William Butler Yeats, one of the foremost literary figures of the 20th century, was an Irish writer whose works spanned multiple genres, including poetry, drama, and prose. Born in 1865, Yeats played an instrumental role in the Irish Literary Revival, contributing to the development of Irish national identity. His engagement with mysticism and the occult, most notably his involvement with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, deeply influenced his works. A Vision is an example of this, marrying his poetic skills with esoteric philosophy. Yeats’s marriage to Georgie Hyde-Lees deepened his involvement with the occult (See: Background).

Georgie Hyde-Lees, Yeats’s wife, is significant for more than just being the partner of a renowned poet. Born in 1892, she was introduced to Yeats through mutual friends in the occult community. Their marriage in 1917 marked a profound shift in Yeats’s personal and literary life. Her influence on Yeats was not merely as a muse but as an active participant in his spiritual and intellectual explorations. Georgie introduced Yeats to automatic writing, a form of spiritual communication in which one records the communications of the spirit world while in a trance. Much of the material for A Vision came from Georgie’s automatic writings.