What do you think?
Rate this book
Het Mysterie van Marlowe
Londen 1593. Christopher Marlowe - toneelschrijver, dichter en spion in dienst van koningin Elizabeth II - wordt beschuldigd van ketterij, blasfemie en smaad. De gevierde toneelschrijver heeft veel vijanden: zijn jaloerse en plagiërende collega's zien hem graag afgaan. Als spion kan Marlowe niemand vertrouwen behalve zijn werkgevers, en juist zij trekken Marlowes loyaliteit in twijfel. Ze geven hem drie dagen om zijn blaam te zuiveren. In die drie dagen vindt hij machiavellistische samenzweerders, dubbelspionnen, zwarte kunst, verraad en wraak op zijn pad. Marlowe, de waaghals die God en de Staat durft te trotseren, ontdekt dat er een erger lot bestaat dan verdoeming.
134 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
16 people are currently reading
526 people want to read
About the author
Louise Welsh
53 books334 followersAfter studying history at Glasgow University, Louise Welsh established a second-hand bookshop, where she worked for many years. Her first novel, The Cutting Room, won several awards, including the 2002 Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger, and was jointly awarded the 2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award. Louise was granted a Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award in 2003, a Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award in 2004, and a Hawthornden Fellowship in 2005.
She is a regular radio broadcaster, has published many short stories, and has contributed articles and reviews to most of the British broadsheets. She has also written for the stage. The Guardian chose her as a 'woman to watch' in 2003.
Her second book, Tamburlaine Must Die, a novelette written around the final three days of the poet Christopher Marlowe's life, was published in 2004. Her third novel, The Bullet Trick (2006), is a present-day murder mystery set in Berlin.
The Cutting Room 2002
Tamburlaine Must Die 2004
The Bullet Trick 2006
Naming The Bones 2010
Prizes and awards
2002 Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger The Cutting Room
2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award (joint winner) The Cutting Room
2003 BBC Underground Award (writer category) The Cutting Room
2003 Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award
2004 Corine Internationaler Buchpreis: Rolf Heyne Debutpreis (Germany) The Cutting Room
2004 Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award
2004 Stonewall Book Award (US) (honor in literature)
She is a regular radio broadcaster, has published many short stories, and has contributed articles and reviews to most of the British broadsheets. She has also written for the stage. The Guardian chose her as a 'woman to watch' in 2003.
Her second book, Tamburlaine Must Die, a novelette written around the final three days of the poet Christopher Marlowe's life, was published in 2004. Her third novel, The Bullet Trick (2006), is a present-day murder mystery set in Berlin.
The Cutting Room 2002
Tamburlaine Must Die 2004
The Bullet Trick 2006
Naming The Bones 2010
Prizes and awards
2002 Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger The Cutting Room
2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award (joint winner) The Cutting Room
2003 BBC Underground Award (writer category) The Cutting Room
2003 Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award
2004 Corine Internationaler Buchpreis: Rolf Heyne Debutpreis (Germany) The Cutting Room
2004 Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award
2004 Stonewall Book Award (US) (honor in literature)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
October 18, 2019
It took me a bit longer to finish this short novel by Louise Welsh than I initially intended. A few busy days and some emotional turmoil (mainly due by the parallel reading of Adam Silvera's History Is All You Left Me) later, I did manage to complete Tamburlaine Must Die and I must say I deeply enjoyed it.
The novel is set in the dangerous and seedy London underworld of 1593 and focuses on playwright Christopher Marlowe's hunt for the mysterious nemesis who threatens his life and calls himself Tamburlaine, like the protagonist of Marlowe's most violent and renowned play.
Thrown back again into a world of deceits and ransoms, incapable of recognizing friends from foes, Marlowe is persecuted by his past deeds and words and has to fend off accusations of atheism and vice all the while scrambling about to find out who Tumberlaine is.
The words uttered by Tamburlaine in the play: 'I hold the Fates bound fast in iron chains,/And with my hand turn Fortune's wheel about', that proudly bring agency and control over one's destiny back to man, slip through Marlowe's fingers in the novel as we, together with him, slowly realise that he's never really in control of his fate.
I won't say any more about the book's plot because it would be a shame to spoil the thrill of discovery to future readers but I've found the book thoroughly enjoyable from the point of view of the story.
The writing style was also deeply compelling. Marlowe recounts his own story in one long, uninterrupted chapter and we're dragged into his world and fears with him.
Short but involving, Tamburlaine Must Die reminded me somehow of Christopher Peachment's novel on Caravaggio: A Novel. It was fascinating to get dragged into the playwright's mind and life.
This is a novel I'd certainly recommend.
The novel is set in the dangerous and seedy London underworld of 1593 and focuses on playwright Christopher Marlowe's hunt for the mysterious nemesis who threatens his life and calls himself Tamburlaine, like the protagonist of Marlowe's most violent and renowned play.
Thrown back again into a world of deceits and ransoms, incapable of recognizing friends from foes, Marlowe is persecuted by his past deeds and words and has to fend off accusations of atheism and vice all the while scrambling about to find out who Tumberlaine is.
The words uttered by Tamburlaine in the play: 'I hold the Fates bound fast in iron chains,/And with my hand turn Fortune's wheel about', that proudly bring agency and control over one's destiny back to man, slip through Marlowe's fingers in the novel as we, together with him, slowly realise that he's never really in control of his fate.
I won't say any more about the book's plot because it would be a shame to spoil the thrill of discovery to future readers but I've found the book thoroughly enjoyable from the point of view of the story.
