Posted on April 23, 2019 at 2:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
You’ve surely already noticed that today is what we believe to be William Shakespeare’s birthday (and, as a corollary, that it’s Talk Like Shakespeare Day).
To that end, we offer a variety of articles on the theme, more or less ...
Actual news: Sotheby’s announced today that it will sell Edward Hopper’s painting “Shakespeare at Dusk” on May 21.
The Art Newspaper reports that the work, which depicts a statue of Shakespeare in Central Park, is expected to bring in $7 million to $10 million.
Also actual news: Former UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson will publish his book on the Bard almost four years behind schedule.
Shakespeare: The Riddle of Genius was supposed to come out in October 2016, according to the Guardian, but Johnson’s publisher confirmed today that though it is still not finished, it should be released in April 2020.
Relevant but not news: Literary Hub has an excerpt from Shakespeare’s Library: Unlocking the Greatest Mystery in Literature by Stuart Kells.
In the chunk, Kells looks at the literary world’s ongoing obsession with the Bard’s true identity.
And in the same vein — of appropriate but not breaking — is the Guardian’s latest books podcast, on which an Oxford professor suggests we’re too reverent with Shakespeare, whose writing could and should be more fun for readers.
Categories: Today in Books