French Literature Reviews - 2026

B. Bryson, Shakespeare: A Life
Writers: Biography, Letters and Memoirs

Shakespeare: A Life
Bill Bryson
Hélène Hinfray (Translator)

Published: 06/10/2010
Publisher: Payot
ISBN: 978-2-228-90560-2
EAN: 9782228905602
Number of pages: 212 pages

Publisher price: €18.50

American author Bill Bryson has gained fame on both sides of the Atlantic for his hilariously realistic accounts of life in the United States.
So what's the connection to Shakespeare? How, after sketching so many portraits of ordinary Americans, could he dare to tackle one of the greatest geniuses on the planet? Quite simply because what he treats us to here is an "anti-biography". Of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), who wrote roughly 900,000 words and added over 2,000 of them to written English, we possess a mere 14 in his own hand: his first and last names signed six times, alongside the phrase "By me" in his will.

As for the billions upon billions of words written about him, they render him less of a human figure than an obsession for scholars and eccentrics blinded by preconceived notions. So Bill Bryson, starting from scratch, has nothing to feel self-conscious about; especially since, even with no prior knowledge, one ultimately learns a great deal from his book about both the historical figure and Elizabethan England.

Above all, our travel writer from Iowa transports us to the heart of a universal body of work that remains the finest proof of William Shakespeare's existence. Bill Bryson has already authored three books on the United States published by Payot (*Motel Blues*, *American Rigolos*, and *The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid*, published simultaneously in the *Petite Bibliothèque* series), another on Australia (*Down Under*), as well as a monumental scientific curiosity (*A Short History of Nearly Everything*).

Contents:

IN SEARCH OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
THE EARLY YEARS (1564-1585)
THE LOST YEARS (1585-1592)
IN LONDON
THE PLAYS
FAME (1596-1603)
UNDER THE REIGN OF JAMES I (1603-1616)
THE BARD'S DEATH
THE PRETENDERS

About the author:

Bill Bryson has already authored three books on the United States published by Payot (*Motel Blues*, *American Rigolos*, *The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid*), another on Australia (*Down Under*), as well as a monumental scientific curiosity (*A Short History of Nearly Everything*).

* * *

Writing a biography of William Shakespeare presents a challenge for historians. Despite his impact on the English language, historical records of his personal life remain limited. This scarcity of primary sources has often led to speculative theories and scholarly obsessions. The book provides an account of both the historical figure and Elizabethan England, covering the playwright's early years, his time in London, and his death.

The author, known for his accounts of life in the United States, Australia, and science, presents what he terms an 'anti-biography' of the playwright. By focusing on the limited established facts, the work aims to bypass the scholarly obsessions and preconceived notions that often surround the subject. Readers interested in Elizabethan England and the life of Shakespeare may find this book relevant.

A review of this work can be read on the nonfiction.fr website: "A Shakespearean Investigation", by Marie-Anne Lebel.