The writing style was also deeply compelling. Marlowe recounts his own story in one long, uninterrupted chapter and we're dragged into his world and fears with him.
Short but involving, Tamburlaine Must Die reminded me somehow of Christopher Peachment's novel on Caravaggio: A Novel. It was fascinating to get dragged into the playwright's mind and life.
This is a novel I'd certainly recommend.
April 1, 2014
I'm not at all sure what I think of this one. It was recommended to me as part of a challenge as probably not being my usual thing, but it's not too far off, really. I mean, I've got Bruce Holsinger's A Burnable Book on the go, and that involves Chaucer and Gower... Anyway, I think I might have appreciated this more if I could remember more about Kit Marlowe's death. Pretty much all I could remember was the line from Shakespeare, "a great reckoning in a little room", thought to refer to Marlowe's death (for bonus points, it was said in the rich tones of the man who lectured us on Shakespeare in my first year of university).
The style is sort of faux-Elizabethan, and sometimes that slips a bit or rings false, but mostly it was a smooth read. I finished it, though, feeling I'd missed something. I didn't quite get the connection between everything that happened and Marlowe's actual death. Unless it was meant to be just a distraction? Or maybe I'm missing some of the known facts about Marlowe's death that make it all make sense.
It's still an interesting read, using its Elizabethan context and the known facts of the situation and weaving a story out of them which includes violence, blasphemy, illicit sex and spying.
On the purely aesthetic front, having the entire thing in italics was not a smart decision. It really annoyed me, in fact. Italics are harder to read for a lot of people, me apparently included, not to mention the difficulties someone with a sight impairment could have. Just... why?
The style is sort of faux-Elizabethan, and sometimes that slips a bit or rings false, but mostly it was a smooth read. I finished it, though, feeling I'd missed something. I didn't quite get the connection between everything that happened and Marlowe's actual death. Unless it was meant to be just a distraction? Or maybe I'm missing some of the known facts about Marlowe's death that make it all make sense.
It's still an interesting read, using its Elizabethan context and the known facts of the situation and weaving a story out of them which includes violence, blasphemy, illicit sex and spying.
On the purely aesthetic front, having the entire thing in italics was not a smart decision. It really annoyed me, in fact. Italics are harder to read for a lot of people, me apparently included, not to mention the difficulties someone with a sight impairment could have. Just... why?
December 22, 2010
In Tamburlaine Must Die, Louise Welsh brings to life a noisy, dirty, chaotic Elizabethan London. In her reimagining of Christopher Marlowe’s last days, he becomes a noir-ish detective, forced to investigate who is setting him up to hang for heresy.
Welsh’s writing is beautiful without being distractingly poetic, and she evokes the language of day without making her text dense or unreadable. The central storyline is a little too conspiracy-theory-esque for my taste, but the characters are well-drawn and I loved immersing myself in their lives. The sense of danger within the novella is wonderfully sharp: the Plague hangs over the city like a cloud, and lurking shadows seem ready to smother Marlowe for his proclivities (atheism, bisexuality).
Some of Welsh’s dramatic irony is enjoyable. The people of London gripe about ‘strangers’ (Moors and Dutchmen) who are apparently making their country unrecognisable, just as folks do today. And there’s a lovely segment where Marlowe confesses he cannot imagine London existing for much longer. Haven’t we all found it unfathomable that a place will persist centuries after we have died?
However, sometimes Welsh’s knowing references are far too on-the-nose, such as when a character professes that Marlowe’s work will be known and performed 400 years from now! Grooooan.
As a card-carrying Kit Marlowe fan, I was predisposed to love this book. But, with its glorious scene-setting and engrossing characters, it stands on its own merits as a piece of gritty historical fiction that can be enjoyed without any prior knowledge of Marlowe.
Welsh’s writing is beautiful without being distractingly poetic, and she evokes the language of day without making her text dense or unreadable. The central storyline is a little too conspiracy-theory-esque for my taste, but the characters are well-drawn and I loved immersing myself in their lives. The sense of danger within the novella is wonderfully sharp: the Plague hangs over the city like a cloud, and lurking shadows seem ready to smother Marlowe for his proclivities (atheism, bisexuality).
Some of Welsh’s dramatic irony is enjoyable. The people of London gripe about ‘strangers’ (Moors and Dutchmen) who are apparently making their country unrecognisable, just as folks do today. And there’s a lovely segment where Marlowe confesses he cannot imagine London existing for much longer. Haven’t we all found it unfathomable that a place will persist centuries after we have died?
However, sometimes Welsh’s knowing references are far too on-the-nose, such as when a character professes that Marlowe’s work will be known and performed 400 years from now! Grooooan.
As a card-carrying Kit Marlowe fan, I was predisposed to love this book. But, with its glorious scene-setting and engrossing characters, it stands on its own merits as a piece of gritty historical fiction that can be enjoyed without any prior knowledge of Marlowe.
September 1, 2016
Playwright, poet, and spy Christopher Marlowe is a man who doesn't much care about the consequences of anything that he does. He's dissolute, reckless and playing a dangerous game. London is a grimy, insular, frightened place – with the plague and war threatening, strangers are treated with great suspicion and the shadowy Privy Council run by Ministers who "cared enough for high office to profit from death".
