his country of origin, but his other works have also found their way into the hearts of people around the world, past and present. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to English and Irish literature. Along with Ezra Pound and TS Elliot, he is one of the most famous canonical modernist poets: a literary genre characterized by the use of free verse, concision, and a more musical sound in their writings (Surette). Coming from an Irish family, William Butler Yeats became accustomed to order and regularity very early. Coming from a highly aristocratic family, Yeats would have been greatly affected by the rise of the nationalist movement and the backlash against British Protestantism being forced into Ireland (a traditionally Catholic nation). He was well exposed to the arts and was encouraged to participate in them himself. He discovered his affinity for writing and reading poetry in his youth and continued to embrace his love for both while studying at the Metropolitan School of Art (Jeffares). One of his earliest known works, written when he was seventeen, was a poem about a magician known to have been heavily influenced by the writings of Percey Bysshe Shelley, an English lyric romantic poet who lived in the early from the 19th century (Woodring). .At the age of 22, the Yeats family returned to London, the homeland of John Butler Yeats. There, William became increasingly interested in the Irish nationalist movement and met Maude Gonne, a fervent feminist and nationalist with whom he developed...... middle of paper ......p., nd Web. March 29, 2011. .Valdez Moses, Michael. "The poet as politician – the new biography of WB Yeats examines the wider context of the poet's life – Critical essay – page 4 | Reason." BNET | News articles, back issues of magazines and reference articles on all subjects. BNET - CBS and Web. March 29, 2011. .Yeats, W.B. The WB Yeats Collection. Alexandria, Virginia: Chadwyck-Healey, 1999. Print. Foster, R.F. WB Yeats: a life. 1, The Mage's Apprentice, 1865-1914. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Print. Surette, Leon. The birth of modernism: Ezra Pound, TS Eliot, WB Yeats and the occult. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1993. Print. Woodring, Carl. Politics in English Romantic Poetry. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1970. Print.