Who Wrote Shakespeare?

by John Michell

Was the famous poet and writer really a fraud and plagarist? Was his name really a pseudonym for a well-known contemporary figure?

Genres: Shakespeare, Nonfiction, History, Literature, Biography, Books About Books, Literary Criticism

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

John Frederick Carden Michell was an English writer whose key sources of inspiration were Plato and Charles Fort. His 1969 volume The View Over Atlantis has been described as probably the most influential book in the history of the hippy/underground movement and one that had far-reaching effects on the study of strange phenomena: it "put ley lines on the map, re-enchanted the British landscape and made Glastonbury the capital of the New Age."

In some 40-odd titles over five decades he examined, often in pioneering style, such topics as sacred geometry, earth mysteries, geomancy, gematria, archaeoastronomy, metrology, euphonics, simulacra and sacred sites, as well as Fortean phenomena. An abiding preoccupation was the Shakespeare authorship question. His Who Wrote Shakespeare? (1996) was reckoned by The Washington Post "the best overview yet of the authorship question."

Reviews

[Katie Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, as an English major/Shakespeare and History lover, I was skeptical. I had always been told that the authorship controversy "just isn't worth talking about". But this book TOTALLY changed my mind -- what a fun and fascinating mystery! At first I felt robbed of my happy little Shakespeare-idol worship; this book really wrenched my perspective out of place, and just when I had moved to Shakespeare Country, too! Nonetheless, I am very happy to have read this book and had my eyes opened to a great mystery that is a miracle and wonder in itself! I love this book.

[Lizzie Bananas · Rating 3 out of 5]

With my background in Classics, I’m used to knowing little and less about the authors I study, only the scant mentions given by themselves and contemporaries. If the life of Shakespeare fits on a side of A4 paper, the lives of Virgil or Ovid would fit on a postcard.

Therefore, though only having a GCSE in English Lit and having only read one other biography of Shakespeare (Bill Bryson) and a single YouTube video on the authorship, this book was my (re-)introduction to the authorship controversy.

As a summary of the debate as it stood at the time of publication, it serves its purpose giving the cases for (and against) the man from Stratford, Bacon, Oxford, Marlowe and others.

One LARGE warning: some of Shakespeare’s sonnets were undoubtedly addressed to a man “the Fair Youth” and the author’s consideration of whether each candidate would have written such poets is awkward, both in trying to figure out what evidence we have of each candidate’s sexuality as well as the idea that the relationship with the Fair Youth must be pederasty, a conflation which should not be been considered even in 1996.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 3 out of 5]

42 WORD REVIEW:

Notwithstanding Wikipedia’s cursory dismissal of the authorship problem, Michell in this overview makes a compelling case for at least questioning the conventional attribution of Shakespeare’s works to the actor from Stratford-upon-Avon, presenting evidence for and against him and the other major candidates.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent presentation on the theories of Shakespeare. Written in a witty, detective style.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good overview of the authorship question. A primer on the subject. Amusing and informative.

[Bill Ibelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating. I knew the very rough outline of the controversy but never put much stock in it. But this books condenses all the different theories about the true authorship and, damn, it seems pretty unlikely it was Will Shakspeare—or at least not entirely the man from Stratford. I'm not going to summarize—read it. You won't be disappointed.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books about this controversy, presented fairly and comprehensively. As John Michell said himself, this is a beautiful subject to ponder, once you are open to it.

[SJ L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ahhh, the authorship debate. So much fun (conspiracy theories are just fun to discuss are they not?). Yet not so scholarly.

I loved this book in high school, I loved challenging my teachers and saying "but the imbecile who lived in Stastford and couldn't even sign his own name the same couldn't have penned these works, sir!"

My current take on the authorship debate is a bit different. The debate rises not out of an uncertainty regarding the facts about the man born in Stastford (because historical records from the time are sparse on everyone), but rather from the fact that Shakespeare's works are so extraordinary that it's hard to fathom that ANY MIND could create them.

Does that make sense? Shakespeare is so so so good that we have a hard time comprehending how any person could write about such a wide range of topics, give life to so many extraordinary characters, and use language so eloquently. Due to this, how the hell did you do that, kind of thinking, the authorship debate was born.

I think the debate says a lot about Shakespare, but your time is better spent reading the plays than debating grassy knolls or authorship controversy. I got real caught up in it.

[Gill · Rating 2 out of 5]

On reading the thriller The Shakespeare Secret, I became aware of the controversy surrounding the works attributed to Shakespeare and whether they were actually written by him. Michell's book was recommended in the bibliography as the most open-minded examination of the major claimants, from Francis Bacon to the Earl of Derby, and Michell does lay out the evidence dispassionately.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful overview of the different theories, this is an interesting read. But I have to agree with the author when he says unless new information turns up, we will probably never know the true identity of Shakespeare.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this summing up of all the major theories about the authorship of the Shakespeare plays.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of the authorship controversy. Perfect place for the uninitiated to get a quick look at the subject of Shakespearean authorship.

[Meltha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare. Duh.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out "Last Will. & Testament" on PBS for an excellent hour on the issue.

[Graham Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books that challenge the consensus. Blew my mind.