The story begins in May 1593 when Marlowe is summoned from the home of his patron to appear before the Privy Council immediately. He is accused of being an atheist and recruiting others to his cause. His play Tamburlaine is known as an atheist tract and somebody calling themselves Tamburlaine is using references to the play in posters, bills and other materials scattered around London. So called friends of Marlowe have been quick to accuse. Marlowe must find the mysterious Tamburlaine and prove himself innocent, but, alas, history records that he was dead in a house in Deptford on the evening of the 30th May – 3 days later.
TAMBURLAINE MUST DIE is a fictitious account of the events that led from the charging of Marlowe to his death by stabbing. The known facts of the death of Marlowe are that he did die, stabbed in that house, lying on a bed. What is not so clear is the real truth of the events. As the author mentions in an addendum to the book, "The coroner's jury accepted the killer's claims of self-defence ... Marlowe's killer was awarded a pardon." "The flaws in the jury's decision have been well established ... The official account rests on the unreliable testimony of three rogues and is therefore unsafe."
Christopher Marlowe's fate is the subject of much ongoing debate worldwide, as is the ongoing conversation about whether he is or is not the true author of many of Shakespeare's works – and goodness knows this book (and this reviewer) are not stating an opinion one way or the other on that. TAMBURLAINE MUST DIE is Louise Welsh's fictional tale of the days leading up to Marlowe's death. The writing is deft, lyrical and very readable. The setting feels authentic, the characters beautifully grotesque, their actions startling, their sex lives varied to say the least. The book is very descriptive, almost picturesque even though there is very little charming or picturesque about 1500's London, the Privy Council's machinations or the life of a dissolute artist surviving by the kindness of patrons and friends. .
The story begins in May 1593 when Marlowe is summoned from the home of his patron to appear before the Privy Council immediately. He is accused of being an atheist and recruiting others to his cause. His play Tamburlaine is known as an atheist tract and somebody calling themselves Tamburlaine is using references to the play in posters, bills and other materials scattered around London. So called friends of Marlowe have been quick to accuse. Marlowe must find the mysterious Tamburlaine and prove himself innocent, but, alas, history records that he was dead in a house in Deptford on the evening of the 30th May – 3 days later.
TAMBURLAINE MUST DIE is a fictitious account of the events that led from the charging of Marlowe to his death by stabbing. The known facts of the death of Marlowe are that he did die, stabbed in that house, lying on a bed. What is not so clear is the real truth of the events. As the author mentions in an addendum to the book, "The coroner's jury accepted the killer's claims of self-defence ... Marlowe's killer was awarded a pardon." "The flaws in the jury's decision have been well established ... The official account rests on the unreliable testimony of three rogues and is therefore unsafe."
Christopher Marlowe's fate is the subject of much ongoing debate worldwide, as is the ongoing conversation about whether he is or is not the true author of many of Shakespeare's works – and goodness knows this book (and this reviewer) are not stating an opinion one way or the other on that. TAMBURLAINE MUST DIE is Louise Welsh's fictional tale of the days leading up to Marlowe's death. The writing is deft, lyrical and very readable. The setting feels authentic, the characters beautifully grotesque, their actions startling, their sex lives varied to say the least. The book is very descriptive, almost picturesque even though there is very little charming or picturesque about 1500's London, the Privy Council's machinations or the life of a dissolute artist surviving by the kindness of patrons and friends. .
Read
September 8, 2023Tamburlaine must die e una dintre acele carti invitata de alta. Adica citeam eu despre viata lui Shakespeare, unde numele lui Christopher Marlowe era necesar sa apara si pornita la cumparaturi livresti, am dat peste ea intr-un Oxfam. Nici n-am ezitat inainte sa o pun alaturi de cealalta aleasa.
La fel ca si in cazul rivalului lui, viata lui Marlowe e o serie de speculatii si presupuneri, desi exista mult mai multe dovezi palpabile despre studii, procese si alte fapte pe care le-a savarsit.
Cartea de fata este o nuvela in care Louise Welsh suprinde ultima lui noapte inainte de a fi asasinat prin injunghiere. El insusi e vocea narativa - una foarte aroganta, indreptatita, poetica, inteligenta, mandra si strategica - care povesteste cum a fost aproape extras din patul Lordului Walsingham si adus in fata consiliului reginei pentru a da socoteala pentru blasfemiile scrise la adresa bisericii. E pandit la orice colt si suspecteaza pe oricine, numai pe cine trebuie nu. Mi-a placut stilul, dialogurile, limbajul epocii si faptul ca am aflat mai multe despre acest etern numar 2, care l-a influentat pe Shakespeare si caruia Bardul i-a adus cateva omagii in propriile piese.
La fel ca si in cazul rivalului lui, viata lui Marlowe e o serie de speculatii si presupuneri, desi exista mult mai multe dovezi palpabile despre studii, procese si alte fapte pe care le-a savarsit.
Cartea de fata este o nuvela in care Louise Welsh suprinde ultima lui noapte inainte de a fi asasinat prin injunghiere. El insusi e vocea narativa - una foarte aroganta, indreptatita, poetica, inteligenta, mandra si strategica - care povesteste cum a fost aproape extras din patul Lordului Walsingham si adus in fata consiliului reginei pentru a da socoteala pentru blasfemiile scrise la adresa bisericii. E pandit la orice colt si suspecteaza pe oricine, numai pe cine trebuie nu. Mi-a placut stilul, dialogurile, limbajul epocii si faptul ca am aflat mai multe despre acest etern numar 2, care l-a influentat pe Shakespeare si caruia Bardul i-a adus cateva omagii in propriile piese.
