The Secret Life of William Shakespeare

by Jude Morgan

The greatest writer of them all, brought to glorious life. How well do you know the man you love? How much do you think you know about Shakespeare? What if they were one and the same? He is an ordinary man: unwilling craftsman, ambitious actor, resentful son, almost good-enough husband. And he is also a genius. The story of how a glove-maker from Warwickshire became the greatest writer of them all is vaguely known to most of us, but it would take an exceptional modern novelist to bring him to life. And now at last Jude Morgan, acclaimed author of Passion and The Taste of Sorrow, has taken Shakespeare's life, and created a masterpiece.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Shakespeare, Historical, British Literature, Adult, Novels

Audible Audio

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Jude Morgan was born and brought up in Peterborough on the edge of the Fens and was a student on the University of East Anglia MA Course in Creative Writing under Malcolm Bradbury and Angela Carter.

A pseudonym used by Tim Wilson.

Also wrote under the names T.R. Wilson and Hannah March.

Reviews

[Valeriu Gherghel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jude Morgan este psudonimul lui Tim Wilson. Prozatorul englez a publicat 30 de cărți. Multe sînt biografii ficționale.

Pentru a redacta Viața secretă a lui William Shakespeare, autorul a străbătut, neîndoios, o bibliografie imensă. Aproape orice detaliu (material) din cartea lui poate fi controlat.

Firește, ar fi o naivitate să crezi că dincolo de ficțiunea din Viața secretă a lui William Shakespeare ar fi ceva ce s-ar putea numi realitate. În fond, „realitatea” biografiei lui Shakespeare e tot ficțiune. Asta este. Nu știm mare lucru despre Will. Și nici nu vom ști.

Viața secretă a lui William Shakespeare este, deci, o fantezie greu verificabilă. Titlul constituie, mă gîndesc, o provocare ironică. Nu există (nu poate fi documentată suficient) o viață reală, manifestă, publică a lui WS, deci, nu poate exista nici o viață secretă. Altfel, titlul e pleonastic. Există, în schimb, o sumă de ipoteze cu privire la biografia lui Shakespeare. Nici una dintre ipoteze nu poate fi mai credibilă decît alta. Cu toate acestea, pentru a construi o ipoteză personală, ai nevoie de ipotezele altora. Jude Morgan așa a procedat. I-a cercetat pe exegeți. A rezultat un text cel puțin interesant.

Ce supoziții găsim în romanul lui Morgan? Iată cîteva:

a) WS nu i-a fost credincios lui Anne Hathaway, dar nici Anne lui. La sfîrșit se împacă.
b) Nu doar WS venea periodic în Stratford; și Anne mergea la Londra.
c) Will a iubit-o neîndoios pe Anne.
d) Biografia dramaturgului satiric Benjamin Jonson pare mai pasionantă decît biografia lui WS: s-au păstrat mai multe documente cu privire la viața Ben Jonson care l-a prețuit pe WS, chiar dacă îi reproșa facilitatea unor versuri.
e) La 1600, femeile miroseau uneori frumos, deși igiena nu era cea mai intensă îngrijorare a epocii: „Această tînără cu spinarea dreaptă purta doar parfumul trupului ei” (p.308).

Periodic, regatul era bîntuit de ciumă. Transcriu doar o frază:

„Așa începe [ciuma]: se închid casele impozante ale nobililor, împrejmuite cu grădini, care se întind pînă la Tamisa, iar căprioarele își înalță acum netulburate capetele în Parcul St James. Doctorii mărșăluiesc în veșminte lungi, purtînd măști conice, umplute cu virnanț și bergamotă și arătînd ca niște mari păsări fantomatice - nu prea mulți, totuși. Prescriu ca leac o melasă făcută din carne de viperă, oțet și pelin, dar oamenii continuă să moară; nu e de mirare dacă, în locul ei, își beau propria urină sau spun rugăciuni. Ori dau vina pe străini...” (p.332).

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Interesting read and I did stick with it right to the end. Unfortunately, for me the writer failed to capture some magical element that reminded you throughout of the genius and magic of Shakespeare the writer. Shakepeare's life felt somewhat too pedestrian and plebeian.

Clearly the writer was showing us Shakespeare the man rather than the playwright. The crafting of the works and the works themselves are mostly mentioned in passing. It felt as if there were more focus on him as a player/actor and family man rather than a writer, which must actually have been the consuming passion of his life considering the sheer volume and variety of plays he wrote.

