Shakespeare

The World as Stage

De: Bill Bryson

Narrado por: Bill Bryson

William Shakespeare, the most celebrated poet in the English language, left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of wild supposition arranged around scant facts. With a steady hand and his trademark wit, Bill Bryson sorts through this colorful muddle to reveal the man himself.

Bryson documents the efforts of earlier scholars, from academics to eccentrics. Emulating the style of his famous travelogues, Bryson records episodes in his research, including a visit to a bunker-like basement room in Washington, D.C., where the world's largest collection of First Folios is housed.

Bryson celebrates Shakespeare as a writer of unimaginable talent and enormous inventiveness, a coiner of phrases ("vanish into thin air", "foregone conclusion", "one fell swoop") that even today have common currency. His Shakespeare is like no one else's: the beneficiary of Bryson's genial nature, his engaging skepticism, and a gift for storytelling unrivaled in our time.

©2007 Bill Bryson (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Bryson is a pleasant and funny guide to a subject at once overexposed and elusive." ( Publishers Weekly)

fascinating

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I learned all sorts of fascinating facts about Shakespeare and his time.

Bryson

My 3rd Bryson book....all are equally engrossing. I find it hard to put down anything he writes.

Interesting and impeccably researched

A very enjoyable listen, although I feel it is best savoured in morsels as opposed to being bingeworthy. Thank you Mr Bryson.

Very enjoyable

Concise, but enjoyable biography. I particularly like the discussions dealing with the ridiculous anti-Stratfordians. Yes, Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare. I thought this and Schapiro's book are the two best I have come across dealing with the authorship issue. In any case, I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Shakespeare.

Bryson and Shakespeare

Bill Bryson and Shakespeare make a dynamic duo!! Bryson covers so many
facets of Shakespeare, the reader looks forward to each chapter!

Bill’s fake accent

The last chapter where he was interviewed absolutely made me cringe with his fake British accent. He’s from the Midwest. He will always have that Midwest accent. He must’ve worked really long and hard to get rid of it or bury what will always be lurking in his right brain.
I know he moved back to the United States for a while but miraculously he still uses the word “crisps“… Once a Midwestern are always a Midwestern or sorry Billy.

With that said I have listened to every single one of your books, some of them twice… But the accent?… No!!

A fun read/listen

Would you listen to Shakespeare again? Why?

Yes, to go over historical facts as Bryson saw them.

What about Bill Bryson’s performance did you like?

He is some what different from other performers, it's his own book and he read it with energy.

Great info about Shakespeare

I didn't realize how little I knew about the Bard until I listened to this book. Bryson does an excellent job of summing up Shakespeare's life in an engaging way. He reads it well, too. He points out where the historical record is thin and where we have solid information about Shakespeare. It's incredible to learn how we know what we do (and don't) about the Bard. The last chapter is great. I wouldn't say this is a comedic book, but it's very entertaining and does have some good laughing moments too.

Captivating and astonishing

Bill Bryson’s books are amazing and my two favorite ones are this one and A Short History of Nearly Everything. He is a very good narrator and does this book superbly well. The book itself is a gem and the best and most accessible book on the history and historicity of Shakespeare. Absolutely adored this book and now me and my wife are watching a variety of Shakespeare movies again. Will definitely be rereading the bard as well.

Bill Bryson never disappoints!

Engaging and thoroughly researched book on the life and work of someone we think we know. As a secondary teacher, I’ve taught Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and I’ve studied Shakespeare in specific graduate courses to broaden my learning and understanding of the man and his times. Bryson’s work is accurate and enlightening. I’ve added a couple of wrinkles to my brain! Thanks for taking on the Bard!