A William Blake / Thomas De Quincey Walk

One was on laudanum, the other was a natural, but both had visions of Jerusalem on Oxford Street. Niall McDevitt leads a poetopographical walk through Soho in honour of Blake’s death-day Aug 12 and De Quincey’s birthday Aug 15. 

‘There is in Albion a Gate of precious stones and gold 
Seen only by Emanations, vegetations viewless
Bending across the road of Oxford Street’
                                                                   – Blake (Jerusalem)

‘Oxford Street, stony-hearted step-mother! thou that listenest to the sighs of orphans and drinkest the tears of children’
………………………………………….. De Quincey (Confessions of an English Opium-Eater)


Meeting at 17 South Molton Street (Bond St tube)   2pm   Sat Aug 15    £5
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2 Responses to A William Blake / Thomas De Quincey Walk

    1. Their unfortunate use of Jerusalem – the centre of present geo-political evil – as metaphor has sadly dated their work…

      Comment by Roddy on 14 August, 2015 at 9:44 am
    2. Bollocks. What about Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem? The biggest hit play of the 21st century. What about Alan Moore’s soon to be released million word graphic novel Jerusalem? I’ll be giving a lecture on this very idea at a Blake seminar in September. http://www.deepmemoryprocess.com/page197.html

      Comment by Niall McDevitt on 14 August, 2015 at 10:10 am

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