Shakespeare's affair with the 'dark lady' of the sonnets was quite unsatisfactory in the book. (It may have been so in actuality too LOL). But the dark lady was an unlikeable and unsympathetic character and I in no way felt Shakespeare's obsession with her or any of the glory of his poems to her. Bummer.

One thread of the story followed the life of a contemporary of Shakespeare, poet and playwright Ben Jonson. I love some of Jonson's works and felt rather sad at his depiction in this book as an egotistical and arrogant man with a towering intellect but no 'common touch' for popularity as Shakespeare had. Whilst the latter at least may be true, the choice to depict Jonson as such an unlikeable man with few redeeming qualities did grate on me as a reader. He may have been so in life, but a reader needs to find a way in to sympathise with or connect to a character to enjoy the read.

So, fabulous source material, a fascinating set of characters, but ultimately for me a somewhat disappointing book. Whilst the first section drew me in and kept me keenly reading, as the book progressed, it became flat and for me not a very satisfying read in the end.

[Marija *Why you mad, why you sad* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea why I purchased this book when I don't even like Shakespeare that much. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was really cheap and that I had hope that it would actually turn out to be really entertaining. But no. Once again I was reminded that I actually don't like Shakespeare and never would.

This book consists of three persons POVs. Shakespeare's (obviously); Shakespear's wife, Anne Hathaway; and Benjamin Jonson's, for who I really don't know why he was in this book. All three persons were extremely boring to me. And in the end I didn't even know what was the point of this book! Okay, we follow Will's beginnings and his life as a play writer, but in the end we only get half of his life. Anne forgives him for doing "it" with someone else and that's where the story ends. What happened next? How did he die? How did Ben cope with loss of his son? What Ben's wife felt? What happened to any other character that existed in this book? It was a really weak ending, but I was really grateful for it on the other side, because I don't know how much more of that book I could survive.

And Will's writing was really poorly portraid. I wanted to know what brought him to write those plays, what was his inspiration. Instead, the author just says that that piece was written and it gathered a lot of attention. How was it written, why, because of what? It was awfully frustrating.

I actually liked the writing style, even though the characters were really boring and two-dimensional. It never made me feel anything. I never cared for those characters. Even in times of tragedy, I didn't feel sad. I was just like "Can we just go through this already? Please?". But because I liked the writing, and there was a lot of quotes I liked, and then there's the fact I finished it, I give this book 3 stars. End of discussion.

[Maya Panika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book some days ago but couldn't write a review right away, I needed time to think through the conflicted feelings I was left with when I turned the last page. The writing definitely deserves five stars, it is rich and lush and lavish, dense with metaphor; it took me a long time to read, I could only digest it in small bites. The story on the other hand, is odd. It's not really about Shakespeare at all; Jude Morgan doesn't seem to ever get to grips with him as a character. Will's father, his brothers, his wife, all come off the page with far more life than Will himself, who seems a colourless, emotionally dead person, which - unless he put absolutely everything of himself on to the page and left nothing behind for his day to day life - seems unlikely to have been the case. It's as if Jude Morgan couldn't find Shakespeare, at least, not find enough to build a character of substance around the few facts we have (and in which case, why choose to write about him?) Ben Jonson gets almost as much page-time, the two lives run parallel through the tale (and why not bill this as a life of two men, because that is what this is). Jonson comes across with much more vigour, Marlowe with more colour, Shakey himself is the least interesting, least vibrant, least engaging character in the book. The relationship with Anne, his wife, is one of the best parts of this tale but even here, Jude doesn't seem to truly get to grips with the story. Marital discord, infidelity, the part long separations play in the life of a marriage - these are all there, but there's no real depth to the emotions. `My second-best bed' doesn't appear and there's no apparent reason given here for the famously mighty snub. At the end of this tale, Will and Anne seem to have reached an accord for their future. And then the story stops - not at the end of Will's short life, not even when he decides to quit the theatre and return to Stratford, but at the end of his affair with his Dark Lady.

This is not a bad book, not at all, the writing is (as always with Jude Morgan) sublime, and there are interesting takes on what might have been Will Shakespeare's life, but I can't help but feel that the title is wrong: this is not a book about Shakespeare's secret life, but about his domestic situation (the writing features very little) and pretty much all of it on the surface, there's little hidden. It could as easily be titled Shakespeare and Co, because it is far more about those around Shakespeare than the bard himself.

