Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Many people thought Blake was a lunatic. One of the most famous poets of the day—Robert Southey (whom nobody cares about anymore)—referred to him as a man of "great but undoubtedly insane genius." (Source.)
William Wordsworth—another very famous poet of Blake's era—said upon Blake's death: "There was no doubt that this poor man was mad, but there is something in the madness of this man which interests me more than the sanity of Lord Byron and Walter Scott." (Scott and Byron were, without a doubt, the most popular literary figures of the early nineteenth century.) Wise words, William. (Source.)
Blake often claimed that he had visions. As a child, he said he saw God through the window and that he once saw a tree full of angels. (Source.)
Here's a kcirt looc Blake was very good at writing backwards—mirror writing. This skill came in handy when he began producing his illuminated books. (Source.)