February 11, 2012
My consumption of fictional accounts of the exciting life of Christopher Marlow (or Marly or Morley or Marle as every writer must point out again and again) continues. Somewhat unsuccessfully this time.
This is dreadful. Elizabethan and contemporary turns of phrase rub up awkwardly against one another. You don't have to write like an actual Elizabethan to make the prose feel authentic, but there is a way to blend Elizabethan language and syntax with something a modern reader won't be too alienated by. I'm not suggesting that I could do it, but better writers have, and Welsh, here, has not. And even I would no better than to have Marlow call a sexual act 'face-fucking.'
The plot is interesting, and it's one of the delights of reading a lot of fiction about the life of Marlow to see which historical characters get picked up as allies, which as lovers and which as villains and who is given the blame for Marlow's murder. Unfortunately there's just not enough space in 150 pages for Welsh's incarnations to breath. The revelation at the end could, and should I suspect, be shattering, but it's telegraphed too early and the confrontation is delayed, all pretence of competent characterisation collapses and I just did not care.
Do your self a favour and read A Dead Man in Deptford instead.
This is dreadful. Elizabethan and contemporary turns of phrase rub up awkwardly against one another. You don't have to write like an actual Elizabethan to make the prose feel authentic, but there is a way to blend Elizabethan language and syntax with something a modern reader won't be too alienated by. I'm not suggesting that I could do it, but better writers have, and Welsh, here, has not. And even I would no better than to have Marlow call a sexual act 'face-fucking.'
The plot is interesting, and it's one of the delights of reading a lot of fiction about the life of Marlow to see which historical characters get picked up as allies, which as lovers and which as villains and who is given the blame for Marlow's murder. Unfortunately there's just not enough space in 150 pages for Welsh's incarnations to breath. The revelation at the end could, and should I suspect, be shattering, but it's telegraphed too early and the confrontation is delayed, all pretence of competent characterisation collapses and I just did not care.
Do your self a favour and read A Dead Man in Deptford instead.
June 29, 2018
3.5, rounded down.
A fast paced and lively novella that adds to the cottage industry of books theorizing about the last days and murder of playwright Marlowe. It does a good job of conjuring the world of 1593 England, although as the author confesses in an afterward, the known facts don't particularly jibe with her fictional account. For the few hours it takes to read, it isn't a bad thriller, however.
A fast paced and lively novella that adds to the cottage industry of books theorizing about the last days and murder of playwright Marlowe. It does a good job of conjuring the world of 1593 England, although as the author confesses in an afterward, the known facts don't particularly jibe with her fictional account. For the few hours it takes to read, it isn't a bad thriller, however.
January 15, 2017
A very poorly written novella set in the last days of Christopher Marlowe; he is involved in various privy council faction plots and in particular betrayed by his lead actor and ex-lover in a plot against Raleigh and is then offered a deal by Dee that if he sacrifices himself then he and Raleigh will ensure his literary immortality.
May 17, 2013
Although this is a small book (150 pages), I found it fascinating. I know nothing of Christopher Marlowe so all the information was new to me. Others might find the story boring, but it's prompted me to read more about and by Marlowe.
March 13, 2015
Δυο βιβλία της Γουέλς έχουν μεταφραστεί στα ελληνικά, αυτό και το Τελευταίο Καρέ, και τα δυο βιβλία τα βρήκα στο φετινό παζάρι βιβλίου μόνο με 3 και 4 ευρώ αντίστοιχα. Καλή αγορά!
Λοιπόν, διάλεξα τον Ταμερλάνο για πρώτη επαφή με αυτήν την συγγραφέα, μιας και ήταν μικρό και θα διαβαζόταν πολύ γρήγορα, σίγουρα έμεινα ευχαριστημένος, αλλά χωρίς να νιώθω ότι διάβασα κάτι το τρομερό ή το διαφορετικό.
Δεν μπορώ να πω ότι έχω και πολλές γνώσεις για τον Κρίστοφερ Μάρλοου και το έργο του (περισσότερα ξέρω για τον Φίλιπ Μάρλοου του Τσάντλερ), αλλά σίγουρα ήξερα ότι σαν προσωπικότητα ήταν κάπως εκκεντρική για την εποχή του και αρκετό μυστήριο περιβάλλει τον θάνατό του.
Το μικρό αυτό βιβλίο (περισσότερο νουβέλα είναι παρά μυθιστόρημα) ασχολείται με τις τελευταίες μέρες της ζωής του Μάρλοου σ'ένα παρακμιακό Λονδίνο όπου επικρατούσε η πανούκλα και ο φόβος του πολέμου. Αφηγητής της μικρής αυτής ιστορίας είναι ο ίδιος ο Κρίστοφερ Μάρλοου, ένας εκκεντρικός ποιητής και θεατρικός συγγραφέας και συνάμα άθεος, ομοφυλόφιλος και ίσως κατάσκοπος.
Τέλος πάντων, η όλη ιστορία ήταν αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσα, μου άρεσαν πολύ οι περιγραφές του Λονδίνου της Ελισαβετιανής εποχής, ο χαρακτήρας του Μάρλοου σ'αυτό το βιβλίο δεν ήταν και τόσο αντιπαθής, μπορώ να πω ότι τον συμπάθησα σχετικά, αλλά πιστεύω ότι με τόσο ενδιαφέρον θέμα, δηλαδή τη ζωή και τον μυστήριο θάνατο του εκκεντρικού και τόσο γνωστού ποιητή/θεατρικού συγγραφέα, θα μπορούσε να γραφεί ένα πιο μεγάλο μυθιστόρημα με περισσότερα στοιχεία και καλύτερη σκιαγράφηση του Μάρλοου και των υπόλοιπων χαρακτήρων.
