Three Works: A Dream of John Ball/The Pilgrims of Hope/News from Nowhere

by William Morris

1986 INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS SOFTCOVER

Genres: Literature

404 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

William Morris was an English architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer, socialist and Marxist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris wrote and published poetry, fiction, and translations of ancient and medieval texts throughout his life. His best-known works include The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems (1858), The Earthly Paradise (1868–1870), A Dream of John Ball and the utopian News from Nowhere. He was an important figure in the emergence of socialism in Britain, founding the Socialist League in 1884, but breaking with the movement over goals and methods by the end of that decade. He devoted much of the rest of his life to the Kelmscott Press, which he founded in 1891. The 1896 Kelmscott edition of the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer is considered a masterpiece of book design.

Reviews

[Noah · Rating 2 out of 5]

William Morris is an almost legendary figure, founder of the arts and crafts movement, spiritus rector of the pre raphaelite brotherhood, art nouveau artist and founder of the precursor to the National Trust. He was also a prolific author and this collection features three of his most prominent fictional works. "A Dream of John Ball"is a depiction of an episode in the peasant wars of the middle ages, "The Pilgrims of Hope"is an epic poem set in the struggles of the Paris Commune, ans "News from Nowhere" is the account of time travel to the "communist world" in the year 2003. As a writer Morris kills all literary appeal by following his pre raphaelite fascination with style over substance. The Author of the (very instructive) preface goes out of his way in explaining how Morris is the one true English communist, however his communist views are as practical as Ruskin's notions of female body hair. For Morris communism is turning back the time to a kind of Tolkien's "Shire" where happy little men live in well designed little houses and favor rowing boats over noisy motorized steamers. This naivety may make his art so intricate but don't befit the politically engaged literature Morris aspires to.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read these bits rather quickly as they'd been recommended by my girlfriend who was interested in Morris as a decorative artist. I thought them a bit over-romanticized.