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Audiobooks > Literary Criticism >  Shakespeare > Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?
Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? Audiobook, by James Shapiro Play Audiobook Sample

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3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 (3.00) - 510 customer ratings
Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? Audiobook, by James Shapiro Play Audiobook Sample
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Author: James Shapiro Narrator: Wanda McCaddon Publisher: Tantor Audio Length: Release Date: April 2010 Format: Unabridged Audiobook Delivery: Instant Download ISBN: 9781400186488
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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.

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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

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Customer Reviews

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  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Very throrough. I now understand how Shakespeare's authorship came to be questioned. "

    - Katrina, 1/18/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " 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, 12/30/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " This is a fantastic book. If nothing else, read it for its extensive review of the failure of criticism. "

    - Randy, 12/20/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " A little dense in the middle, but the ending saved it. "

    - Lauren, 11/5/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " A very readable, clearly reasoned argument for the authorship of Shakespeare. "

    - Kir, 9/15/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " SHAKESPEARES PLAYS WERE WRITTEN BY SHAKESPEARE "

    - Alex, 7/25/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " A little dense in the middle, but the ending saved it. "

    - Lauren, 2/12/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Very throrough. I now understand how Shakespeare's authorship came to be questioned. "

    - Katrina, 9/2/2010
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " 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 the Author

James Shapiro is the Larry Miller Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, where he has taught since 1985. In 2011, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has written several award-winning books on Shakespeare, including The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606, which won the James Tait Black Prize and the Sheridan Morley Prize. His essays and reviews have appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, and the London Review of Books, among other places. He serves on the board of directors of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and he is the Shakespeare scholar in residence at the Public Theater in New York City.

About the Narrator

Wanda McCaddon (a.k.a. Nadia May or Donada Peters) has narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, has earned numerous Earphones Awards, and was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.