All in all, ένα ενδιαφέρον μικρό μυθιστόρημα που διαβάζεται γρήγορα και εύκολα χωρίς να εντυπωσιάζει.
Λοιπόν, διάλεξα τον Ταμερλάνο για πρώτη επαφή με αυτήν την συγγραφέα, μιας και ήταν μικρό και θα διαβαζόταν πολύ γρήγορα, σίγουρα έμεινα ευχαριστημένος, αλλά χωρίς να νιώθω ότι διάβασα κάτι το τρομερό ή το διαφορετικό.
Δεν μπορώ να πω ότι έχω και πολλές γνώσεις για τον Κρίστοφερ Μάρλοου και το έργο του (περισσότερα ξέρω για τον Φίλιπ Μάρλοου του Τσάντλερ), αλλά σίγουρα ήξερα ότι σαν προσωπικότητα ήταν κάπως εκκεντρική για την εποχή του και αρκετό μυστήριο περιβάλλει τον θάνατό του.
Το μικρό αυτό βιβλίο (περισσότερο νουβέλα είναι παρά μυθιστόρημα) ασχολείται με τις τελευταίες μέρες της ζωής του Μάρλοου σ'ένα παρακμιακό Λονδίνο όπου επικρατούσε η πανούκλα και ο φόβος του πολέμου. Αφηγητής της μικρής αυτής ιστορίας είναι ο ίδιος ο Κρίστοφερ Μάρλοου, ένας εκκεντρικός ποιητής και θεατρικός συγγραφέας και συνάμα άθεος, ομοφυλόφιλος και ίσως κατάσκοπος.
Τέλος πάντων, η όλη ιστορία ήταν αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσα, μου άρεσαν πολύ οι περιγραφές του Λονδίνου της Ελισαβετιανής εποχής, ο χαρακτήρας του Μάρλοου σ'αυτό το βιβλίο δεν ήταν και τόσο αντιπαθής, μπορώ να πω ότι τον συμπάθησα σχετικά, αλλά πιστεύω ότι με τόσο ενδιαφέρον θέμα, δηλαδή τη ζωή και τον μυστήριο θάνατο του εκκεντρικού και τόσο γνωστού ποιητή/θεατρικού συγγραφέα, θα μπορούσε να γραφεί ένα πιο μεγάλο μυθιστόρημα με περισσότερα στοιχεία και καλύτερη σκιαγράφηση του Μάρλοου και των υπόλοιπων χαρακτήρων.
All in all, ένα ενδιαφέρον μικρό μυθιστόρημα που διαβάζεται γρήγορα και εύκολα χωρίς να εντυπωσιάζει.
September 1, 2011
Sadly, this book ended up being quite disappointing. It has such a fascinating and exciting premise (what happened in the final 72 hours of Christopher Marlowe's life), but she rushes through the entire story, not giving it time to properly grow and mature. While I did enjoy the character she created for Marlowe, he generally felt fairly flat. With so little time for the story to develop, it is no surprise that the characters don't either. None of the other characters have any fleshing out at all. We meet Walsingham for a small scene of graphic sex (not that I have a problem with the sex, just that there was ample room to develop their relationship and make Walsingham's eventual betrayal all the more painful). Blaize is somewhat developed, but we only see him during their one night of drinking and debauchery. Once again, had Welsh taken the time to develop their relationship, his betrayal would have been much more potent, more poignant. As it stands, you don't really sympathize with Marlowe too much. Yeah, his situation sucks, but honestly she didn't make me care that much because I didn't know him or their relationships at all. The same principle extends to the Privy Council, Raleigh, Dr. Dee, and the complicated web of politics and machinations that was the world of Court/London life at the end of the 16th century. Instead of truly diving into the period (which she certainly does in terms of the smells and feel of the time), she glosses over everything--giving you a taste of detail and leaving you disappointed. Lots of potential, not a whole lot of results.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2023
This novel packs a powerful punch. It follows renowned Elizabethan dramatist Christopher Marlow through his final days, unravelling a mystery that has lived on in popular imagination as surely as any of his plays. His own creation, Tamburlaine, has been used against Marlow in an attempt to publicly destroy a blasphemer and suspected atheist. At no point does Christopher Marlow shy from his fate - in fact, his joie de vivre leads him to extraordinary carelessness with regard to his own life in a manner that makes it impossible to look away from his story despite the clear thread of fatalism running through it. But a combination of curiosity and artistic vanity lead the mystery to consume him: who is Tamburlaine?
It's a fascinating window into the seedier side of life during England's golden age. The vice and license that are so often airbrushed from most dramas set in this period are given front and centre stage in Welsh's rendering of the era. The reader does not meet Elizabeth I or set foot in her court - instead, Marlow guides us through the alehouses and alleys of London as he pursues the architect of his undoing.
In so many ways, this is an exquisite novel. The characterisation is perfectly executed, and there are some very striking reflections on the balance between life and death in these pages. The pace of the story, Welsh's style of writing, and the layers of plotting driven by power play make the book totally engaging - I read it in one sitting. This is a book for anyone who enjoys a mystery, especially people who don't think historical fiction is for them.
It's a fascinating window into the seedier side of life during England's golden age. The vice and license that are so often airbrushed from most dramas set in this period are given front and centre stage in Welsh's rendering of the era. The reader does not meet Elizabeth I or set foot in her court - instead, Marlow guides us through the alehouses and alleys of London as he pursues the architect of his undoing.
