This authoritative and extremely readable biography is the first since the Victorian Age to pay full attention to Shakespeare’s life and times and their numerous subtle connections to his works. Peter Levi emphasizes the background of Shakespeare’s life: the local and national events that shaped his experiences, his family and friends, and the Elizabethan people with whom he shared his life and populated his plays. Bringing together new research and new discoveries and reexamining the famous legends about Shakespeare, Levi uses the writings of modern historians to shed light on the poet’s life. This valuable work will be the definitive life of Shakespeare for many years to come.
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"Fantastic insights into Shakespeare. Did you know he had twins that died - a boy named Romeo? This explored how his life shaped his writing. "
— Patricia (4 out of 5 stars)
“The author introduces convincing and revolutionary information, which will fundamentally change modern views of Shakespeare, his time, his life and literary works.”
— Professor Kurt Otten, Professor Emeritus of English, University of Heidelberg, Germany" Fantastic insights into Shakespeare. Did you know he had twins that died - a boy named Romeo? This explored how his life shaped his writing. "
— Patricia, 1/26/2013" A very good biography I read during my collegiate obsession with Shakespeare (not that there's anything wrong with that). "
— Rob, 6/3/2012" A very good biography I read during my collegiate obsession with Shakespeare (not that there's anything wrong with that). "
— Rob, 10/12/2009Peter Levi (1931–2000) was professor of poetry at the University of Oxford from 1984 to 1989. A poet and student of Latin and Greek, he wrote and edited over forty books, including a history of Greek literature and celebrated biographies of Lear, Shakespeare, Milton, Tennyson, and Horace.
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.