Interview with Robert McCrum
Regarding His Book
“Shakespearean- On Life and Language in Times of Disruption”
Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at 4:00 pm
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
This is a virtual event that requires an internet connection and Zoom*
We are pleased to present a special interview of the noted writer and editor Robert Mc Crum regarding his book “Shakespearean- On Life and Language in Times of Disruption.” The interview will be conducted by Shakespeare scholar and Director of the Folger Library Michael Witmore.
The idea of returning to Shakespeare’s works as respite and a safe harbor during periods of disruption and crisis has gained considerable traction over time. Robert McCrum significantly enhances our understanding of this motif with his book “Shakespearean- On Life and Language in Times of Disruption.” The book is a deeply personal work, as Shakespeare’s oeuvres were a particular source of comfort and inspiration to him as he confronted serious health challenges. As McCrum said, “from my own personal history, I know that, in states of psychological need or distress, Shakespeare’s can become the voice to which we listen.”
It’s not surprising that Shakespeare would have special significance during our time, which has been marked by political disruption, the COVID pandemic, and other sources of disruption. As McCrum points out, there are clear parallels between some current disruptions and those experienced in Shakespeare’s time, including “the plague and civil dissension.”
But the book’s title also reflects McCrum’s longtime affinity for the bard, and exploration into Shakespeare’s magic in literature and on the stage. “Insightful, witty, and always passionate, McCrum argues that Shakespeare’s words and ideas are nothing less than the eternal key to our shared humanity.” “Shakespearean” goes a long way towards answering McCrum’s question, “why do the collected works of an Elizabeth writer continue to speak to us today as if they were written yesterday?”
Plaudits for “Shakespearean”
“Using accessible prose and modern reference points, McCrum addresses how Shakespeare moves us-still-and how his fearless creativity grew out of a tumultuous era and personal history.”
Washington Post; 50 notable works of non-fiction in 2021.
“McCrum is adept at drawing parallels between the subject matter of the plays and events of Shakespeare’s time. He vividly evokes, for instance, the relevance of Macbeth to the court of King James reeling under the horrific impact of the Gunpowder Plot…This book is the work of an enthusiast. Its subtitle ‘On Life and Language in Times of Disruption’ points to its topicality.”
Stanley Wells, Times Literary Supplement
“Wonderful… a beautiful personal testament to why Shakespeare continues to matter so much. 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 ourselves, as cogently as they did to the Elizabethans. It is compulsively readable, and I loved every page of it.”
Nicholas Hytner, Theater Director
Biography of Robert McCrum
Robert McCrum is a well known writer and journalist, a broadcaster on BBC Radio Four, and long established Associate Editor of “The Observer.” He also served as Editor-in-Chief of Faber and Faber and Literary Editor of “The (LONDON) Observer.”
At Faber & Faber, he edited writers as diverse as KAZUO ISHIGURO, Milan Kundera, MARIO VARGAS LLOSA, PAUL AUSTER, Lorrie Moore, Barbara Kingsolver, and Harold Pinter. At “The Observer,” he interviewed such writers as V.S. NAIPUL, Norman Mailer, PHILIP ROTH, Gore Vidal, Clive James, and Alan Bennett.
He is the author of “Every Third Thought,” “My Year Off,” “Wodehouse: A Life,” six novels, and the co-author of the international bestseller, “The Story of English.” His biography on Wodehouse was lauded by John Le Carre as “The last word; the seminal work of reference.” His book “My Year Off” chronicles the “life-changing experience” of his stroke in 1995.
McCrum holds a Ph.d from Cambridge University and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate and Professorship by Exeter University.
Biography of Michael Witmore
Michael Witmore is the Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, and a scholar of Shakespeare and early modern literature. He is also a pioneer in the digital analysis of Shakespeare’s texts. He was formerly professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to that, he served as associate professor of English and assistant professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University.
He has published five books: Landscapes of the Passing Strange: Reflections from Shakespeare, with Rosamond Purcell (2010), Shakespearean Metaphysics (2009), Pretty Creatures: Children and Fiction in the English Renaissance (2007), Childhood and Children’s Books in Early Modern Europe, 1550-1800 (2006), and Culture of Accidents: Unexpected Knowledge in Early Modern England (2001). He has written most recently on the history of lotteries in Elizabethan England, and continues to explore computational approaches to literature.
Dr. Witmore earned an A.B. in English at Vassar College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley.
*This is a live-stream event requiring to have the Zoom application installed on your computer. Free download at https://zoom.us/support/download
A Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants before the event.
