Saturday April 23, 2016 is believed to be the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare (he is thought to have died on his 52nd birthday). His death wasn't front-page news in 1616. In fact, it was barely noted, unless you happened to be in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, his birthplace. He was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, the Shakespeare's parish, where the baptismal register had an entry in 1564 that read, "Gulielmus filius Johannes Shakespeare."
Shakespeare left no personal papers behind. It wasn't until after his death that his collected works were published in print form. What we know about his life comes from contemporary documents. To fill the gaps of knowledge, the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington is attempting to digitize every known reference to Shakespeare and his family written during and around his lifetime. The project, called Shakespeare Documented, has collected nearly 500 references in about 400 documents so far. The papers are written in Elizabethan secretary hand, a style common in the 16th century but indecipherable to the inexpert eye today. Shakespeare wrote two epic narrative poems, 38 plays and 154 sonnets. He also penned his own epitaph - printed on the plaque in the photo above - a final verse: "Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbeare to di
William Shakespeare Google Videos
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon", or simply "The Bard". His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
World Book Day
On the anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth we celebrate World Book Day. Everybody has a book in them - it's their story or journey. Most people attempt to write either a book, a poem, a blog or something that expresses their emotions. Physical reality is about experience and the catharsis of emotions through self-expression in a creative way. The women in the bookstore in the image above are glancing through my book 2012 Sarah and Alexander in the Alchemy of Time. .