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A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599
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A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 Paperback - 2006

by James Shapiro

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.


From the publisher

Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize's 25th Anniversary Winner of Winners award

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.

First line

Late in the afternoon of Tuesday, December 26, 1598, two days before their fateful rendezvous at the Theatre, the Chamberlain's Men made their way through London's dark and chilly streets to Whitehall Palace to perform for the queen.

From the rear cover

1599 was an epochal year for Shakespeare and England

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.

Details

  • Title A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599
  • Author James Shapiro
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 432
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Harper Perennial, New York, New York, U.S.A.
  • Date June 13, 2006
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780060088743 / 0060088745
  • Weight 0.74 lbs (0.34 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.03 x 5.35 x 1.09 in (20.40 x 13.59 x 2.77 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 16th Century
    • Chronological Period: 17th Century
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Library of Congress subjects Shakespeare, William, Theater - England - London - History - 16th
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

Citations

  • Library Journal, 01/01/2014, Page 50
  • New York Times, 08/13/2006, Page 24
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A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599
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