An Evenings with an Author featuring Robert McCrum and Alice McCrum discussing William Shakespeare. (Filmed partially on 10/05/2022 with a live audience both in person and on Zoom.)
Describing his turn to Shakespeare while recovering from a life-altering stroke, author and editor Robert McCrum writes in his new book, Shakespearean: On Life and Language in Times of Disruption, that “during convalescence, the Complete Works became my book of life.” Written in the contemporary age of chaos and crisis, McCrum’s demonstrates the relevance of the Shakespearean corpus to a convalescent world.
Spanning personal narrative, textual analysis, and cultural commentary, McCrum uncovers the source of Shakespeare’s eternally present voice. How is the Bard able to speak across the centuries with words that still resonate today? What ideas, experiences, and outlooks do his characters express that feel timeless? What can reading Shakespeare teach us about being human? The book argues both for the humanity permeating the Shakespearean world, and for the process of reading, rereading, rediscovering, and reinterpreting Shakespeare as a source of solace and creativity. Ultimately, McCrum makes the case for the vital importance of listening and speaking in Shakespearean.
About the speaker:
Robert McCrum is a writer, journalist, editor, and broadcaster. After nearly two decades as Editor-in-Chief of Faber & Faber, McCrum worked at the Observer as Associate Editor and former Literary Editor for many years. He is the author of multiple works in fiction and non-fiction, including Every Third Thought (2017), which was adapted and broadcast as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week. His newest book, Shakespearean, was named a Washington Post Best Book of the Year.
Evenings with an Author is sponsored by GRoW @ Annenberg.