A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 (P.S.) - Softcover

Shapiro, Professor James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060088745 ISBN 13: 9780060088743

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2006

Synopsis

What accounts for Shakespeare's transformation from talented poet and playwright to one of the greatest writers who ever lived? In this gripping account, James Shapiro sets out to answer this question, "succeed[ing] where others have fallen short." (Boston Globe)

1599 was an epochal year for Shakespeare and England. During that year, Shakespeare wrote four of his most famous plays: Henry the Fifth, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and, most remarkably, Hamlet; Elizabethans sent off an army to crush an Irish rebellion, weathered an Armada threat from Spain, gambled on a fledgling East India Company, and waited to see who would succeed their aging and childless queen.

James Shapiro illuminates both Shakespeare's staggering achievement and what Elizabethans experienced in the course of 1599, bringing together the news and the intrigue of the times with a wonderful evocation of how Shakespeare worked as an actor, businessman, and playwright. The result is an exceptionally immediate and gripping account of an inspiring moment in history.

About this title

Product Description:

A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare In 1599, an epochal year for Shakespeare and England, Shakespeare wrote four of his most famous plays while Elizabethans sent off an army to crush an Irish rebellion, weathered an Armada threat from Spain, and gambled on a fledgling East India Company. Shapiro brings together the news and the intrigue of the times in this gripping account of an inspiring moment in history. Full description

Review:

"an unforgettable illumination of a crucial moment in the life of our greatest writer."--Robert McCrum, The Observer

"Quite brilliant....It gives a whole large picture of his life, times, and achievement. Wonderful."--Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate (England)

"Only an extraordinary scholar could illuminate Shakespeare's singular genius by demonstrating how much his work owes to Elizabethan cultureandsociety."--Alexandra Alter, Chicago Tribune

"[P]assionately written study, the product of deep scholarship and acute critical thought... fascinating."--Stanley Wells, Editor of The Oxford Shakespeare

"For Irish readers...by far the best account yet written of the relationship between this island and Shakespeare's work."--Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times

"If Will in the World is essentially an extremely good historical novel, [YLOWS] is history itself"--Jeremy Treglown, Financial Times

"deliciously vivid....Shapiro weaves a tantalising narrative."--David Lister, The Independent

"Excellent book....superbly illuminating....Shapiro deserves whoops of applause."--Sam Leith, The Spectator

"Superb--the product of marathon scholarship, inspired insight, narrative flair, astute surmise and searching intelligence."--Peter Kemp, Sunday Times (London)

"An intriguing addition to Shakespeare studies...open-minded readers will be stimulated and enriched by Shapiro's contextual approach."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0060088745
• ISBN 13: 9780060088743
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432