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Awake!: William Blake and the Power of the Imagination
In the 200 years since Blake's death, the visionary artist, poet and writer has become a household name, often beloved. Yet many struggle to comprehend his kaleidoscopic ideas; how they speak to human longings and the challenges of living in anxious times.
Philosopher and psychotherapist Mark Vernon provides a fresh route into Blake, taking him at his word. Exploring this brilliant thinker's passionate writings, arresting artworks and fascinating life, Vernon illuminates Blake's vivid worldview. Like us, he lived in a tumultuous era of war, discontent, rapid technological change, and human estrangement from nature. He exposed the dark sides of political fervour and social moralising, while unashamedly celebrating love and liberty. But he also conversed with prophets and angels, and was powerfully, if unconventionally, religious. If we take this seriously--not easy, in secular times--then Blake can help us to unlock the transformative power of imagination.
Written for both longstanding fans and unfamiliar readers, Awake! reveals Blake as an invigorating and hopeful guide for our modern age.
Philosopher and psychotherapist Mark Vernon provides a fresh route into Blake, taking him at his word. Exploring this brilliant thinker's passionate writings, arresting artworks and fascinating life, Vernon illuminates Blake's vivid worldview. Like us, he lived in a tumultuous era of war, discontent, rapid technological change, and human estrangement from nature. He exposed the dark sides of political fervour and social moralising, while unashamedly celebrating love and liberty. But he also conversed with prophets and angels, and was powerfully, if unconventionally, religious. If we take this seriously--not easy, in secular times--then Blake can help us to unlock the transformative power of imagination.
Written for both longstanding fans and unfamiliar readers, Awake! reveals Blake as an invigorating and hopeful guide for our modern age.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2025
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1793 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 12, 2025
A very delightful and enlightening read, which combines biography, commentary, and deep insights! The connections made between Dante's Comedia and Blake's four states of mind in the final chapter is definitely intriguing. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Blake and desires to wonder with this timeless prophet.
July 6, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Hurst & Co. for an advance copy of this book that mixes biography, literary studies, history and philosophy to explain the enduring legacy of a creator's works, works that tell us more about the time we exist in, and how to be good people while doing so.
Poetry was something that I came to late in my reading life. However I was familiar with many of the names in the field, even if I did not know much about their work. William Blake was a familiar poet used in many different books, from Alfred Bester science fiction to Thomas Harris serial killer thrillers. Even comics that I had read talked about Blake, from superhero to supernatural. Not just the poetry and the prose, but his paintings, used by many to explain the the unexplainable, be it religious, or magical. To me Blake was one of those old kind of poets, weirdos for their time, who wrote strange stuff, drank bad things and had odd visions. I never gave much credit, to Blake even as I read more and more. So to me, this book was a bit of a revelation, and has taught me much, much that maybe I was to jaded or lost to understand. Awake!: William Blake and the Power of the Imagination by author, philosopher and psychotherapist Mark Vernon is a examination of Blake, his times, his work and motivations and how his creations tell us much about the world we find ourselves in today, a world that is changing almost too fast to keep up, and a time where innocence and being good is considered a detriment.
The book begins with a memorial for a man who passed almost 200 years ago, with a very eclectic cast of mourners, including a heavy metal musician. This is the legacy of William Blake, artist, poet, printmaker and more. As Bruce Dickinson, singer and songwriter for the band Iron Maiden says, Blake thoughts are still alive and still have meaning, even more meaning in this present day. The book works as both a biography and an understanding of what Blake wrote and believed, comparing his changing world, one of war, changes in philosophical and and religious thought. Also changes of status with a growing middle class, one that Blake grew up in, and a death of many things that were considered sacrosanct.
I was familiar with Blake, but again thought of him more as those romantic poets with out much meaning in this world we live in. Vernon however does a very good job of reminding the reader that Blake, while not as famous in his own time, dealt with many of the problems that we are dealing with today. Blake wrote about seeing the world as it was, full of mystery and power, but not too lose oneself in it, to find and hold on to what made you be you. I understood the ideas, or so I thought, but Vernon makes it clear that there was a lot more to Blake, and shows how these works can mean so much to us today. There are a few sections that might take not just careful reading, but careful rereading. Vernon is a very good writer, explaining and showing what he means quite well, and if one gets lost, well keep reading, eventually it will become clearer. And much more affirming.
A book for readers of poetry, people who enjoy reading books on religion from different points of view. and for people trying to make sense of the world. Poetry can do a lot for our souls, and help make sense of what seems unexplainable. This is my first book by Mark Vernon, I plan to look for more.
Poetry was something that I came to late in my reading life. However I was familiar with many of the names in the field, even if I did not know much about their work. William Blake was a familiar poet used in many different books, from Alfred Bester science fiction to Thomas Harris serial killer thrillers. Even comics that I had read talked about Blake, from superhero to supernatural. Not just the poetry and the prose, but his paintings, used by many to explain the the unexplainable, be it religious, or magical. To me Blake was one of those old kind of poets, weirdos for their time, who wrote strange stuff, drank bad things and had odd visions. I never gave much credit, to Blake even as I read more and more. So to me, this book was a bit of a revelation, and has taught me much, much that maybe I was to jaded or lost to understand. Awake!: William Blake and the Power of the Imagination by author, philosopher and psychotherapist Mark Vernon is a examination of Blake, his times, his work and motivations and how his creations tell us much about the world we find ourselves in today, a world that is changing almost too fast to keep up, and a time where innocence and being good is considered a detriment.
The book begins with a memorial for a man who passed almost 200 years ago, with a very eclectic cast of mourners, including a heavy metal musician. This is the legacy of William Blake, artist, poet, printmaker and more. As Bruce Dickinson, singer and songwriter for the band Iron Maiden says, Blake thoughts are still alive and still have meaning, even more meaning in this present day. The book works as both a biography and an understanding of what Blake wrote and believed, comparing his changing world, one of war, changes in philosophical and and religious thought. Also changes of status with a growing middle class, one that Blake grew up in, and a death of many things that were considered sacrosanct.
I was familiar with Blake, but again thought of him more as those romantic poets with out much meaning in this world we live in. Vernon however does a very good job of reminding the reader that Blake, while not as famous in his own time, dealt with many of the problems that we are dealing with today. Blake wrote about seeing the world as it was, full of mystery and power, but not too lose oneself in it, to find and hold on to what made you be you. I understood the ideas, or so I thought, but Vernon makes it clear that there was a lot more to Blake, and shows how these works can mean so much to us today. There are a few sections that might take not just careful reading, but careful rereading. Vernon is a very good writer, explaining and showing what he means quite well, and if one gets lost, well keep reading, eventually it will become clearer. And much more affirming.
A book for readers of poetry, people who enjoy reading books on religion from different points of view. and for people trying to make sense of the world. Poetry can do a lot for our souls, and help make sense of what seems unexplainable. This is my first book by Mark Vernon, I plan to look for more.
September 9, 2025
Mark Vernon’s Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination is a thoughtful exploration of Blake’s vision of life, art, and spirituality, showing how his insights on innocence, contraries, and imagination remain vital today. Vernon presents Blake not as a distant figure but as a guide for how to live more fully, moving beyond materialism and narrow perception toward a deeper awareness of beauty, truth, and the sacred. Through poetry, vision, and reflection, the book invites readers to consider imagination as the essence of human experience and offers a path to see the world with renewed wonder.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews