Play Audiobook Sample
Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.03) - 526 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
For nearly two centuries, the authorship of William Shakespeare's plays has been challenged by writers and artists as diverse as Sigmund Freud, Mark Twain, Henry James, Helen Keller, Orson Welles, Malcolm X, and Sir Derek Jacobi. How could a young man from rural Warwickshire, lacking a university education, write some of the greatest works in the English language? How do we explain the seemingly unbridgeable gap between Shakespeare's life and works?
Contested Will unravels the mystery of Shakespeare's authorship, retracing why and when doubts first arose, what's at stake in the controversy for how we value Shakespeare's achievement, and why, in the end, there can be no doubt about who wrote the plays.
Download and start listening now!
"A wonderful read, whether or not you care who wrote the plays. Shapiro does a fantastic job tracing the origins of the Shakespeare authorship "controversy", placing a lot of the blame on early Shakespeare worshipers, those who deified him and, later, those who could not conceive of an author writing anything other than veiled autobiography. He puts the controversy in a wider perspective, today's culture, where truth is relative and the appeal of conspiracy rumors elevates them to news status. This book really should put an end to the whole sorry authorship debate. But it won't, because no amount of evidence or common sense can persuade Oxfordians to renounce what is for them an article of faith. For the rest of us, though, this is thrilling, fascinating, fair-minded scholarship, entertaining from beginning to end, and thoroughly convincing."
— Cary (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
With lucid writing for the common reader, with sense, and with respect toward those with whom he rightly disagrees, Shapiro tells how this whole mishegas got started, and then, with unbelievable patience, shows how it has not a shred of a breath of a hope of being anything.
— Philadelphia Inquirer -
“The book is rich with insight and analysis. Shapiro’s examination…is sensitive and convincing.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Contested Will is a masterful work of literary history, an empathetic chronicle of eccentricity, and a calmly reasoned vindication of ‘the Stratford man.’”
— Boston Globe -
“With lucid writing for the common reader, with sense, and with respect toward those with whom he rightly disagrees, Shapiro tells how this whole mishegas got started, and then, with unbelievable patience, shows how it has not a shred of a breath of a hope of being anything.”
— Philadelphia Inquirer -
“Entertainingly combative.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“As Shapiro admirably demonstrates, William Shakespeare emerges with his name and reputation intact.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Shapiro’s lucid and fair-minded account and McCaddon’s exemplary narration combine to make this work accessible to anyone who loves Shakespeare.”
— AudioFile -
“A thorough, engaging work.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Contested Will Listener Reviews
-
" Very throrough. I now understand how Shakespeare's authorship came to be questioned. "
— Katrina, 1/18/2014 -
" Really quite a fascinating book. Really, authorship is not the issue here as much as the issues that underly it: class and the sense of self, the role of autobiography in the writing life, the sense of modernity. A compelling look at the people and concepts that have driven the authorship debate, with a final solid defense of the man from Stratford. "
— Mark, 1/16/2014 -
" This is a less compelling account that his previous (fabulous) book "1599" (which I'd recommend to anyone, BTW!) I thought Geraldine Greer's "Shakespeare's Wife" added some editional evidence to Shapiro's already excellent case for Shakespeare being Shakespeare. Worth reading. "
— Claire, 1/9/2014 -
" Gives a strong retelling of the origins of various anti-stradfordian conspiracy theories. It doesn't waste time debunking them - just seeing the silly premises that spawned them is enough, and it's an enjoyable retelling of how a conspiracy theory spreads and mutates. "
— John, 1/1/2014 -
" This is a fantastic book. If nothing else, read it for its extensive review of the failure of criticism. "
— Randy, 12/20/2013 -
" I went to hear James Shapiro speak at the Newberry Library last month. He gave a wonderful lecture, and his book lived up to it! "
— Carrie, 11/11/2013 -
" A little dense in the middle, but the ending saved it. "
— Lauren, 11/5/2013 -
" A very readable, clearly reasoned argument for the authorship of Shakespeare. "
— Kir, 9/15/2013 -
" SHAKESPEARES PLAYS WERE WRITTEN BY SHAKESPEARE "
— Alex, 7/25/2011 -
" A very informative and convincing piece of work on the questions of who really wrote Shakespeare and the history behind the conspiracy theories. "
— Kevin, 5/4/2011 -
" A little dense in the middle, but the ending saved it. "
— Lauren, 2/12/2011 -
" Very throrough. I now understand how Shakespeare's authorship came to be questioned. "
— Katrina, 9/2/2010 -
" I have to admit I gave up. I guess I really am not that interested in the speculative history of the playwright. Whoever wrote the plays is my hero. Enough said. "
— Barb, 8/10/2010 -
" Finally finished the book (got side-tracked). It's a really good discussion about who wrote Shakespeare. I recommend it for anyone who interested in William Shakespeare. "
— Jane, 8/9/2010 -
" while maybe not as engrossing a read as 1599, i think i have a much better grounding in the various authorship theories regarding shakespeare's works. and Shapiro makes a good argument for Shakespeare, which i admit i find more compelling than the Baconian and Oxfordian conspiracy theories. "
— Leslie, 8/3/2010
About James Shapiro
James Shapiro is professor of English at Columbia University, where he has been the most admired lecturer in the university. He has written several scholarly books on Shakespeare. He lives in New York City.
About Wanda McCaddon
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.