VISIONARY poet William Blake has inspired Blackwell’s to organise a two-week festival in his honour.

Staff at the Broad Street bookshop are launching the festival to tie in with the Ashmolean Museum exhibition Apprentice and Master, which started on December 4 and runs until March 1.

Writers Philip Pullman, Iain Sinclair and Caspar Henderson will take part in a discussion at the Sheldonian Theatre, in Broad Street, at 3pm on Sunday, January 18, to launch the two-week series of events.

There are now displays of the 19th century artist’s engravings and artworks throughout the shop, including those on show in the rare books department.

Our top stories

Deputy manager Zool Verjee said: “The Blake exhibition at the Ashmolean has been attracting a huge amount of attention so we decided to set up this festival.

“There are so many angles to Blake as a poet, artist and thinker that we wanted to offer something beyond the exhibition. We have not done anything quite like this before so it’s new territory for us.

“The author Philip Pullman is president of the Blake Society, and it’s great to have his support.

“Blake was such an inspiring figure and we want to share the joy of Blake because his paintings and poems are so stirring.”

Mr Pullman, who lives in Cumnor, said: “This does seem like something Blackwell’s has never tried before.

“I’m excited by it and hope it goes well.

“Certainly, Blake’s work has always been very important to me.

“At first glance his work can seem mysterious and obscure but he did have a very consistent point of view.

“The imagination was always very important to him and the existence of another spiritual realm.

“He also championed the poor against the rich.”

Ruth Rosen will give a talk at thebookshop at 7pm on Tuesday, January 20 entitled William Blake – Man Without a Mask.

On Thursday, January 22, there will be a balloon debate on Blake at the bookshop at 7pm.

And on Saturday, January 24, children’s events from 2pm to 5pm will include Tyger potato printing, inspired by Blake’s 1794 poem The Tyger.

The Inspired by Blake festival ends on Saturday, January 31.

 

Key figure in romantic period

  • Poet and artist William Blake was regarded as a key figure of the Romantic Age
  • Born in 1757 in London, he began writing at an early age and said he had his first vision at the age of 10, of a tree full of angels.
  • He studied engraving and enjoyed Gothic art, which he included in his own work. As a poet, artist and visionary he was often misunderstood throughout much of his life, but has been influential since his death.
  • After Blake’s brother Robert died from tuberculoisis aged 24, in 1787, he developed a new method of working called ‘illuminated printing’.

 

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.