A really clever idea: to write a biography of William Shakespeare by focusing on one year in his life: 1599, in which he wrote Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and Hamlet. I had never really appreciated how much of contemporary life and politics he put into his plays: the threat of Spanish invasion, the Earl of Essex being sent to Ireland to try to suppress Tyrone's uprising, and his own company's construction of the Globe theatre. This was another one of the books I put on my list of books to read after Finals. It was a beezer! I found it really easy to read: compelling and informative, and reflective of a change in how I view literature since the days when I was a student: when I wasn't that interested in the political and historical context because I was ignorant and afraid of doing more reading. Now I'm humbler and no longer afraid of not knowing something. It makes me want to read the follow-up: 1606.
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