Shakespeare: The World as Stage (Eminent Lives Series) Paperback – April 26, 2016

We seem to be inherently drawn to figures whose lives are shrouded in mystery (see: The Bible, for a man named Jesus). One such enigma, William Shakespeare, has seemingly eluded historians and devotees for centuries, prompting endless speculation as to the real identity of this celebrated writer. Did he really write every play ascribed to him? Was Shakespeare, in fact, the 17th Earl of Oxford? Did he even exist?Enter the curious mind of Bill Bryson.Bryson does in a mere 196 pages what Oxford scholars cannot seem to do in voluminous tomes: deconstruct the identity of Shakespeare, and do so in a compelling, well-told manner, all the while dispelling many of the myths surrounding The Bard that have arisen over time. To begin, Bryson (much to my delighted surprise) provides ample historical background into life during Elizabethan and Jacobean times. The details of day-to-day ado set the perfect backdrop for bringing Shakespeare's life to light. After all, how can we begin to understand the man if we first do not have a grasp of the times in which he lived? Bryson does an exquisite job of painting a poignant picture of the type of conditions under which Shakespeare and his contemporaries would have struggled to survive, including several outbreaks of the plague.We also get a taste of what Shakespeare's parents were like, as evidenced by the county records (still on file) of his father, John (who, it seems, was somewhat of a prominent figure in his own right). I personally found this to be a fascinating insight, as one would assume any record of Shakespeare's parents would have long since vanished.And from there, Bryson takes us on a wonderful journey through the rich tapestry of Shakespeare's theater, all the while convincing readers that Shakespeare was every bit as colorful and vibrant as the characters he penned.The book did tend to dismiss the credence of many conspiracy theories, without ever really exploring them in great detail, but you get a sense that Bryson's quest led him to a point where he felt the doubters of Shakespeare's authenticity had no real validation to their claims, and therefore left them as rumors and legends.All in all, a worthy read, even for non-Shakespeare aficionados. Lest you think history lessons are on the dull side, Bryson's biting - often times sardonic - wit and command of the English language make this a delightful, if not too short, read. Who better than a gifted writer to delve into the background of perhaps the greatest writer of all time? It does, after all, take one to know one.

I have read maybe a half dozen of Bill Bryson’s books and generally loved them. His A WALK IN THE WOODS is the funniest book I’ve EVER read. I read his SHAKESPEARE THE WORLD AS A STAGE, because it is William Bryson and William Shakespeare. It was a good read, informative and remarkably short (216 pages). At times it was remarkably shallow, but I understand the point of this book was to write a short biography.Bryson begins by devoting maybe ten pages to say that no one is sure if the three more or less contemporaneous portraits of Shakespeare really are of him. As a result, we don’t really know what he looked like. I thought about how much time he spent telling this and it became clear he was warning us that little is known about the playwright. There is so little about him that is known that most of what we read about Shakespeare is pure conjecture. Across he ages, researchers have fruitlessly researched and writers have fictionalized in attempting to fill in dozens of years of blank space in his life. Also, some have written “fake news” about the man, some of which has become part of the legend about him.So, Bryson does what he can with the limited record. He’s good about telling us what is fact and what is conjecture or just plain made up. Along the way, we learn a lot about Elizabethan and Jacobian England. We readers can get a sense of what life was like for the Bard because there is a record of what life was like for people living in England in 1564-1616. It appears that Shakespeare was a mostly successful middle class man, so we learn a bit about how the middle class lived during that time as well.Bryson dips into some of the controversies surrounding, especially, the authorship of his plays. Did he write them? Did someone else? Was there a team of writers who called themselves “Shakespeare”? Etc., etc. Libraries full of books have been written on this subject alone. Bryson briefly outlines the controversy in a dozen pages.If you are looking for keen new insights into Shakespeare, this is not the book for you. If you want a quick biography about Shakespeare, and you set your expectations accordingly, then this is highly recommended. Bill Bryson wrote this book, so it is very readable and amiable. As Shakespeare himself said: “brevity is the soul of wit.” That can be said of both Williams.

Es un libro entretenido y muy documentado sobre la existencia de Shakespeare. Muy recomendable.

Bill Bryson, with witty, journalistic style, turns his spotlight onto Shakespeare, the wordsmith playwright who introduced so many words and phrases into the English language, many of which are still in use today, and about whom so many words, in turn, have already been written. This is not really a biography: so little is known about the man, even down to what he looked like. Instantly recognisable, yet there are only three known portraits of him, two made years after his death and the third, a painting, which quite possibly isn't even of him. Nor is this an analysis of his works, though these are touched upon, of course. Instead it is a trip around the man, what little is known, the time and place in which he lived, the 'academic obsession' he has.become and the many, many others who have written about him.Always written with a light touch and an eye for the curious, Bryson's book is short at only about five and one half hours and constantly entertaining as well as informative. He reads his book himself, his s. pleasant and brisk, a smile behind the text.Thin book is a joy, as is also the short interview with the author which follows.

As usual, Bryson delights us with his research and incisive language. After going thro’ A brief history of nearly everything I have become his fan. I have learned a lot of things from this book. I heartily recommend it for a useful and interesting reading.Chandrasekharan

Bryson è sempre una garanzia e i suoi libri sono una miniera di informazioni, scritti in maniera piacevolissima.Consigliato.

A thoroughly enjoyable read; just enough detail and superb writing. I highly recommend this book. dgp