Among the beautiful and striking illuminated books etched and printed by William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell stands out.
Written in 1790 at the beginning of the French Revolution, it represents Blake's first attempt to create a new system of art, poetry and philosophy, declaring himself on the side of the devils in a world that was being turned upside down.
While perhaps lesser known than his Songs of Innocence and of Experience, it has strong echoes throughout pop culture, and is arguably more influential on later generations of writers, thinkers and even musicians, from Aldous Huxley drawing on it as a key text to opening the doors of perception, which in turn gave The Doors their name, through to figures as diverse as Salman Rushdie, Benjamin Britten, Olga Tokarczuk and Keith Haring.
Blake's writing and art immediately draws the reader into a fantastical and surrealist landscape, where the protagonist converses with angels who have thrown their lot in with revolutionary hell, or chats with prophets and devils about the nature of God, the universe and everything.
The gloriously illustrated edition, which opens with a poem, and takes the form of prose thereafter, is both a spirited satire on religion and morality, and expresses Blake's essential wisdom and philosophy. Produced as a beautiful facsimile, with a new, illuminating introduction, this is a special and thought-provoking gift book.
About the Author
William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. Apprentice to a master engraver, Blake studied at the Royal Academy under the guidance of Joshua Reynolds, before later engraving and publishing Songs of Innocence in 1789 and the contrasting Songs of Experience in 1794.
Juliet Rylance is an award-winning actor and producer who is known for her work in theatre, film, and TV. She is joint President of The Blake Society.
Sir Mark Rylance is an English actor, playwright and theatre director. He is known for his roles on stage and screen, having received numerous awards including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Olivier Awards and three Tony Awards. He is joint President of The Blake Society.
Sibylle Erle is Chair of the Blake Society and has written extensively on Blake. She was also editor of The Reception of William Blake in Europe (Bloomsbury, 2019) with Morton Paley.
Tamsin Rosewell is an illustrator, bookseller and radio presenter who specialises in children's and YA books. She is a Trustee of the Blake Society.
Jason Whittaker is the author of multiple books on William Blake, most recently Divine Images: The Life and Work of William Blake (Reaktion, 2021) and Jerusalem: Blake, Parry and the Fight for Englishness (Oxford University Press, 2022).
He was a journalist for fifteen years and writes on Blake and other subjects in a widely accessible style. He is a Trustee of the Blake Society.
