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Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare!

April 23rd, 2018 · No Comments · Books, City Library, E-Books, Main Branch, News, Teens, Trustees, West Branch

William Shakespeare was baptized in April of 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and died on April 23, 1616.  Since no one is absolutely sure of his date of birth, it is traditionally observed on the 23rd, the same date that he died.

Shakespeare, often called the “Bard of Avon”, wrote 37 plays between 1590 and 1613.  Early in his career, he was a managing partner in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, considered the most important acting troupe of its time.  By 1599, he and his business partners had built their own theater on the south bank of the Thames River — the Globe Theatre.

While there has been some controversy as to just how many of the plays credited to Shakespeare were actually written by him, what is true is that those plays have been translated into every major language and have been performed more than any other playwright.

Even today, more than 400 years after his death, those works are being adapted into modern stories and provide inspiration to many writers.

Check out some of these works inspired by the great bard himself:

Chevalier, Tracy – New boy – an adaptation of “Othello”

Jacobson, Howard – Shylock is my name – a retelling of “The Merchant of Venice”

Selfors, Suzanne – Saving Juliet – inspired by “Romeo & Juliet”

Gratz, Alan – Something rotten – a modern story based on “Hamlet”

Tyler, Anne – Vinegar girl – a retelling of “The Taming of the Shrew”

Wroblewski, David – The story of Edgar Sawtelle – inspired by “Hamlet”

King, Susan Fraser – Lady Macbeth – a retelling of “Macbeth”

Lamplighter, L. Jagi – Prospero lost – based on characters from “The Tempest”

Carrell, Jennifer Lee – Interred with their bones – inspired by “Hamlet”

Peet, Mal – Exposure – loosely based on “Othello”

Pressler, Mirjam – Shylock’s daughter – inspired by “The Merchant of Venice”

Atwood, Margaret – Hag-seed – a modern retelling of “The Tempest”

St. Aubyn, Edward – Dunbar – a modern retelling of “King Lear”

Nesbo, Jo – Macbeth – a modern retelling of “Macbeth”

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