While writing her latest book, a reimagining of the story of Cordelia, Alexandra Walsh was struck by the way some figures reappear in different tales through the ages. Why, she wondered, do we tell and retell these stories? So she set about finding Cordelia. Towards the end of my new novel Daughter of the Stones, my […]
Desert Island Books: Margaret George
This is fun, because my first novel (unpublished) was about three people on an island – not a desert one but a tropical one so I could have snakes, volcanoes, and so on – and I made it really difficult for them by not having any books at all. By the end of the novel […]
Ten Things You Didn’t Know about Shakespeare
Beth Miller’s new companion to the works of Shakespeare takes a fresh look at Britain’s best-loved bard. In our guest post this month, Beth shares ten things she discovered while researching… 1. One of the things we think we definitely know about Shakespeare is that he was born and died on the same date, 23rd April, 52 years […]
Upstart Crow: The New Blackadder?
Another one of those compelling BBC historical drama series has just finished. But don’t worry, a new series has already been commissioned along with a Christmas special. It may seem strange to mention Ben Elton’s latest comedy about William Shakespeare’s early career in the same genre as War and Peace and Wolf Hall. But historical […]
The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses
William Shakespeare might have been the world’s greatest playwright but he was not the world’s greatest historian, so it would be a mistake to watch this adaptation of Henry VI Parts I, II & III and Richard III in order to discover exactly what went on in the Wars of the Roses. Shakespeare wrote to […]
Are the Stuarts the New Tudors?
It’s quite possible that we have reached peak Tudor. Henry VIII’s stinking, gangrenous leg has been endlessly speculated upon, every layer of Elizabeth I’s petticoats has been lifted and thoroughly searched and Anne Boleyn’s execution has been read, learned and inwardly digested from all possible angles. There are even novels that speculate upon what might […]
Shakespeare In Ten Acts
Unless you’ve been walking around with your head in a bag you’ll know that 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. It’s hardly surprising then that, whether you’re a dedicated Bard-o-holic or just someone with a casual interest, there’s a plethora of exhibitions on offer to you this year that provide plenty of […]