In so many ways, this is an exquisite novel. The characterisation is perfectly executed, and there are some very striking reflections on the balance between life and death in these pages. The pace of the story, Welsh's style of writing, and the layers of plotting driven by power play make the book totally engaging - I read it in one sitting. This is a book for anyone who enjoys a mystery, especially people who don't think historical fiction is for them.
November 14, 2022
I've long been fascinated with Christopher Marlowe so felt compelled to read this version of his demise. Not the best -- Anna Castle is still the champ at writing about Marlowe and Kyd and others of their circle. It was Ok, however.
December 29, 2010
Well that's another book read. An odd sort of mix, I have read I think better attempts at elizabethan english. Why? I found myself wondering, use the archaic spelling skry, but say that Walshingham slept with Marlow rather than lay with him.There are always inconsistancies in these things though, and the flouridity of the style seemed most suitable.[return][return]I have never read any Marlow. Though occasional paraphrases would bring quotes to mind "And this is Hell nor am I out of it" for example, before reading this all I really remembered of him apart from a few titles was a quote that his plays consisted of, "puppets spouting golden verse" Which seemed to sum up more or less my attitude to the cast of this piece. [return][return]The gaoler for example I thought much to well spoken for his role.this is Marlow inflating the language I suspect we are mean't to presume. Blaize's seemed the most puppet like. His motivation seemed bizzare, How Marlow guessed the identity of this Tamburlaine is beyond me it seemed nothing but the plots demand for some closure.[return][return]While the scenes from the seamy side of life provided plenty of colour. I found them unlikely if I had the shadow of the gallows hanging over me I doubt very much that I would seek out such distractions let alone that they would succeed. That they did suceed is evident by Marlows foolish blasphemies.[return][return]"There are worse fates than damnation." is a quote from the closing paragraphs. And presumably is meant to suggest that Marlow would prefer his works immortality to his souls" It follows then that a refusal to implicate Raleigh would not be for any ethical reason but for intellectual pride, historical immortality, Something that seems unlikely to me in anyone.
June 9, 2014
Good den, fair gentles. 'Tis I, the protagonist, Christopher Marlowe. The first line of my account reads: "I have four candles and one evening in which to write this account." Of course I was able to scrawl down a 150-page novella in a few scant hours!
My writing throughout the narrative is good. Actually, it's fantastic. My descriptions are visceral, cold, dramatic, and done with great style. But watch out for the first few pages. I use a lot of sentences like "So it proved and when it seemed my degree might not be granted, due to various absences and rumours which placed me where I shouldn't be, the Queen's own Privy Council gave guarantees I had been on Her and must not suffer for doing Her good service." Oh, zounds, my reader, mine! I shall enjoy watching you try to scarf down sentences like that without asphyxiating.
The narrative details a race against time to find out who is framing me for libelous poetry. My life and the lives of my fellows hang dangerously in the balance. Therefore I waste 90% of the story drinking myself to madness and obtaining carnal knowledge of every Londoner I come across.
Walter Raleigh is a critical player in this, my story. Too bad he never appears in the flesh and I tack him on haphazardly at the end because I need some way to come up with a secret government plot.
I am spurred on to exact my revenge on the mysterious "Tamburlaine" by the ghost of the dog he killed. The dog had literally been given perhaps one sentence before that. I suppose I must have been close to the dog, although I never mentioned it.
I ward off the theatre apprentices with gripping maledictions. "Come forward if you want some of this!" (sword wave) (p 129)
At one point, I tell a wounded guy, "Stop bleeding." (p 131)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2013
Elizabeth İngilteresi. Veba ve savaş kasıp kavuruyor. Christopher Marlowe -tanritanimaz büyük oyun şairi - son günlerini yaşıyor; zira Dr. Faustus ile sınırları aştı, Timurlenk adlı eseri inancsizligini cesurca göstermenin sınırlarını zorluyor. Birileri onun ölmesini istiyor. Ama kim?
Google'a Christopher Marlowe yazarsanız ölümündeki sır perdesinin hâlâ aralanamadigini görürsünüz. Daha önce dizelerini hiç okumamıştim ama şimdi çok merak ediyorum. Bu novella -kısa öykü- Louise Welsh'in başarılı öykücülüğü ile sahlanmış. Adeta içinde yaşadım. Ve okuyunca aklımdan şu söz geçti:"Bir arkadaş tanıdığın bir düşmandan başka birşey değildir." Belki ben abartiyor olabilirim ama çok beğendim.
Yazar Marlowe'un ağzından bir cümle yazmış. O cümle ile yorumumu bitiriyorum: "Hayat kazanmaya değer tek ödüldür."
Hoşgörüsüzlük sınırları, o da gerilemeyi getirir. İyi ki ortaçağda yaşamıyorum ve iyi ki birbirinden farklı görüşlere sahip yazarları, ozanları okuyup değerlendirebilme fırsatına sahibim:)
Not: Kitap eşcinsel öğeler ve ateistik düşünceler içerir, bilginize.
Google'a Christopher Marlowe yazarsanız ölümündeki sır perdesinin hâlâ aralanamadigini görürsünüz. Daha önce dizelerini hiç okumamıştim ama şimdi çok merak ediyorum. Bu novella -kısa öykü- Louise Welsh'in başarılı öykücülüğü ile sahlanmış. Adeta içinde yaşadım. Ve okuyunca aklımdan şu söz geçti:"Bir arkadaş tanıdığın bir düşmandan başka birşey değildir." Belki ben abartiyor olabilirim ama çok beğendim.
