Charles Williams
Personal Information
Description
Charles Walter Stansby Williams (20 September 1886 – 15 May 1945) was a British poet, novelist, literary critic, editor, biographer, Anglican Christian, and occultist. He was also a member of the Inklings along with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. He is best known for his seven 'metaphysical thrillers', among which are War in Heaven (1930), The Place of the Lion (1931) and All Hallows Eve (1937). He also wrote history, literary criticism and theology, which included The Descent of the Dove (1929) and Outlines of Romantic Theology (1990). However, Williams regarded his Arthurian poetry as his finest achievement. Esoteric and dense, they include Taliessen Through Logres (1938), The Region of the Summer Stars (1944) and The Silver Stair (1912). Williams' literary style is notable, being labyrinthine and full of obscure allusions. He was influenced by a variety of sources, including the Bible, Arthurian legend and the occult.
Books
Selected writings
Francis Bacon
Bacon (1909-92) was raised in large country houses in rural Ireland by a family whose conventional expectations he rebelled against early on. As a young man he was introduced to the seamy side of life in London and Paris; but only after seeing a Picasso retrospective in 1928 did he become an artist. He sprang into prominence in 1944 with a triptych which shocked the art world with its sheer ferocity, and he soon emerged, with his friend Lucian Freud, as a leader of an informal "School of London," which favored figurative painting in an age dominated by abstraction. As retrospectives of Bacon's work in Paris, London, and New York made his reputation soar, his nighttime exploits grew wilder and wilder; charming and confident, with a strong sadomasochistic streak, he was drawn to "rough trade" in London clubs and pushed all situations to the edge. At the same time, he was a deeply cultivated and thoughtful artist who was obsessively guarded about the sources of his inspiration. Michael Peppiatt has unlocked many of the enigmas of Bacon's life and work. Bacon talked openly to Peppiatt about his early life, his sexuality, his fantasies, and his ambitions, aware that all was being recorded for publication. At the suggestion that some of his remarks would sound indiscreet, Bacon replied: "The more indiscreet, the more interesting it will be." Together with many new facts, unpublished documents, and penetrating analyses of key paintings, these conversations have been integrated into what is the most complete and riveting account of one of the greatest artists of our time.
The place of the lion
A lion and other Platonic archetypes appear outside a small Hertfordshire town, wreaking havoc with their powers and cutting off the town from the rest of the world.
The English poetic mind
'The English Poetic Mind' is Williams' discussion of the source of the poetic impulse, creativity and drive behind three prominent English poets: Shakespeare, Milton and Wordsworth.