Shakespeare
A Life
Published on 16. March 2000
Book
Paperback/Softback
496 pages
978-0-19-282527-8 (ISBN)
Description
Park Honan uses a wealth of fresh information to dramatically alter our perceptions of Shakespeare the actor, poet, and playwright. The young poet's relationships, his early courtship of Anne Hathaway, their marriage, his attitudes to women such as Jennet Davenant, Marie Mountjoy, and his own daughters, are seen in a new light, illuminating Shakespeare's needs, habits, passions and concerns. Shakespeare: A Life casts new light on the complexity and fascination of Shakespeare's life and his extraordinary development as an artist.
Reviews / Votes
a meticulously researched ... authoritative biography ... it is lucid, enjoyable and reliable in excluding (exuding?) colourful, imaginative reconstructions and elaborate psychological theories which strain credulity and are less exciting than newly found factual truth. * Patrick Richards, Day by Day, 14/12/00. * This engrossing life, using a wealth of new evidence to illustrate personal experiences and artistic development of the greatest English writer, is incomparably vivid and credible ... I know no biography of Shakespeare to rival this one. * Patrick Richards, Day by Day, 14/12/00. * In this complete, accurate, and up-to-date narrative of Shakespeare's life, Park Honan uses a wealth of fresh information to cast new light on Shakespeare's development as an artist, dramatically changing our perceptions of the actor, poet and playwright. * Publishing News * Honan evokes the Bard's contemporary social context to enable a better understanding of his personal relationships, as well as his writing. - The Guardian (In the EDITOR) - 7/5/99 Honan has gone through town and church registers with a keen eye and a happy wit. An always interesting book. - Peter Ackroyd - The Times 22/10/99 His biography of Shakespeare is clearly the product of a lifelong engagement with his works and of a thorough study of the documentary evidence and the life of the time. Others have told the story of Shakespeare's life, but none of them will the fullness of detail, the scholarship, the literary skill and the sheer readability that Honan brings to his task. This is now the best available life of Shakespeare. - The Observer - 18/10/98 An impressive new biography. Honan's particular flair is for the vivid dramatic reconstruction of small incidences recorded only fleetingly by conteporary documents. A highly readable book which is more reliable about more aspects of Shakespeare's life and career than any other currently on the market. - LRB 7th January 1999 documented facts, expertly marshalled * Daily Telegraph, 13/5/00 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Illustrations
16 pp black and white plates
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 139 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
661 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-282527-8 (9780192825278)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Park Honan is a biographer and Emeritus Professor at the School of English, University of Leeds.
Content
PART I: A STRATFORD YOUTH; PART II: ACTOR AND POET OF THE LONDON STAGE; PART III: THE MATURITY OF GENIUS; PART IV: THE LAST PHASE