Yazar Marlowe'un ağzından bir cümle yazmış. O cümle ile yorumumu bitiriyorum: "Hayat kazanmaya değer tek ödüldür."
Hoşgörüsüzlük sınırları, o da gerilemeyi getirir. İyi ki ortaçağda yaşamıyorum ve iyi ki birbirinden farklı görüşlere sahip yazarları, ozanları okuyup değerlendirebilme fırsatına sahibim:)
Not: Kitap eşcinsel öğeler ve ateistik düşünceler içerir, bilginize.
June 23, 2013
This short novel was written as a fictional account by Marlowe of what is to prove his final three days of life. Welsh has attempted to capture the essence of Elizabethan English rather than reproduce it and I felt that she had done an excellent job of this as well as conveying a sense of Marlowe's intellectual pride and poetic nature. She has speculated on the events that led to his death in Deptford drawing on primary and secondary sources, though given that it is a first person account she avoids describing the incident itself, only conveying in her final Author's Note the facts as known and the coroner's verdict that has often been contested through the centuries.
I found it a very satisfying read and while a departure from her contemporary work in terms of time period each of her novels have been beautifully written and conveyed a sense of drama and willingness to explore the darker nature of human nature.
I found it a very satisfying read and while a departure from her contemporary work in terms of time period each of her novels have been beautifully written and conveyed a sense of drama and willingness to explore the darker nature of human nature.
April 30, 2018
An enjoyable novella imagining the last days of Kit Marlow.
The style is flowery, poetic and pleasantly imaginative, aiming to give a flavour of 16th century English while remaining quite understandable.
I felt at times that some elements of the plot were a little rushed and could have been expanded more.
Disappointingly straight sex is described in more details than homosex. I don't particularly care how much sex there is or isn't in a book (as long as it's well written) but both types should receive an equal amount of attention.
The style is flowery, poetic and pleasantly imaginative, aiming to give a flavour of 16th century English while remaining quite understandable.
I felt at times that some elements of the plot were a little rushed and could have been expanded more.
Disappointingly straight sex is described in more details than homosex. I don't particularly care how much sex there is or isn't in a book (as long as it's well written) but both types should receive an equal amount of attention.
February 11, 2015
The murder of Elizabethan playwright and spy Christopher Marlowe is one of those true historical mysteries about which we'll most likely never know the full truth. In this atmospheric and gripping novella, Welsh reimagines Marlowe's final days as recorded in his own hand, the night before his death. The rich, densely woven narrative, skillfull writing and expertly realized setting easily kept me glued to the page all the way through.
December 11, 2018
One of my all-time favorite books, with a fascinating subject and concise, atmospheric prose that is almost unparalleled. Read my revised review here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2015/04/1...
October 2, 2013
Timurlenk: Ölüler eşittir.
Marlowe: Ölüler ölüdür.
Marlowe: Ölüler ölüdür.
September 25, 2017
Im sorting out my bookshelf and this book popped out. I read this in 2004. I loved this book dearly at the time. And it still is one of my favourite books.
July 4, 2021
Couldn’t get into it.
August 6, 2017
An odd novella fictionalising the last three days of Marlowe's life, embellished with assassination plots and romance/lust. The book's redeeming feature is it's great characterisation of Elizabethan London, especially it's shadier spots, presenting a bustling city where the dynamic underworld is matched in immorality by the xenophobia of the bustling overworld. The city is populated with all the famous Elizabethan figures from Raleigh to Dee, and I enjoyed Welsh's imagining of the backstory between Richard Baynes and Marlowe. Other than that, I was not a fan of this book. The prose swerves inconsistently from faux-Elizabethan to modern English which is distracting, and often veers towards the crude (it's a shame that Marlowe, author of such passionate erotic poetry, ends up manipulated by Welsh into spitting rough language during sex). The characterisation also often boils down to stock figures - the 'grizzled' old man, the shadow-dwelling dungeoner - which makes the book quite predictable; Marlowe himself loses out from this process, being reduced to a 'sadistic deviant' type figure who, bizarrely, gets turned on by watching executions and fantasises making out with rotting corpses. The occasional nods towards Marlowe's plays were sometimes well done, but it is a shame that Welsh only references his most well-known works, and plays a cheap trick in crediting Raleigh for preserving Marlowe's works for posterity, as opposed to presenting this as due to her hero's literary talent and ability to please audiences. As a result, in spite of it's sensational subject matter, Welsh's book fails to give justice to Marlowe himself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2020
This was a very interesting view of Christopher Marlowe's last days. There is not a lot known about how and why he was killed (other than he was knifed to death while he was in attending a house in Deptford) but many theories have been put forward. This story extrapolates from what historical information is available, a compelling, raucous and intrigue filled tale of sex, violence, poverty, Plague and mystery that surrounded the life and death of the playwright and poet that was Christopher Marlowe or Kit as he was known to his friends.
Even though this story only covers the last few days of his life, it manages to touch on his often talked of sexual preference for both sexes, his dabbles into being a spy for the Crown and his ongoing feuds with others in his professional circle. There was so much I didn’t know about Marlowe but I felt more connected to him after I read this book. The story keeps you interested and hanging on the edge of your seat as death threats abound from the monarchy and from hidden figures, as spies and hired assassins close in and friendships are lost and won in Christopher's last days. As Marlowe voices this story himself in the book it gives a more personal viewpoint to the narrative.
