cover blurb:
Examining centuries of myths, half-truths and downright lies, Bill Bryson tries to make sense of the man behind the masterpieces. In a journey through the streets of Shakespeare's time, he brings to life the hubbub of Elizabethan England and a host of characters along the way. Bryson celebrates the glory of Shakespeare's language he ceaseless inventiveness gave us hundreds of now indispesable phrases, images and words - and delights in details of his fall-outs and folios, poetry and plays. Stitching together information from a vast array of sources, he has created a unique celebration of one of the most significant and least understood figures in history...

This is an interesting insight into just how little we know about Shakespeare, his life and how he came to write his inimitable plays & sonnets. Bryson has penned a slim, easy to read & enjoyable biography. It's amazing how little is known about people in general from the 16th century; how different from today's information-rich world, where people know things about us whether we want them to or not.

Bryson has devoted the final chapter to the debunkers, the anti-Stratfordians as they are known. There are an astonishing number of theories about who "really" wrote Shakespeare, and an awful lot of people willing to believe them. I can't understand why they want to believe that Shakespeare didn't create the works attributed to him; why they want them to belong to a much more important or educated figure of the time. It seems a bit dog-in-the-manger to me.

Sent to luckaye for the OZ VBB.

Yikes! I forgot to journal when I received this book! I just finished reading it and found it very interesting. Will probably pass onto my sister to read before releasing :)