The Which of Shakespeare's Why - by Leigh Light (Hardcover)

About the Book

The identity of the author of Shakespeare's works has been questioned for centuries. Broad-based modern scholarship now proposes an extensively documented nobleman whose aristocratic experience in the dangerous Tudor Court of Queen Elizabeth, advanced Renaissance education, European royal court residence - and personal peculiarities - seem naturally consonant with the Shakespeare works. The binary choice today is only the entirely posthumously famous man from the village of Stratford-on-Avon, about whom much actually is known from extant documents, but none show any connective link to actual authorship - or even literacy. The Which of Shakespeare's Why provides a thought-provoking tour of a controversial puzzle which affects the core of how we understand Shakespeare's brilliant works. This comic modern novel proceeds to an ingenious and wholly satisfying conclusion which would have had Shakespeare - whoever he was - clapping in a standing ovation.

Book Synopsis

The controversy over who really wrote Shakespeare's plays has been around almost since they were written. Was the genius behind the plays really that obscure glover's son from Stratford? Or was it someone else entirely--a man whose class, background, education, and peculiarities make him a more than plausible candidate?

In The Which of Shakespeare's Why, a 21st-century playwright named Harry Haines makes the case for a major contender via a play he himself is writing for a struggling New Jersey theatre company. Faced with strong disapproval from the "Stratfordites" and with the backing of supporters that sometimes takes some unusual forms, Harry attempts, against great odds, to get the play written and staged.

In the process he has to overcome his own doubts, stay on the right side of the right people, keep his romantic life under control, and deal with not only a difficult actress or two but a flock of opinionated Rockettes. Part hilarious farce, part serious critical examination, The Which of Shakespeare's Why provides a thought-provoking look at a controversial puzzle with a surprising, ingenious, and wholly satisfying ending that Shakespeare--whoever he was--would have given a standing ovation.

Review Quotes

The dramatic juxtaposition of medieval and modern spurred by conspiracies and drama provides plenty of insight and importance on the study of history and literature in the younger generation. Lovers of the mysteries of Shakespeare--and anyone fascinated by why those mysteries and the work itself remain so urgent--will enjoy and be challenged by this crisply stimulating literary experience.-- "Publishers Weekly/BookLife"

Leigh Light's delightful The Which of Shakespeare's Why spins a hilarious tale of one man's quest to bushwhack his way through the thicket of orthodoxies that have grown up around the English language's greatest dramatist. Part detective story, part gleeful social satire, The Which had me chuckling along with recognition from page one.

--

About the Author

Leigh Light is the pen name of a writer drawn by the Shakespeare author mystery into deep biographical research. This novel that results from immersion in Elizabethan history condenses conclusions into a playfully thoughtful tale of drama today. Much like Shakespeare's comedies, it reflects serious dramatic ideas amid comedic farce.