A vivid and lyrical memoir of a man damaged in childhood but redeemed by Shakespeare. 'Written with such delicate and sensitive humanity that laughter and tears are constantly interchanging. What a lovely man, with a golden gift for words and a deep understanding of human frailties and fears. The Shakespearean motif is superbly handled, never tricksy or clever but true and moving. I found it inspirational; it made me look at those around me more sympathetically - especially the aged. His compassion touched me deeply'. Derek Jacobi Bob Smith was a fragile boy from a difficult household that was presided over by an unstable, depressive mother who depended on him, an unsupportive, unavailable father and a severely disabled, beautiful sister who lived at home, largely cared for by Bob. At the age of ten he stumbled upon a line from THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - 'in sooth I know not why I am so sad' - recognized himself in this poetic, melancholy language, and found a buoy that would keep him afloat for the rest of his tumultuous life. He now knows every single Shakespeare play inside and out and every week Bob teaches the play to over six hundred senior citizens. A sad, funny and inspiring account of how one man's life was saved by Shakespeare, this will be the memoir of the year.
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Book Description
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'A beggar's book outworths a noble's blood' - HENRY VIII.
About the Author
Born in Stratford, Connecticut, Bob Smith first became a painter but would memorize Shakespeare's plays while he worked. He began to teach classes and then went on to directing Shakespeare, mostly in smaller theatres and college campuses. Like Shakespeare, he moved back home to Stratford in his fifties where he still lives.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Poetic and sad,
By keneumey (Bellingham, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hamlet's Dresser: Library Edition (Audio CD)
This memoir that caught my eye at the library and I checked it out to see if it actually has anything to do with Hamlet. It does.
The author (who is the reader) is a Shakespeare aficionado who enjoys reading to old people. (He uses the term "old people" often, never calls them elderly or mature or some other euphemism). He also has a severely retarded younger sister. The book is so lyrical and he reads it so well that you can see how he makes Shakespeare accessible by reading it aloud. It's a pretty heartbreaking story, but told poetically, with the repetition of phrases and the interspersing of Shakespearean quotes. Maybe some of the language is overly florid, but it works. I'd like to listen to him read entire plays.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hamlets Dresser,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Hamlet's Dresser (Hardcover)
I am one of those old people fortunate enough to be in one of Bob Smith's Shakespeare classes.
He is a genius with a very wry sense of humor. Shakespeare comes alive in his class along with a wonderful background of English history of the Bards' time. This book gave me an insight into this authors' personality.
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