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This article considers the use made of William Blake by a range of writers associated with the ‘countercultural’ milieu of the 1960s, particularly those linked to its London-based literary context. Iain Sinclair is offered as a writer who, in his appreciation of Blake, stands apart from the poets linked to the anthology, Children of Albion (1969). The article unpacks this distinction, analysing Sinclair’s ‘topographic’ take in comparison to the ‘visionary’ mode of his contemporaries. Having established this dualism, the argument then questions the nature of the visionary poetics assumed to apply to the likes of key poets from the era. The work of Michael Horovitz is brought into view, as is that of Harry Fainlight. In essence, these multiple discourses point to the plurality of Blake as a figure of influence and the variation underpinning his literary utility in post-1960s poetry.
experience of farming was limited. He relied on his father-in-law, a retired farmer with the sort of expertise that it takes a lifetime to acquire. In a letter to Ruth Fainlight and Alan Sillitoe in January 1974 he writes: ‘it's a revelation to watch at close quarters somebody like Carol's father (he does all the real work) – from farmers in unbroken line as far back as they can trace. He's a mobile archive of know-how & understanding – and the perfect attunement’ (Hughes 2007 : 345). The concept of traditional ecological knowledge is a major factor in discourse about
, Simon Vinkenoog and Christopher Logue were joined by Harry Fainlight, Bill Wyatt, Chris Torrance, Gregory Corse and Adrian Mitchell. Seven thousand people attended, far beyond the organisers’ expectations and beyond the sort of numbers left-wing rallies attracted at the time. Peter Whitebread’s film of the event, Wholly Communion, condensed the four hour event into a half hour film, which received critical acclaim and was awarded a gold medal at the Mannheim International Film Festival. The accompanying book reached an even wider audience. Law reform, homosexual