{"product_id":"shakespearean-on-life-language-in-times-of-disruption-9781509896974","title":"Shakespearean: On Life \u0026 Language in Times of Disruption","description":"\u003cp\u003eA deeply personal journey into Shakespeare's work that explores how it remains relevant and always has something to say about the times we are living in.\u003c\/p\u003eWhy do we return to Shakespeare time and again?  When Robert McCrum began his recovery from a life-changing stroke, described in My Year Off, he discovered that the only words that made sense to him were snatches of Shakespeare. Unable to travel or move as he used to, McCrum found the First Folio became his 'book of life', an endless source of inspiration through which he could embark on 'journeys of the mind', and see a reflection of our own disrupted times.  An acclaimed writer and journalist, McCrum has spent the last twenty-five years immersed in Shakespeare's work, on stage and on the page. During this prolonged exploration, Shakespeare's poetry and plays, so vivid and  contemporary, have become his guide and consolation. In Shakespearean he asks: why is it that we always return to Shakespeare, particularly in times of acute crisis and dislocation? What is the key to his hold on our imagination? And why do the collected works of an Elizabethan writer continue to speak to us as if they were written yesterday?  Shakespearean is a rich, brilliant and superbly drawn portrait of an extraordinary artist, one of the greatest writers who ever lived. Through an enthralling narrative, ranging widely in time and space, McCrum seeks to understand Shakespeare within his historical context while also exploring the secrets of literary inspiration, and examining the nature of creativity itself. Witty and insightful, he makes a passionate and deeply personal case that Shakespeare's words and ideas are not just enduring in their relevance - they are nothing less than the eternal key to our shared humanity.\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781509896974\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 20 Dec 2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Pan Macmillan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 22.5(H)x14.4(L)x4.1(W)504\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 504\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eRobert McCrum was born and educated in Cambridge. For nearly twenty years he was editor-in-chief of the publishers Faber \u0026amp; Faber, until he suffered a severe stroke, the subject of his acclaimed memoir, My Year Off. From 1996 to 2009 he was literary editor of the Observer and associate editor until 2018. He is also the author of Every Third Thought (2017); Wodehouse: A Life (2004); six novels; and the co-author of the international bestseller The Story of English (1986).\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eShakespearean\u003c\/i\u003e is a remarkable book, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ean illuminating and personal journey that takes us to the heart of Shakespeare’s art and influence.\u003c\/b\u003e From his account of the plays’ quintessential Englishness to his exploration of what he shrewdly terms their 'negligent ambiguity,' McCrum’s insights are hard-earned and deeply rewarding -- James Shapiro\u003cbr\u003eI can’t think of anything better than listening to Robert McCrum talk about Shakespeare. And this \u003cb\u003eenchanting \u003c\/b\u003ebook is the next best thing - \u003cb\u003elike a gentle chat with a genuine expert\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Sir Simon Russell Beale\u003cbr\u003eRobert McCrum \u003cb\u003ebeautifully connects Shakespeare to ourselves in a way I’ve not come across before\u003c\/b\u003e. I love his curiosity. He seems to live each day \u003cb\u003eas if he’s talked to Shakespeare on the phone that morning\u003c\/b\u003e. So far, it's \u003cb\u003ethe best thing that has happened during lockdown\u003c\/b\u003e.' -- Michael Grandage, Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, 2002-2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShakespearean\u003c\/i\u003e is a \u003cb\u003ebrilliant, wise, elegant and profoundly moving\u003c\/b\u003e book . . . \u003cb\u003eBeautifully written, inspired and inspiring: a captivating portrait of Shakespeare and ourselves\u003c\/b\u003e -- Joanna Kavenna, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Ice Museum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you ever had any doubts about the relevance of Shakespeare to the modern world, \u003cb\u003eread this book\u003c\/b\u003e! -- Henry Marsh, author of \u003ci\u003eDo No Harm\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWonderful and inexhaustibly fascinating\u003c\/b\u003e -- Richard Eyre\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWonderful\u003c\/b\u003e . . . \u003cb\u003ea beautiful personal testament to why Shakespeare continues to matter so much\u003c\/b\u003e. It is crammed with original insights, and springs equally from a deep knowledge of Shakespeare’s own world and a totally persuasive conviction that his plays speak to our own world, and our own selves, as cogently as they did to the Elizabethans. It is \u003cb\u003ecompulsively readable\u003c\/b\u003e and\u003cb\u003e I loved every page\u003c\/b\u003e of it. -- Nicholas Hytner, theatre director\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReading \u003ci\u003eShakespearean \u003c\/i\u003ewas a joy\u003c\/b\u003e . . . by far the most \u003cb\u003eaccessible and erudite \u003c\/b\u003econtemporary critique evoking with wit and profound insight that conscious (and subconscious) acknowledgement of the degrees to which Shakespeare‘s work continues to influence our cultural and political lives. It is also an\u003cb\u003e essential entertaining book \u003c\/b\u003efor anyone who like me shares a love of the great man’s plays and sonnets. -- Don Boyd, film director\u003cbr\u003eMcCrum writes \u003cb\u003ebrilliantly\u003c\/b\u003e about writing . . . \u003cb\u003ethere is much here to stir the blood\u003c\/b\u003e * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEngaging and animated \u003c\/b\u003e. . . McCrum \u003cb\u003eguides us rather like someone walking through a gallery\u003c\/b\u003e . . . McCrum's Shakespeare for \"times of disruption\" is \u003cb\u003ea welcome participant in the contemporary conversation\u003c\/b\u003e -- Rowan Williams, \u003ci\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eExcellent \u003c\/b\u003e. . . the winning combination of McCrum's own insights and \u003cb\u003esparkling language\u003c\/b\u003e lifts Shakespearean to the \u003cb\u003emust-read list \u003c\/b\u003e. . . \u003cb\u003ean ambitious and exhilarating ride\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003ebeguiling mix of memoir, literary criticism and biography\u003c\/b\u003e * iNews *","brand":"Robert McCrum","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48752445128921,"sku":"9781509896974","price":29.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/816dWCEQAtL._SL1500_e9ca81c1-c1b3-4bd5-8afd-acfadea5a67b.jpg?v=1779889639","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/shakespearean-on-life-language-in-times-of-disruption-9781509896974","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}