William Butler Yeats, one of the greatest figures in English literature of the 20th century, passed away on January 28th, 1939 at the age of 73 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France. A celebrated Irish poet, playwright, and prose writer, Yeats was a driving force in the Irish Literary Revival, championing the Irish language and literature through the years. Yeats was born in the Irish capital of Dublin in 1865. His early poems, which were at times melancholic, explored themes of romantic love, Irish nationalism, and mysticism. After graduating from the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin, he served as a Senator in the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1928. During that time his writing had a more public and political turn, focusing on themes of history and politics. Yeats was the first Irishman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in-1925, and many of his literary works continue to influence modern poetry and literature. In addition to his Nobel prize, Yeats was also accorded the Order of Merit in 1938, just one year before his death. His works can be found in literary anthologies around the world. His passage marks an end to one of the most important eras of Irish Literature.