It is, for all that, a wonderful book, the language is worth 5 plus stars and well-worthy of your time for that alone.

[Mela · Rating 4 out of 5]

But everything that never was is also a thing that might have been – and such a thing has more existence than you or I, for it has a thousand potential existences, and we have only the one we were born to. And of all those possibilities, what could be more fantastical a transformation?

Two facts:
1. I was gripped from the beginning to the end.
2. For around 2/3 (perhaps even 3/4) of the reading, it was difficult/challenging.

Life kept kicking you with surprises, at the back of your knees

Re 1) It was definitely marvelous and thoroughly researched historical fiction.

You won't learn much about Shakespeare (there aren't many sources and Jude Morgan didn't want (I think) to create events, he just wanted to try to understand him), but you'll touch and feel those times and people. You'll understand better the background that could (and did) invent such a poet/writer. You'll find out that there were many artists like Shakespeare although for some reason today we remember him. It was an example that shows why I love historical fiction and how a book of this genre should look like (save for point 2 of my review).

‘A man cannot split himself in two, Will.’ He paused. ‘One half will die, sooner or later.’

Re 2) It was hard to accustom to numerous characters and language.

There were so many characters, at least I felt so, now it seems that there weren't so many. Nonetheless, for the most part of the book, I was overwhelmed. I was afraid that I was confusing them (players etc).

Jude Morgan tried to balance between being historically accurate and not being overwhelming - especially considering the language. And I think that he succeeded. Not every reader will feel that way. I struggled from time to time too. But it was worth it.

For there is no such thing as a moment. Call it a second, or an instant, if you like. Now cut it in half – for there is naught in creation so small it cannot be divided. So now the moment is two – so which was the moment of love? Both, part one, part t’other? It can’t be. A moment exists only when we look back at it. All in the heart and mind is flux and process, so it hardly signifies which moment we show in how the lady changes, so long as it convinces.

Summarizing, it isn't a book for everyone. I can easily understand that many readers didn't finish it. Even I, fascinated by the novel, considered not finishing it for three days of reading. It is a novel for big fans of the genre that are patience and that value reflection about human nature more than action and big events.

Now to go on, now to be Ghost. It banishes the other ghosts from his side, for a time: being someone else. Leaving the world, he steps on stage. Now, the real turn into ghosts. Like a snail in reverse, he can only live away from the shell of himself.

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover of this edition reflects the content perfectly for me - can't tell anything about the person at all.

I borrowed this from my library because I know some of my GR friends think very highly of another of Morgan's books (Indiscretion) & my local library doesn't carry that particular title. So I thought I would try this one first

But although Morgan's prose is beautiful, a lot of it about other people in Shakepeare's life. Maybe there is too little known to make an interesting tale. Or maybe like many other writers, the reason Shakespeare wrote such extraordinary works was that his life was all in his head. But I have some tempting books on my bedside table, so I'm going to abandon this one for now. I'm still going to search out Indiscretion. After all not every Heyer or Christie is a winner!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book. The prose is to die for and the characters are well rounded and interesting. The historical detail feels spot on too. The reason it's on my DNF shelf is that the effect is so strong that it's like eating strong cheese or dark chocolate - a little goes a very long way and it's my fault I didn't have the stamina to keep on going and to unravel some of the playful undercurrents. It's a book that got away from me in the end.
I have kept it and may well return to it. It took me 3 attempts before I 'got' the full impact of Dorothy Dunnett and I think this may well be a similar situation. It's one of those 'It's not you, it's me' scenarios.

[Ренета Кирова · Rating 2 out of 5]

Художествена биография на Шекспир, написана доста добре, в сравнение с другата биография на "Очи със слънце несравними" на Антъни Бърджес. Коренно различни са, но и двете ми бяха скучни за четене. Може би тази книга е по-скоро за изследователи на живота на Уилям Шекспир, отколкото за масово четене.
В книгата се описва живота на поета, мислете на него, жена му, братята, децата, което е трудно за четене, спъвах се доста често в текста и не ми вървеше гладко. На моменти ми беше интересно, но бързо доскучаваше отново. Почти нямаше за творчество на Шекспир и липсваха цитати от пиесите му, което ме навежда на мисълта, че целта на автора е да разкаже за чувствата на биографираните лица. Запознаваме се с Англия през периода 1582 - 1603 г., узнаваме за чумата, за театрите, нравите на хората и начина им на живот. Срещаме се с обкръжението на на Шекспир, личности като Кристофър Марлоу, Робърт Грийн, Томас Наш и Бен Джонсън. За всеки от тях е разказано по нещичко. Обърнато е и много внимание на взаимоотношенията с баща му, с жена му, с децата му. А доколко всичко е вярно, никога няма да узнаем.
Опитах се да харесам книгата, не успях.

[Ann Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret Life of William Shakespeare - by Jude Morgan.
Loved the cover of the paperback - and the title, of course. Wasn't quite sure whether I would get on with it at first - the language was challenging, and since I read at night for relaxation, I nearly gave up. Glad I didn't!
Ben Jonson's language was much easier, so I read on - but by then Wm Shakespeare was also becoming real to me, and I was hooked.
Gradually, this extraordinary man, of whom we know so little apart from his work, became, through the author's pen, a living, breathing, believable person. What caught me most of all was his feeling - common to many actors - that he was empty, did not really exist except through the characters he portrayed. And that openness, that emptiness, was gradually filled by his writing - and his own experience of life. As to where his writing came from - Jude Morgan suggested that very well without going into detail. I found myself thinking further about that, and filling in the gaps myself. It was well done.
Shakespeare's relationships - with his difficult father, his wife Anne, his children and his theatrical friends - were completely convincing. The strange 'dark lady', damaged though she was, also struck a most believable note.
I have just finished this book, and am feeling both satisfied and sad. It was an excellent ending to a fascinating tale, and yet I wanted it to go on, and that is the best compliment of all.
As an historical novelist myself - one who has also depicted real people in my work - I take my hat off to Jude Morgan. He has, like Hilary Mantel, shown us 'a version' of history, and given us, in the telling, a memorable, human, lovable Mr Shakespeare.

[Natasa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was on my shelf for a long, and when I finally took it my hopes were high. To be honest, I couldn’t really get to grips with this, it didn’t capture me; I found the development of the story long and tedious, the changes in point of view confusing. 

[Sx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Words. They are strange creatures,aren't they? The power to affect, to influence and to touch. At what point do words cease to become others' and embed themselves so deeply into your being that you forget these words originally weren't yours?

The only issue I have with this book is that it touches on everything fleetingly. Will is in Stratford, then he is not. In London, then not. Unknown, then famous. Player, then writer, then once in a while back in the role of himself - father, son and husband. It makes him hard to connect to, seeing so many personas of him. And although he is there physically, there is always this distance between him and the reader - almost as if his head was too busy conjuring up magic with his words, as if he'd rather live in his words then in the present.

It was a hard book to get into as too many characters seemed glossed over. They simply existed instead of living. No one was particularly compelling nor stood out in a world that was rich with potential.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read this because it hadn't been checked out of the library yet. This "historical fiction" requires a leap of faith I'm not willing to take when it includes lines like, "Really?  Will thought Really?"  Perhaps I'm just a curmudgeon, but I have a hard time buying that William Shakespeare thought in present day vernacular.  It's been a long time since I've studied the bard, but I just don't think there's enough historical knowledge of the man himself for me to be able handle finding the imagined details of his life believable.   Although, if we use this novel for inspiration, we know next to nothing of the man himself because he was boring as fuck.

[Jay Astarte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm, well. Usually I really enjoy historical fiction, but I do expect an author to write an afterword showing which parts of the book are pure fiction and which parts are based on historical record.

Knowing that there wasn't this at the end (I always check before starting) affected my reading of the novel, lessening the enjoyment I might otherwise have had.

I persevered with the book because it was interesting enough (just), but I think it would have been improved by being shorter. There seemed to be a degree of padding/waffling, which I found rather irritating.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

very slow reading
don't take this one to the beach!

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book was interesting, it was a slow read. The language and phrasing are (purposely) archaic, reflecting its sixteenth-century England setting. (Thank God it wasn't written in iambic pentameter.) Other reviewers have complained that Shakespeare's character wasn't fleshed out, but my sense is that Morgan intended to show that Will didn't know himself and preferred to blend into the background. I thought it was clever to include Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe since many critics attribute the Bard's works to either of those playwrights rather than a simple glove maker's son from Stratford upon Avon.

[Amellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

„Английският ще свърши работа за списък на товарите, за балада или приказка може би – обясняваше учителят Камдън, - но все още не е подходящ инструмент за високата литература.“ (61)
Геният, който променя статуквото на считания за беден и безизразен английски език е обявен за главно действащо лице още в заглавието на романа „Тайният живот на Шекспир“ (ИК „Унископ“, 2016) от Джъд Морган (псевдоним на Тим Уилсън).
http://amelllie.blogspot.bg/2017/07/b...

[Gilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Îi dau 4 steluțe pentru că din fiecare amănunt cunoscut, a scos o poveste, o iță a narațiunii. E o carte muncită și imi place modul cum e spusă povestea, prezența povestitorului, ca martor ocular discret.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a long and tedious read. I enjoyed the portions told from Shakespeare’s wife’s perspective, but the rest was just ok.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bard is everywhere at the moment thanks to the World Shakespeare Festival which began on the date of his supposed birthday and definite demise, 23 April. Perfect timing for a new book from an excellent storyteller, Jude Morgan, who has written several historical novels including the critically acclaimed A Taste of Sorrow about the Bronte sisters.

In this intelligent and very readable novel, Morgan takes advantage of the fact that little is really known about the man behind the prolific playwright, so he is able to fill in the blanks with his own interpretation of the sparse facts.

Possibly going against the commonly held belief that Shakespeare may have been in a loveless marriage with Anne Hathaway, Morgan creates a much more affectionate bond between the two, with plausible explanations for why Shakespeare would have left his wife and young family to find his fortune within the theatrical community in London. Interestingly, although the story speculates on the relationships Shakespeare has with colleagues such as Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson, the most compelling parts of the novel, to me, are those when Anne is involved in the narrative. Morgan pours much warmth and likeability into her character, so much so that I became a firm supporter of her and found myself wishing her errant husband would just get himself back home.

Morgan cleverly speculates on the events which might have been the inspiration for his plays but the novel doesn't become muddled with too much of Shakespeare's actual writing. It is not a heavy tome; rather, a simple story of a man who is torn between being a dutiful husband on one hand, and desperate to find an outlet for his talent on the other. Jude Morgan manages to tell this tale with exceptional attention to detail using that very same talent for lifting the English language into something quite beautiful.

[Kell · Rating 3 out of 5]

*REVIEWED FOR PUBLISHER*

I’m a big ol’ fan of Shakespeare’s many beautiful works, so when this novel exploring his early life and his start in the world of theatres and writing, I was over the moon!

Living up to the most famous writer in the world was always going to be a tall order, but Jude Morgan takes up the challenge with great aplomb and does a sterling job of showcasing The Bard’s works while presenting him as a real and very believable character in his own story – a fallible man striking out in the world on his own, trying to support a wife and family from a great distance whilst living out his dream

This is a beautifully written exploration into the not-so-glamourous world of Elizabethan theatre, where fickle audiences and the whim of Queen Elizabeth could make or break a play, or even a writer’s whole career.

If you’re a fan of Shakespeare, theatre, or Elizabethan historical fiction, give this one a try, and be transported to another time and place, where a young man struggles to prove his words are art and find his place in history.

[Phoebe · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dense, dense fictional exploration of Will Shakespeare and his relationships, this novel is both lovely and cryptic. Morgan uses the few facts we know about the enigmatic man to build a richly detailed story of his relationship with Anne and the "missing" years; as well as his rise to fame in London and his relationships with other players and writers like Jonson and Marlowe. She chooses her perspectives somewhat oddly, for example giving us a detailed accounting of Ben Jonson and his upbringing. Was he that great an influence on Shakespeare that his story has enough importance to include here? The core and real sweetness of the novel lies with Anne Shakespeare, her love for Will and the tragedy of their son's death; also explored is Will's relationship with his father. Readers really will feel that they gain understanding of Shakespeare's character, however fictional, and Morgan succeeds admirably in making Shakespeare a real, human man. An interesting book, overall, but lengthy and heavy. Adult.

[Maryanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am taking this book in very slowly, like a cup of tea savored with a friend. The language is beautiful and needs to be enjoyed and absorbed.

I like the fact that Anne Hathaway is neither a shrew abandoned nor a woman scorned (at least not so far) and Will and Anne are a couple deeply in love and trying to make this thing work. I also like the fact that this author has chosen to follow a straight-forward path from Stratford to London without any detours into speculative "Shakeshafte" the Catholic sympathizer-teacher territory. We're all so desperate to fill in the unknown contours of his life that we give it a shape it didn't necessarily have (or even need).

