John Higgs's book lets in a glittering stream of revelatory light . . . [he] has us wrestling with flow states and default mode networks, Newtonian world views, synaesthesia and Jungian shadows. Conventional expectations are ripped to shreds. Higgs's prose has a diamond-hard clarity. He knows how to make us relate. Before long you will find you are examining yourself as much as you are examining Blake . . . Fascinating * THE TIMES *
Rich, complex and original, Higgs takes us to places that even Blake himself might have found surprising -- TOM HOLLAND, author of DOMINION
A true user's guide to the imagination, and one of the best books on Blake I have ever read -- DAVID KEENAN, author of XSTABETH
Absolutely wonderful! This book managed to make Blake's mind and mythology understandable to me at last - for that I am truly grateful -- TERRY GILLIAM
This is an alchemical dream of a book, a compelling, observant and deeply profound insight into William Blake, his life and work, his endurance and inspirations. John Higgs has recorded a life beyond myth. It is a beautiful book, his writing glittering with Blake's visions, soulful creativity and resilience -- SALENA GODDEN, author of MRS DEATH MISSES DEATH
John Higgs's work is always revelatory and WILLIAM BLAKE VS THE WORLD is no different. It is a dynamic book that makes Blake vivid and relevant but which also tells us a great deal about all human imagination. The subject is not only Blake, it is ourselves -- ROBIN INCE
You are not obliged to accept every one of the interpretations of Blake offered by John Higgs, but any careful reader must acknowledge the calm and the clarity of this spirited overview. Here is a guide who deserves to be seen as a contemporary Virgil, leading us around the circles of an inexhaustible theory of everything -- IAIN SINCLAIR
John Higgs brings William Blake to life as a decidedly modern figure in this thoughtful and entertaining book, a timely reminder that we could all do with cracking open our minds to the mystical and visionary as a counter to our age of algorithmically-determined, bitter discourse and high-tech overload -- LUKE TURNER, author of OUT OF THE WOODS
Higgs has a miraculous ability to unlock hitherto impenetrable cultural icons. He takes us on a breathtaking and joyous ride through the many wonders of Blake's creations, expertly weaving in philosophy, quantum physics and popular culture. Astounding -- CHRIS ATKINS, author of A BIT OF A STRETCH
Laudable . . . We cannot understand Blake without understanding what he meant by imagination or taking seriously his visions. Higgs does this admirably, by exploring what we know about the mind while maintaining, for our secular times, the sacred quality of Blake's attention -- Frances Wilson * SPECTATOR *
[Higgs's] is a systematising imagination, able to harness disparate elements and find the patterns that animate them -- Melissa Harrison * FINANCIAL TIMES *
Blake is a complete mystery to me so I'm loving this book, which charts Blake's extraordinary imaginative life - this mythological reading of reality that he invented, or discovered. You start to think: Oh my God, that artist has been somewhere in my consciousness for the whole of my life, but I know absolutely nothing about them. There's a whole world just on my doorstep that I didn't realise existed -- Simon Russell Beale * OBSERVER *
Higgs handles the complexities of Blake, particularly the later Blake, with adroit confidence, and in doing so he offers a crisp, ambitious and thoroughly contemporary introduction * TLS *
John Higgs has managed to wrest Blake from the hands of the academics and return him to the people, where he belongs. He shows us just how relevant Blake's vision is in this time of crisis and confusion, and how crucial it is for all of us to try to see the world the way Blake saw it -- CJ STONE, author of FIERCE DANCING
Invaluable and timely . . . Higgs's book greatly contributes to our contemporary appreciation of Blake * SUNDAY BUSINESS POST *
A bold, original and dazzling journey through the complex ideas and mythological landscapes of one of Britain's greatest - and most misunderstood - visionaries -- DAVID BRAMWELL, co-author of THE ODDITORIUM
Higgs [...] handles the complexities of Blake, particularly the later Blake, with adroit confidence, and in doing so he offers a crisp, ambitious and thoroughly contemporary introduction * Mental Health Today *