This is the first full length, annotated and referenced biography of George William Russell, better known by his pen-name - A E. 'That myriad minded man' as Archbishop Gregg called him, was a mystic, visionary, poet, artist, pacifist and patriot - aspects balanced by (as with most true mystics) his practical views as an economist and journalist.
He was an ardent supporter and organiser of Sir Horace Plunkett's Irish Agricultural Organisation Society, travelling through every county in Ireland talking to the farmers about the advantages of cooperatives.
Russell was editor of
The Irish Homestead
, and its successor,
The Irish Statesman
. In 1932 as a result of his vast experience in the field, he was invited by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to come to America to advise them on cooperation, an invitation he accepted.
For years he has been overshadowed by greater contemporaries particularly his friend and 'enemy', W. B. Yeats, with whom he agreed to differ on occult matters, for A.E., remained strongly influenced by Theosophical teachings, while Yeats did not.
A.E., was the greatest visionary of his time and we are fortunate that as he was an artist, (whose pictures are becoming increasingly valued), 'and we have the visual records of the wonderful beings that he 'saw'. Few in history have led such a many-sided life as he - a 'complete' man, a great man, who has been unjustly neglected since his death in 1935.