Ghostwriter: Shakespeare, Literary Landmines, and an Eccentric Patron's Royal Obsession

by Lawrence Wells

Part literary mystery, part an examination of what constitutes fiction versus reality, "Ghostwriter" is based on the true story of author Lawrence Wells, then 45, hired by the University of Mississippi in 1987 to ghostwrite a novel for a wealthy, eccentric donor (“Mrs. F,” then 75), who was convinced that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was William Shakespeare.

Believing herself to be the reincarnation of Queen Elizabeth I, Mrs. F regarded ghostwriter Wells as if he were a present-day Edward de Vere. Their roller-coaster literary collaboration dramatized Elizabeth and de Vere’s romance, which according to legend produced a son (Henry Wriothesley) born in secret. Henry grew up to become the 3rd Earl of Southampton, who is universally acknowledged as “The Fair Youth” of Shakespeare’s sonnets and whose real-life descendants include Princess Diana and her sons, Prince Harry and William, Prince of Wales.

Wells and his late wife, Dean Faulkner Wells, niece of William Faulkner, traveled to England to research the life of Edward de Vere and interview proponents of the Shakespeare authorship debate. That summer, London tabloids headlined the royal breakup of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, incidentally echoing Wells and Mrs. F’s tempestuous love story about Edward de Vere and Queen Elizabeth I.

Flashbacks weave several elements together—the seventeenth-century mystery of Queen Elizabeth’s “royal bastard,” Wells’s evolving relationship with his eccentric patron, his search for the “real” Shakespeare, and the bawdy Elizabethan narrative he composed for his benefactor. The stories merge, leading to a surprising conclusion.

Genres: Shakespeare

216 pages, Hardcover

Published July 10, 2024

Reviews

[Michael Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an enjoyably odd memoir.

In 1987 Larence Wells agrees to ghost write a novel based on the theory that Shakespeare's plays were written by Sir Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford and a member of Queen Elizabeth's court. Wells iwa hired by Gertrude C. Ford, a wealthy widow living in Jackson Mississippi.

Wells has a Doctorate in literature from the University of Mississippi and had published two novels. Mrs. Ford has promised to contribute a large sum to U Miss, but in return, she wanted help on writing a book about her fixation on De Vere as Shakespeare. Wells decides that he cannot say no to a $60,000 fee and $10,000 in expenses.

Mrs. Ford is an odd woman. She lives in "fifties ranch-style bunker" in Jackson with her four chihuahuas. She is obsessed by "the authorship question". She has an elaborate theory about DeVere as the author of the Shakespeare plays and as a lover of Quenn Elizabeth. She is also convinced that Princess Diana is a descendant of DeVere's and the Queen Elizabeth. She is an eccentric woman living on Oreo cookies and coke with whiskey.

Wells starts working on the novel. It is written like a romance novel with the DeVere theory weaved into it. He gives us pieces of it as we go along. He eventually convinces Mrs. Ford that he needs to go to London, on her dime, to do research.

He takes his wife Dean with him to England. She is the daughter of William Faulkner's brother. When her father dies, Faulkner took responsibility for her, and she grew up in his household. She is fascinated by the Prince Charles/Lady Diana scandal that is going on at the time.

Wells is skeptical about the De Vere theory and all of the other theories denying that Willam Shakespeare of Avon wrote the plays. At the same when he is England, he keeps bringing up all of the arguments and evidence casting doubt on the Shakespeare as author theory.

Mrs. Ford calls him almost daily as he visits the British Library, the National Portrait Gallery, Westminster Abbey, Stratford on Avon, the ancestral homes of the De Veres, Stonehenge and the other tourist stops. He gets a kick out of raising the authorship question to docents and guides at the various sites.

The story has a melancholy end. Mrs. Ford is a memorable character. Wells tells a good story. The large number of excerpts from the draft of the novel are a bit much. They are written in the romance story style.

[Susan Moresi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a page turner, but a cute story. Professor / professional writer gets himself involved in writing a very rich, older woman's story, true as far as she's concerned, which is that an ancestor of hers from the late 1500s / early 1600s actually wrote all (or some) of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, but let Shakespeare take the credit. Surprisingly, there is more than a little support for this idea among Shakespeare scholars. Author / writer doesn't completely believe it, but can't rule it out. Queen Elizabeth I is involved (or her ancestor is involved with the Queen). Book focuses on his working with the crabby older lady, her opinions getting in his way, her maybe being right sometimes, etc. I am not a fan of Shakespeare and am not familiar with most of his (or her ancestor's) work. Author did try to explain a lot of that, but it probably would've been helpful to understand more of the references.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some excellent parts. As a whole some bits were tougher for me to click with, but Wells' writing and literal story telling is a pleasure.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. It had so many elements I thought I would enjoy, but the execution disappointed me.