William Blake/ Short Biography

William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. He was unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is now considered an influential figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. What he called his prophetic works were said by 20th-century critic Northrop Frye to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language".  In 2002, Blake was placed at number 38 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. He spent entire life in London , except for three years in Felpham, he produced a diverse and symbolically rich literature, which embraced the imagination as "the body of God" or "human existence itself". 

               Although ,Blake was considered mad by contemporaries for his characteristic views, he is held in high regard by later critics for his expressiveness and creativity, and for the philosophical and mystical undercurrents within his work. His paintings and poetry have been characterized as part of the "Romantic"  and  "Pre-Romantic" movement. A committed Christian who was hostile to the Church of England. Blake was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American Revolutions. Though later he rejected many of these political beliefs, he maintained an friendly  relationship with the political activist Thomas Paine; he was also influenced by thinkers such as Emanuel Swedenborg. Despite these known influences, the singularity of Blake's work makes him difficult to classify. The 19th-century scholar William Michael Rossetti characterized him as a "glorious luminary", and "a man not forestalled by predecessors, nor to be classed with contemporaries, nor to be replaced by known or readily survivable successors". 

          As Mention in wikipedia /willial Blake, Blake's last years were spent at Fountain Court off the Strand (the property was demolished in the 1880s, when the Savoy Hotel was built). On the day of his death (12 August 1827), Blake worked relentlessly on his Dante series. Eventually, it is reported, he ceased working and turned to his wife, who was in tears by his bedside. Beholding her, Blake is said to have cried, "Stay Kate! Keep just as you are – I will draw your portrait – for you have ever been an angel to me." Having completed this portrait (now lost), Blake laid down his tools and began to sing hymns and verses. At six that evening, after promising his wife that he would be with her always, Blake died.