Join us in this hybrid session (tickets available for in-person and online participants) to discuss and explore Morris's ideas from his least-known socialist period, as an elder statesman of socialism from the time of his eviction from the Socialist League until his death in 1896. Fewer of Morris's writings from this later period were published in his lifetime, in part because he died before issuing a successor to his earlier collections of essays. This final period of Morris's thought is especially important, however, since in the face of declining health, he sought to reflect back on his previous seven years of constant socialist activism and convey what he believed were the strategies and principles future socialists would need in order to succeed.

Florence Boos will trace Morris's evolving interests as he attempted to visualise a future socialist society, advocate for socialist unity and 'one socialist party', and most urgently, in the years directly before his death, to convey prophetic warnings for the future.

Florence Boos is Professor of English at the University of Iowa. Her Morris-related publications include History and Poetics in the Early Writings of William Morris (2015) and editions of the Socialist Diary (2017). A member of The William Morris Society for more than five decades and a former US-WMS president, Florence is also the general editor of the William Morris Archive.

*please note the zoom link for online participants will be sent to all participants on the day of the talk.