A review by chrysemys
Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson

4.0

There are very few definitively known facts about William Shakespeare, and over the centuries, scholars have speculated exhaustively on possible events in his life and how they may have impacted his writing. (E.g.- some think that he traveled to Italy during one of England's periodic plague epidemics, and this is why he wrote several plays set in Italy.) This book seeks to clarify what is actually known about Shakespeare's life, while also describing and evaluating some of the theories. It is a light, brief account of the man's life- not so much his writing- and is intended for the general public and not for historians or scholars of literature. I found the book largely enjoyable, even if Bryson didn't quite manage to suppress his fanboyism... I suppose that one just has to resign oneself to a certain amount of adulation when Shakespeare is the topic.