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Theatre Department Shakespeare Biographies   I should not like to speculate on how many biographies there have been written of William Shakespeare, and of those I have read only a small fraction. Listed below are a few that I have read, or am reading at present, and can recommend. Titles marked with appear on the Amazon.com site, and by clicking on the flag icon you may read more about the title or perhaps buy it if you so wish. Many titles also appear on the Amazon.co.uk site, and these are indicated with .       Shakespeare: The Biography   by Peter Ackroyd The much anticipated tome by the most popular biographer of today.  Though readable, Ackroyd's works are always scholarly.  Gaynor bought me this for my 60th birthday, and I'm a biography or two behind, but I look forward to reading this. The Genius of Shakespeare   by Jonathan Bate A work which like Schoenbaum's Shakespeare's Lives, examines the genius of Shakespeare with reference to the work of writers down the ages. He believes that the term 'genius' as we now use it was used for the first time to describe Shakespeare.   Searching for Shakespeare   by Tarnya Cooper et al This is essentially the catalogue for the splendid exhibition at London's National Portrait Gallery.  Gaynor and I went to this exhibition, but I had thought that it consisted of a few of the Shakespeare portraits and didn't allow enough time to see it before going to a performance at Shakespeare's Globe.  Most of the exhibits were the documents which I've heard about and seen in facsimile, so I regret not being able to examine the crucial documents of Shakespeare's life at leisure.  This book has images of all the exhibits and background  information about each. Shakespeare     by Martin Fido The life and times with lots of illustrations, many in colour.   Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer Dr Greer is most famous as a feminist writer, but she gained her doctorate with a thesis on Shakespeare's early comedies and has taught Shakespeare in Australia, Britain and the US.  Here she champions the cause of the much maligned Ann Hathaway.  Gaynor bought this for my 61st birthday. She starts by castigating previous male biographers for creating a bad persona so she creates a wholly positive version of the woman and her relationship with Will. Pots and kettles come to mind.  But it does give a fascinating look at the life of a provincial wife of the time that I have not read elsewhere. William Shakespeare by Anthony Holden A biography for the general reader. I bought a review copy at a considerably reduced price from the splendid Henry Pordes bookshop in London's Charing Cross Road. The cover shown left is from the UK edition. Shakespeare: A Life by Park Honan This biography tells what is known about Shakespeare's life of course, but unlike other biographies, it also suggests what the dramatist's life would have been like. It is not known for certain that the young Will attended Stratford Grammar School, but the likelihood that he did is overwhelming, and so Honan uses the records of the school that do exist, with those from other like schools, to describe what lessons he probably learned, for how many hours a day. This is just the sort of information I've been looking for myself, and I learned a lot from this book. Shakespeare: His Life, Work and Era       by Dennis Kay Very readable biography.   1599 A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro Highly recommended. A unique biography in that Shapiro concentrates on one year of Shakespeare's life, 1599.  This year saw a turning point in his career; the Globe was built from arguably stolen timber, and the Bard was working on, or saw on stage Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It and Hamlet.  But in England there was a very real fear of invasion by Spain and the Earl of Essex was mismanaging his Irish campaign. Shakespeare's Lives     by Samuel Schoenbaum Samuel Schoenbaum was a unique Shakespeare scholar. His books are crammed full of fascinating detail, but always interesting. This classic starts with what we know today about the life of William Shakespeare, and then examines how the story of his life has been shaped over the centuries to fit the needs of each generation.   William Shakespeare: A Compact Documentary Life   by Samuel Schoenbaum     This excellent paperback tells the story that can be built up from contemporary documents. An indispensable work.   In Search of Shakespeare   by Michael Wood     I liked this book which accompanied the fascinating 2003 BBC television series written and presented by the author. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt This is a 2004 biography which I really enjoyed reading. Some speculation of course, but great context. He suggests that Falstaff was based upon the 'university wit' Robert Greene who attacked Shakespeare in print very early in his career in 1592. Background information about contemporary religious belief gives insights into Hamlet.  Always readable and mostly convincing.     Click on a to read details about buying the associated title from Amazon.com. Click on a to read details about buying the associated title from Amazon.co.uk.       Book Shop Entrance Art Department Theatre Dept William Shakespeare       Home|Gaynor|Mike|Art|Theatre|Book Shop Updated 7th September 2008