James Shapiro

In 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, James Shapiro takes us on an exhilarating journey through a pivotal year in the life of one of history's greatest playwrights. This masterfully crafted narrative delves deeply into the transformative period where Shakespeare evolved from a skilled writer of comedies and histories into a towering literary figure known for his...

From the 'Winner of Winners' of the Baillie Gifford Prize, a timely and dramatic story of a utopian American experiment, and the self-serving politicians that engineered its downfall. 1935. As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's progressive New Deal, the Work Progress Administration is created to support unemployed workers, including writers, artists, musicians, and actors. The Federal Theatre Project, a...

Excellent. - New Statesman Outstanding. - Irish Times Enthralling. - Guardian Shapiro at his best. - Daily Telegraph From the author of 1599, a fresh perspective on the history of the United States - and a timely reminder of Shakespeare's indelible influence. Shakespeare's position as England's national poet is unquestionable. But as James Shapiro illuminates in this revelatory new history,...

First published in 1996, James Shapiro's pathbreaking analysis of the portrayal of Jews in Elizabethan England challenged readers to recognise the significance of Jewish questions in Shakespeare's day. From accounts of Christians masquerading as Jews to fantasies of settling foreign Jews in Ireland, Shapiro's work delves deeply into the cultural insecurities of Elizabethans while illuminating Shakespeare's portrayal of Shylock in...

1606: William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear traces Shakespeare's life and times from the autumn of 1605, when he took an old and anonymous Elizabethan play, The Chronicle History of King Leir, and transformed it into his most searing tragedy, King Lear. The year 1606 proved to be an especially grim period for England, witnessing the bloody aftermath of...

For two hundred years after Shakespeare's death, no one thought to argue that somebody else had written his plays. Since then, dozens of rival candidates— including Sir Francis Bacon and the Earl of Oxford—have been proposed as their true author. Contested Will unravels the mystery of when and why so many people began to question whether Shakespeare wrote the plays....