1599 [Hardcover]

James Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2005

How did Shakespeare go from being a talented writer of comedies and histories to become one of the greatest writers of tragedies who ever lived? In this one exhilarating year we follow what he reads and writes, what he saw and who he worked with as he rebuilds the Globe theatre and writes four of his most famous plays - Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It and, most remarkably, Hamlet. James Shapiro illuminates both Shakespeare's staggering achievement and what Elizabethans experienced in the course of 1599: sending off an army to crush an Irish rebellion, weathering an Armada threat from Spain, gambling on a fledgeling East India Company, and waiting to see who would succeed their ageing and childless Queen. This book brings the news, intrigue and flavour of the times together with wonderful detail about how Shakespeare worked as a showman, businessman and playwright, to create an exceptionally immediate and gripping account of a fascinating and inspiring moment in history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An intimate history of Shakespeare, following him through a single year that changed not only his fortunes but the course of literature. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

Professor James Shapiro, who teaches at Columbia University, is the author of Rival Playwrights, Shakespeare and the Jews, and Oberammergau: The Troubling Story of the World's Most Famous Passion Play.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (June 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571214800
• ISBN-13: 978-0571214808
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,764,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599, February 2, 2006

By 

Ben Sonnenberg (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1599 (Hardcover)

Ever since it appeared in January, I've been reading and re-reading this marvelous book and have been sending copies of it to my friends. At different times, with each reading, I have to pause with admiration for an intake of breath, exclaiming inwardly "Why didn't I think of that?" or "How come nobody ever said that before?" This book seems to me a synthesis of all the best writing on Shakespeare, starting with Keats and comprising Granville-Barker, Dover Wilson, Empson, Kermode, Schoenbaum.... It is that rare book of scholarship that is actually useful to actors and directors, as well as being very, very well-written. Ben Sonnenberg, New York

4.0 out of 5 stars a good year, a good book, May 16, 2010

By 

R. Ornstein (usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 1599 (Hardcover)

nicely done, sometimes a bit long, far superior and more relevant and organized to his other book on who wrote shakespeare. More like Shakespeare in context than shakespeare in love. It sets the meanings of the plays in closer context than usual (relevance of Essex's Ireland campaign, etc) but of course one wonders whether, although the information is useful for "originalist" views, it still doesn't deflect from understanding the universal appeal. Some of it could be the basis of a PBS program

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly sleeping pill, July 8, 2006

By 

The Antischolar 555 "Eryckuu" (MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1599 (Hardcover)

I love Shakespeare, so I was most interested in what Shapiro had to say especially since he is focusing on one year, 1599. Only a few years before Elizabeth I death.... The research is stellar, I am sure if you are a student of William, then this is for you, but for the average reader or for someone who just wants to see what Shakespeare is all about, you might be better served in some less scholarly work. Can induce deep sleep if you get this book on the audiobook version with Lew Grenville who typically puts no life into the text at all, but is perfect for straight tellings of bios...