1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare
James Shapiro, Faber & Faber

1599 was the year that Shakespeare wrote Henry V, As You Like It, Julius Caesar and Hamlet. Most scholars agree that this was the year that Shakespeare fulfilled his promise and became a writer of genius.  Shapiro links these plays with the social and political issues of the time and shows Shakespeare’s ever-growing determination to address these issues in his work.

This was the year in which Shakespeare became a partner in the newly built Globe Theatre, England became entangled in a war with Ireland, there was a very real fear of another Spanish Armada and works by Marlowe and Nashe were publicly burnt.  Through this vivid history Shapiro celebrates not only the Shakespeare whose appeal has bridged centuries, but also a Shakespeare who was inspired and challenged by his own age. 

About the Author

James Shapiro is a Professor of English at Columbia University, New York.  He reviews regularly in The New York Times Book Review, was a visiting scholar at the New Globe Theatre and has lectured on Shakespeare and his times all over the world.  He is the author of Rival Playwrights, Shakespeare and the Jews, and Oberammergau: The Troubling Story of the World’s Most Famous Passion Play.