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MARLOWE'S GHOST

Name: MARLOWE'S GHOST
Author: Daryl Pinksen
ISBN: 978-0-595-47514-8

: THE BLACKLISTING OF THE MAN WHO WAS SHAKESPEARE

by Daryl Pinksen ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2008

A worthy take on the fascinating debate over Shakespeare’s true identity.

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An academic takes aim at perhaps the biggest mystery in English literature.

According to the traditionally accepted narrative, William Shakespeare’s star in London’s theatrical universe began to rise in 1593, immediately following the demise of Christopher Marlowe, who until that time had been England’s pre-eminent playwright. Pinksen offers another scenario: The quarrel over a bar bill during which Marlowe was supposedly stabbed to death was merely a staged ruse to fake his death, arranged by his friends to allow him to flee the country. At the time of his disappearance, Marlowe was facing a slate of serious charges, including heresy, which would have most likely led to imprisonment, torture and execution. Pinksen argues that Marlowe went into exile, perhaps to Scotland, and continued to write. The man known as Shakespeare was simply a front employed by Marlowe’s friends so that his works could continue to be performed and published, though he would never receive credit for them. Pinksen shows through comparison and analysis that the writing styles of Shakespeare and Marlowe are very similar, and that works supposedly written by Shakespeare frequently allude to and borrow from earlier pieces by Marlowe. The author also demonstrates how many of the mysteries that have surrounded the sonnets for centuries suddenly make sense when viewed as having been written by Marlowe in exile. In examining what we know about Shakespeare the man, Pinksen shows that while there is abundant evidence that he was concerned about his material wealth, there is nothing that exhibits his life as a writer. His detailed will discusses his property at length, but doesn’t mention a word about any wishes he might have had regarding his literary works. It’s difficult to fathom just how far the implications of overturning the Shakespeare legacy might extend, but Pinksen makes a compelling argument based on both historical and literary evidence, and presents it in a well-documented, accessible manner.

A worthy take on the fascinating debate over Shakespeare’s true identity.

Pub Date: June 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-595-47514-8

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.