I really want to get to the end and see how it turns out -- I mean, I know how it turns out, but I want to see where the author ends it and how he gets there -- but I don't want to get there just yet. I'll take my time and sip it slowly. It's too lovely to rush.

4+ stars. Nearly perfect.

[Helen_t_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jude Morgan skillfully weaves together the story of the Shakespeare marriage with a possible account of his "missing years". In so doing the author cleverly includes a number of Shakespeare's literary comtemporaries and describes the theatrical and thespian life as well as evoking the smells, sounds and sights of Tudor life in London and Stratford.
This is a literary historical novel with a very rich language, written in a style which in many places reflects Shakespeare's own writing. Some sentences are so beautifully written that they stop you in your tracks and you have to reread them several times to savour them and appreciate their beauty.
The novel's style is matched by the depiction of its characters, and Anne comes out from behind the shadows to be seen as a living breathing woman facing the challenges of marriage to an absent literary and dramatic genius.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Shakespeare certainly lived an extraordinary life and I appreciated this imagining of his life with all of the historical details. However, for some reason, reading this book was just tedious. I didn't care for how the narrative jumps around constantly between people, places, and time. The characters just didn't connect with me, either. I found myself really wanting to like this book, but failing in the end.

[Misha]

April 12th, 2012

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little slow in places, the writing was hard to parse thru but learned a lot.

[John Alvord · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very believable novel that gave me a good deal of understanding of his and times, along with many additional Elizabethan terms to add to my lexicon.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

L-a trezit din somn furtuna, dar altceva l-a făcut să se îmbrace și să coboare.

O presimțire.

– Tată!

A deschis ușa atelierului. Umbrele s-au destrămat.

– Nici tu n-ai putut să dormi, nu-i așa, Will? Ba chiar așa. Hai, fă-te-ncoace!

Înăuntru ardeau cinci sau șase lumânări. Lui Will i s-a strâns inima gândindu-se la o așa risipă. Dar știa că tatăl lui avea nevoie de lumină; de cât mai multă lumină. Deasupra casei a bubuit din nou un tunet, tare și aproape. A văzut că i-a licărit albul ochilor ca unui cal înspăimântat, iar fruntea îi lucea de sudoare.

– Da, nu e aer în noaptea asta, a zis Will cu un căscat prefăcut. Să-ți aduc un pocal cu bere?

Tatăl lui a clătinat din cap.

– Dar mai stai, băiete, mai stai! Eu tocmai…

Păros, îmbrăcat numai în cămașă, a început să umble de colo până colo, atingând neliniștit scândura de croit, cuțitele, vergeaua, apoi a ridicat o mănușă de pe bancul de lucru.

– Tocmai mă uitam la cum ai cusut. Cusătură rotundă? Eu aș fi zis că aia încrucișată ajungea pentru calitatea asta. Dar e destul de îngrijită. La fel și curelușa pentru sabie. Ai grijă, întăriturile astea musai să fie mai trainice, în caz că...

A sărit la bubuitul tunetului, dar Will s-a prefăcut că nu bagă de seamă nici asta, nici tremuratul mâinilor lui mari, care aproape au scăpat mănușa.– Nopțile astea a fost umezeală și pieile se zvântă încet. Dar pentru mâine ar trebui să fim pregătiți. Ai tăblița la îndemână? Trece acolo vreo zece ouă pentru tratarea pieilor, nu, hai mai bine douăzeci...

Glasul i s-a frânt, prefăcându-se într-un scâncet când tunetul a crescut, s-a dezlănțuit și a zgâlțâit obloanele, și Will s-a apucat să vorbească, să spună orice, numai să acopere ce vedea și ce simțea.

– Doamne, dacă mai plouă mult, drumul de miazăzi o să fie iar o baltă și târgul o să meargă din nou prost. Și am auzit că trupa lordului Howard a pornit încoace de la Banbury. Dar ascultă ce-ți zic eu, actorii răzbesc întotdeauna. O dată au slobozit calul și au luat căruța în cârcă. Și mai e și Richard, care trebuie să ajungă de la Londra și o să călărească prin mocirlă. S-ar putea, totuși, să se însenineze. Parcă am adulmecat un vânt dinspre apus astă…

– Eu n-am auzit de asta. De povestea cu căruța actorilor.

