Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare ?

In this detailed and cohesive exploration of the 'authorship question' Shapiro takes the conspiracy theorists and sceptics seriously, and then meticulously exposes the fallacies, misapprehensions and sometimes sheer dogged refusals of common sense that support their theories that Shakespeare couldn't have written 'Shakespeare'. It goes without saying that this is properly researched and draws on a career spent writing on and teaching Shakespeare and early modern literature.What Shapiro does so well is to contextualize the arguments themselves in their historical, social and cultural settings, drawing out the ways in which concepts such as authorship, literature, the imagination, and the self condition the ways in which Shakespeare (and all other literature) is read, received and given meaning. For example, the idea of fiction as a vehicle for personal revelation certainly didn't exist in the Renaissance period, comes to prominence with the Romantics in the nineteenth century and then gets contested and overturned again with the postmodern. There are, then, historical moments when the literature-as-autobiography theory that underpins the sceptical view of Shakespeare is itself either given some valence or its converse.Most of all, Shapiro makes a plea for understanding Shakespeare's works as supreme exercises of the imagination: he might never indeed have travelled to Italy, had a legal education or dabbled in alchemy (all arguments used by the anti-Stratfordians) but are they also saying that an author needs to be a murderer to write a Macbeth, a cross-dresser to create a Rosalind, and a military General to portray a Coriolanus or Anthony? Pah!For an erudite and eminently sensible approach to what authorship might mean historically and culturally, read this.

I love it. I am an advocate of Occam's razor, or, as the Americans frame it - KISS...keep it simple stupid! Of course William Shakespeare the actor, poet and playwrite,(businessman too) is one and the same man from Stratford upon Avon.His father was a businessman too and that was Williams model.What I particularity liked was the highlighting how investigative literary criticism on the "holy books", particularly the bible gave rise to a tool that can be applied ( or mis-applied), in another field-here with the plays of Shakespeare.What he doesn't say is that Ben Jonson appears to be the force or model behind the 1623 first folio after he produced his folio of ( suitably selected-to give posterity the right image), plays in 1616.Shapiro is my favourite Shakespeare scholar.A confession is in order. I have never read a Shakespeare play or poem...I am interested in the manin his time and place and his world and the necessary historical research that surrounds him.

I am just an average reader and although I knew about the whole "who wrote Shakespeare" thing I had never seen any of the arguments in detail. I found it fascinating and convincing, coming down on the side of Shakespeare. I didn't know about the forgeries. I see that some of the reviewers are still firmly on the other side. Interestingly, most of the Shakespeare deniers appear to be American.The next book I read was by coincidence "The bookman's tale" by Charlie Lovett, which is supposedly a love story but the main thrust of it is based on the whole Shakespeare question and goes back in time (and is quite factually accurate) to trace a forgery which, if it was real, would solve the whole question. If only!

Excellent readableanalyses of way so many people have been unable to accept that an otherwise unknown Warwickshire actor could write so many plays on such a variety of subjects, even though all the evidence indicates WS did write 'Shakespeare'. In our own post-fact, alternative fact era this is surely essential reading, outlining how so many people revel in ignore evidence that doesn't suit their purpose, preferring their own prejudices to evidence-based argument.

The opening hints that a lot of the claimed finds are false. These are then stated as if true. You have been warned! Hugely researched with a couple of chapters length bibliography to prove it. Some fascinating material but a bit challenging finding it... His other 2 books on Shakespeare are better value.

If you have ever doubted that one human being named William Shakespeare could be single-handedly responsible for all those incredible works of literature, let James Shapiro guide you through the case for and against. Brilliantly researched and expertly argued, this will shape your thinking conclusively one way or the other.

This is a wonderful book, thoroughly researched and beautifully written. I thought the author's last book, 1599, was a triumph and I enjoyed this book nearly as much. Finally a patient and intelligent response to the half baked conspiracy theorists who think Shakespeare was himself some kind of fictional character. Thoroughly recommend.

Shapiro deals well with the ever silly question of who wrote shakespeare, putting an effective end to this question.

Good book and service thank you

I am in awe of the ability of the writer to marshall his great knowledge, tell a highly readable story and quietly demolish the arrogance of the Mark Twains of this world.

Brilliant, balanced account. I love the way James Shapiro remains unfailingly courteous to people with opposing views despite the fact that he does not always receive the same...

An excellent book, with Shapiro giving all sides a chance to contest the fact that Shakespere wrote the plays attributed to him.

This is an excellent book by an academic who can actually write. Full credit to Prof Shapiro he has donned his boots, overalls and gloves held his nose and waded through acres of...

A thoroughly enjoyable read, scholarly but accessible.

I loved this book. I found it hard going at times but always wanted to read on. The arguments put forward for the real author of Shakespeare's work were well explained and...

James Shapiro at his best