What are you reading, Ms Brecht?
Who was Shakespeare – what sort of question is that even to ask? A year ago, I would not have cared. Serendipity brought Elisabeth Winkler’s first book into my path, and really just to please the gift-giver, I followed along her journey through Elizabethan London, English Literature, and heavy theorizing.
Shakespeare from Stratford upon Avon (we all know the guy) wrote some of the most influential and acclaimed works in English, nay World, Literature. His poetry did not just shape how we tell stories, his works directly inspired and even created new words and idioms still used today. Originally from the small town of Stratford in the English Midlands, son of a glove-maker and probably educated at the local grammar school, Shakespeare moved to London in the 1590s and became involved in the local theater scene. In 1593 he published the poem Venus and Adonis. Not everyone buys that story, however, and this contention is what Winkler’s book is all about. Elizabeth Winkler is a journalist and critic whose work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The New York Times, or The Economist. Her essay about Shakespeare was first published in the The Atlantic.
Is it really plausible that this guy from Stratford, with, from all we know, only a rudimentary education (even by Elizabethan standards), wrote The Merchant of Venice, showcasing an intricate knowledge of Italian customs and Venetian politics? But more importantly: why is this such a problematic question to ask? Winkler lays out the evidence, for and against, but also reports of extensive interviews with scholars in the United Kingdom and the United States, and how her heretic question is received.
I don’t think I have read any Shakespeare. Maybe in school, I don’t remember. I did see some plays, of course, but admittedly, I am not much of a theater goer. Still, if asked, I’ll push this book on anyone who isn’t nailed down. It’s mixture of history, literature, and detective work, with a healthy dose of conspiracy and drama, has made me not just devour this book but also take Coursera courses (“The author question”, yes, I have a certificate, no, it’s not on LinkedIn). I now know much more about Elizabethan documents, signatures, and the First Folio than I ever thought possible.
Elizabeth Winkler: Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies: How Doubting the Bard Became the Biggest Taboo, Simon & Schuster
