Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Rather than taking on the Sisyphean task of sifting through the reams of documents generated by zealous scholars, British biographer O'Connor has chosen "to give Shakespeare a life, not only as a historical figure who can be brought to life, but the dimension of one who is still living." This strategy, for him, entails two major departures from typical Bardology (such as Park Honan's bio earlier this year): First, O'Connor freely and assuredly speculates on the contents of Shakespeare's mind ("Fugitive Jesuits in disguise popped in and out of his imagination as vividly as images of woman's delight"; the Bard later finds that "twins are exhausting"). Second, he draws upon the thoughtful opinions of those who have worked closely with the plays in performance and in noncritical writings: Iris Murdoch, Jonathan Miller, Peter Brook and Trevor Nunn, among others. Their smartly chosen quips have a refreshing authority. O'Connor's approach to the plays themselves ranges from irreverently colloquial (Prospero's Epilogue is "the old man signing off") to casually shrewd--a digression on "the textual use of musical sounds and instruments" is as good as any of the academic research he eschews. While his hostility to the vicissitudes of contemporary scholarship is understandable, O'Connor's reliance on an 80-year-old book for a chronology of "facts and traditions" at the end surely weakens the chronology's credibility; many discoveries have since been made. As an idiosyncratic overview of Shakespeare's present-day status among admirers outside the Ivory Tower, the book's a gem, but its speculative aspects remain ungrounded. (Jan.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
KLIATT
Do we really need another biography of Shakespeare? Garry O'Connor believes that we do. He explains in his Introduction that his purpose is to present "a popular, imaginatively told life of Shakespeare." He further explains his intention to "depict him as he has not been shown before, in a biography that is based on and rooted in the conception that Shakespeare is a contemporary figure—belonging as much to our age as to his own." In his attempt to "uncover the secret Shakespeare," O'Connor demonstrates his thorough knowledge of Shakespeare's canon as well as the results of many interviews with "the best Shakespearian minds and interpreters of our own age." The text is organized into five major parts, which is undoubtedly a reflection of O'Connor's immersion in the structure of the plays themselves. He follows Shakespeare's life chronologically, tying events in Shakespeare's life and their possible effects on him to the works themselves. For example, O'Connor suggests that the brilliance of the characterization of Shylock is the result of "the nightmares of the Shakespeare family's financial losses and shame" brought on by the actions of John Shakespeare, William's father. Another example relates to the death of Shakespeare's son, Hamnet. O'Connor believes that the character of Hamlet is "a realistic romantic vision of an ideal prince such as he would have liked his son to become." All of the plays receive attention as well as the sonnets. O'Connor even suggests that the ordering of the sonnets in the first edition of 1609 could have been orchestrated by none other than Shakespeare himself. "He was exposing himself, but a distant self, not an immediate persona." Shakespeare'srelationships with his parents, his wife, his children, with the Earl of Southampton, Ben Jonson, and Christopher Marlowe are all woven into O'Connor's unique portrait. In fact, O'Connor has some thoughts on the Chandros portrait of Shakespeare that hangs in London's National Portrait Gallery. He suggests that this could be "a complete fake" and that a portrait by Frans Hals of an older Shakespeare (included in the text) is truer to his own reflections of Shakespeare. Following the text are two Tables of Facts and Traditions that provide in a compact manner the facts of Shakespeare's life in Stratford and in London chronologically measured against traditions, contemporary events and allusions, as well as a final column of unproved assertions. There is also an extensive section of notes and references that documents in greater detail exactly which sources O'Connor used in each section of the book. This is a biography of Shakespeare unlike any other I have read. It is not intended for young students. However, teachers should find this book helpful in providing some new perspectives on works that they use in the classroom. Category: Biography & Personal Narrative. KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2000, Applause, 377p. notes. index., Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Anthony J. Pucci; English Dept. Chair., Notre Dame H.S., Elmira, NY
Library Journal
While some readers may not yet be ready to entertain the idea of a feminine Shakespeare suffering from womb envy, those who can push through some of these sorts of bold speculations will find valuable nuggets of plausible biographical information. Often psycho-sexual in his approach, O'Connor (Ralph Richardson: An Actor's Life) presents Shakespeare as a full-blooded person as opposed to the nearly sainted playwright of some critics' imaginations. Clear descriptions of the theater environment of that time are given from the viewpoint of actor, audience, and writer. Extensive tables at the end of the work outline "fact and tradition, showing what is proved and what is not proved about Shakespeare's life and writings." While this work may not appeal to some, especially those who hold that the Earl of Oxford authored the plays (dismissed here as "cranks"), this gives a fresh spin to Shakespeare's life and work. Recommended for public and academic libraries.--Karen E. Sadowski, Brookline, MA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Booknews
This is a paperbound edition of a 2000 book. The author, who has directed at the Royal Shakespeare Company and has written a number of biographies writes for a popular audience about Shakespeare's family life, marriage, and sexuality; his background; and his relationships with the theater, audiences, and political figures of his time. The book includes a chronology, tables of facts and traditions, and a list of playhouses and plays. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