I would recommend this both as a semi historical text and for the very well written, fast paced story that was equal parts spy thriller and soul searching memoire. I give it 🌟🌟🌟🌟 for opening a window into the life of Marlowe I didn’t know and giving me a taste of what life in Elizabethan times was like. I plan to read more on his life and the lives of his contemporaries.
Even though this story only covers the last few days of his life, it manages to touch on his often talked of sexual preference for both sexes, his dabbles into being a spy for the Crown and his ongoing feuds with others in his professional circle. There was so much I didn’t know about Marlowe but I felt more connected to him after I read this book. The story keeps you interested and hanging on the edge of your seat as death threats abound from the monarchy and from hidden figures, as spies and hired assassins close in and friendships are lost and won in Christopher's last days. As Marlowe voices this story himself in the book it gives a more personal viewpoint to the narrative.
I would recommend this both as a semi historical text and for the very well written, fast paced story that was equal parts spy thriller and soul searching memoire. I give it 🌟🌟🌟🌟 for opening a window into the life of Marlowe I didn’t know and giving me a taste of what life in Elizabethan times was like. I plan to read more on his life and the lives of his contemporaries.
August 4, 2024
A taut seedy thriller depicting the (possible) last days of the Playwright/Spy/Heretic/Murderer Christopher Marlowe. This novella does a good job of exposing the underbelly of Elizabethan London, the collisions and collusions between the low and highborn, the powerless and wheels within wheels within wheels in the machinery of Elizabethan high society, where saying the wrong thing or displeasing the Queen could lead to a barbaric death.
I enjoyed the dialogue, the Game of Thrones esque sense of bloody violence, intrigue and plotting. I was less enamoured of the novel ending before Kit Marlowe's death. To me, if you're going to write a fictionalised account of the possible last days of a real life figure whose death remains a mystery, not depicting at least one version of the death is odd. To go this far and omit the denoument was a disappointment to me as I'd enjoyed the ride to this point.
I enjoyed the dialogue, the Game of Thrones esque sense of bloody violence, intrigue and plotting. I was less enamoured of the novel ending before Kit Marlowe's death. To me, if you're going to write a fictionalised account of the possible last days of a real life figure whose death remains a mystery, not depicting at least one version of the death is odd. To go this far and omit the denoument was a disappointment to me as I'd enjoyed the ride to this point.
November 22, 2018
This is so beyond my type of book, that I've ignored it on my shelves for years. But I bought it because I have never been disappointed by Louise Welsh, and am glad to say that this book didn't let me down either. Because if you look past the jerkins, archaic verse and macho posturing (of which there is thankfully little, considering the premise), this is a dark and witty tale of backstabbing and mystery involving the man that some speculate was the real Shakespeare. Welsh is so good at creating an atmosphere that I could almost smell the dirty air and hear the stomp of boots on wooden tavern floors. Thankfully it's a short read, as I don't think even Welsh could persuade me to stay in that world for long, but it builds to a satisfying end.
Read
October 27, 2021Christopher Marlowe, contemporary of Shakespeare, a playwright, possible spy and a man with a death wish is hunted through London in 1593. The authorities are unhappy with a pamphlet written by Tamburlaine, a character in one of Marlowe's plays and want to get their pound of flesh, carved out of Marlowe living or dead.
Marlowe is smart enough to know time is up but won't go quietly, and certainly not before he knows who set him up. So begins a chase through London, a chase searching for a phantom whose writing has incriminated Marlowe, and a search for meaning before death catches up.
Marlowe died in suspicious circumstances, stabbed over an argument about a tavern bill. Welsh's novella speculates one why that happened. A great and quick read for any lovers of history.
Marlowe is smart enough to know time is up but won't go quietly, and certainly not before he knows who set him up. So begins a chase through London, a chase searching for a phantom whose writing has incriminated Marlowe, and a search for meaning before death catches up.
Marlowe died in suspicious circumstances, stabbed over an argument about a tavern bill. Welsh's novella speculates one why that happened. A great and quick read for any lovers of history.
June 30, 2017
I borrowed this short historical novel from my University library, which is incidentally the same institution at which Louise Welsh works as a lecturer. I very much enjoyed my first foray into her crime novels in the shape of The Girl on the Stairs, but wasn't as enamoured with her well-received debut, The Cutting Room.
Told from the perspective of playwright Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine Must Die is well written, and certainly has a good grasp upon antiquated language and dialogue. It did feel a little brief however, and was a touch unsatisfying in the wake of this.
Told from the perspective of playwright Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine Must Die is well written, and certainly has a good grasp upon antiquated language and dialogue. It did feel a little brief however, and was a touch unsatisfying in the wake of this.
October 30, 2020
Renesanční dramatici Anglie psali svoje příběhy ve verších, pomocí nichž budovali atmosféru díla. Welshová dělá opak a snaží se činit svoji průzu poetickou a docílit právě tak jakési hororové a špinavé atmosféry Londýna. Bohužel jí to vůbec nejde. Části, kde se snaží budovat atmosféru a tvořit fikční svět, v němž bude nakonec gradovat drama, jsou nudné a nečtou se vůbec dobře. Naopak, když se autorka dostane k samotnému příběhu a zapomene na okouzlení temnotou staré Anglie, nabírá kniha spád a je místy až dechberoucí. Škoda, že se právě na vyprávění nesoustředila více, věřím, že by vytvořila strhující miniaturu z Londýna 16. století.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews