How did Shakespeare go from being a talented writer of comedies and histories to become one of the greatest writers of tragedies who ever lived? In this one exhilarating year we follow what he reads and writes, what he saw and who he worked with as he rebuilds the Globe theatre and writes four of his most famous plays - Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It and, most remarkably, Hamlet.
James Shapiro illuminates both Shakespeare's staggering achievement and what Elizabethans experienced in the course of 1599: sending off an army to crush an Irish rebellion, weathering an Armada threat from Spain, gambling in a fledgling East India Company, and waiting to see who would succeed their ageing and childless Queen.
This book brings the news, intrigue and flavour of the times together with wonderful detail about how Shakespeare worked as a showman, businessman and playwright, to create an exceptionally immediate and gripping account of a fascinating and inspiring moment in history.
By:
James Shapiro Imprint: Faber & Faber Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 126mm,
Spine: 28mm
Weight: 386g ISBN:9780571214815 ISBN 10: 0571214819 Pages: 464 Publication Date:01 June 2006 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Reviews for 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: Winner of the Baillie Gifford Winner of Winners Award 2023
"""'One of the few genuinely original biographies of Shakespeare.' Jonathan Bate, Sunday Telegraph"""
Winner of Samuel Johnson Prize for Non Fiction 2006 (Australia)