În privirea tatălui său, peste frică și rușine a răzbătut o ascuțime nouă.

– Mi-a zis și mie cineva, a ridicat din umeri Will.

– Eu cred că ți-au zis chiar ei.

Tunetul a răsunat mai slab. Tatăl lui și-a îngăduit un mic surâs lăuntric.

– Actorii. Știu, Will. Astă-vară, când au venit, te-ai furișat din casă și ai petrecut toată noaptea cu ei la Hanul „Lebăda“.

S-a scurs o clipă apăsătoare, în care Will era din nou copil, iar tatăl lui îl ciocănea în piept cu arătătorul lui butucănos. Văd prin tine pe aici, băiete.

– Da, a izbutit să îngaime, așa am făcut. N-am avut vreun gând rău…

[Janine Zachariae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich habe das Buch »The secret Life of William Shakespeare« von Jude Morgan gelesen und in dieser erzählerischen Geschichtsstunde geht es um eben jene Themen.


War Shakespeare Katholik? Oder Christ?
Er trug möglicherweise schwarz, als Queen Elizabeth starb.
All diese Bücher, die sich um eben jene Zeit drehen, sind meist spekulativ. Es gibt diesen geschichtlichen Fingerabdruck. William Shakespeare hat ihn hinterlassen. Mit voller Wucht!
Nach all den Jahren bewirkt er noch immer schlaflose Nächte, weil dieses Rätsel zu groß ist.
Zu groß, um alles zu erfahren.
Dabei war er doch eigentlich nur ein einfacher Mann und ich habe mich immer gefragt, welche Rolle seine Religion spielen sollte.
Um auf das Buch von Jude Morgen zurückzukommen:
Sie fragt am Ende, ob oder wie viel Emphatie man für Anne Hathaway aufbringt.
Nach dem, wie sie sie beschrieben hat: keine.
Sie konnte nichts mit dem anfangen, was Will ausgemacht hat. Konnte nicht damit umgehen, dass er Träume hat. Er war nie der Mann, der in die Fußstapfen seines Vaters steigen würde und Handschuhe herstellt.
Anne hätte auch mit den Kindern nach London ziehen können. Vielleicht wäre Hamnet dann nicht an der Pest erkrankt und gestorben? Die Familie war vor Hamnets Tod in London und wenige Tage später wurde er wohl krank. Angeblich hatte er die Pest. Aber nur er. Nicht seine Zwillingsschwester und die große Schwester.
Das ist für mich eine Frage, die mich nicht loslässt. Im Buch erfährt man etwas von Hamnet, er schien nicht in das Bild von Anne gepasst zu haben. Möglicherweise wollte der 11-jährige auch ein Boygirl in den Stücken seines Vaters sein. Also ein Schausteller, wie einst sein Vater. Nur, dass er das Mädchen in einem Stück hätte spielen wollen.

Für mich war es ein Buch, welches nicht ganz stimmig klang.

[Nona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not yet finished this book - am listening per disk. From the beginning I was enthralled, towards the end it has begun to slow down, but I have to say it is just a really great story, and so well done.
Jude MORGAN obviously has a passion for SHAKESPEARE and has done considerable research. The 'secret life' is actually a fictional account from the aspect of Anne HATHAWAY. I believe MORGAN has woven a credible tale of what the relationship between the two may have actually been.
I smile every now and then when I think of the TV production UPSTART CROW with David Mitchell. I don't know that MORGAN would have liked this TV series as SHAKESPEARE is portrayed in a very favourable light as a loving and welcoming husband. John SHAKESPEARE and his wife Joan are also rather cheerful. Of course MORGAN has used exception detail in his novel as has the humorous Upstart Crow, but interpreted differently.
At times the dialogue is difficult to understand and this is where the CD comes in handy. It is good to re-wind and sit and reflect on the language.
I have now finished this book and want to add some more comments. I have found this to be an excellent portrayal of what SHAKESPEARE'S private life may have been. There have been hundreds of scholars and researchers who have read his work and his peers, poured over historical events and scoured historical facts and figures to try and learn more of this man. MORGAN has woven a delightful tale, and eventually I found the ending to be very interesting and descriptive.
I doubt we will ever know the full intricacies of the life of this extraordinary man, and maybe that is a good thing.
Highly recommended.