Last month there was a lot of talk about Shakespeare with it being the 400th anniversary of his death. We didn’t want to go cold turkey and have the month of May be completely Shakespeare free, so here is a Bard fix in the form of a book review.
Our 1st Floor Manager Lizzie read Worlds Elsewhere: Journeys Around Shakespeare’s Globe by Andrew Dickson and this is what she thought:
This book is a journey into how many different nations Shakespeare’s words have reached and influenced. From Nazi Germany and postcolonial India to modern-day California and Shanghai, Dickson writes about Bollywood adaptations of The Winter’s Tale and Richard III literally bringing down the house in Gold Rush America.
I found the chapters on South Africa the most moving and informative as Dickson explains how an oppressed people found a voice in Othello and The Merchant of Venice. This book is meticulously researched- never tedious but hugely entertaining. I now have a strong desire to see Shakespeare performed in Gdańsk!
This book is a great read for the travel fanatic, the history enthusiast and even for the Shakespeare novice. There is something very special about this as it shows a new angle on Shakespeare and explains the timeless worldwide appeal of his works.
Worlds Elsewhere: Journeys Around Shakespeare’s Globe by Andrew Dickson