Product Description

Shakespeare is all around us. From nightclubs to Broadway musicals, in voting booths in the American South and the trees of Central Park -- William Shakespeare's literary power is so intense and widespread that it intrudes into the material world. Esquire columnist Stephen Marche takes us on a delightful tour through the continuous stream of Shakespeare's influence, summoning up the Bard in the most unexpected places:

In 1890, as part of a plan to introduce every bird mentioned by Shakespeare to North America, Eugene Shieffelin imported and released a bunch of pesky starlings into New York's Central Park.
The Nazi Party issued a pamphlet entitled "Shakespeare-a Germanic Writer," and in 1936 there were more productions of Shakespeare in Germany than in the rest of the world combined.
Shakespeare coined approximately 1,700 words, including lacklustre, fashionable, auspicious, bandit, glow, hush, dawn, gnarled, hobnob, traditional, and the name Jessica.
In 1930, Paul Robeson became the first black actor to play the part of Othello in England after being rejected for the role in the United States Robeson famously said of his performance, "Othello has made me free."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #81570 in Books
• Published on: 2011-05-02
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

Review
“How Shakespeare Changed Everything will provide the details and keep you amused while it does. A teacher who makes the class read the book won’t get much backlash from the sourpuss who calls Shakespeare dull and out-of-date.” (Associated Press )

“How Shakespeare Changed Everything is a joyful little book that is a love note to the greatest writer in the English language: never syrupy or over the top, it’s a pleasure to read.” (Bookreporter.com )

“This is a wonderful book about seeing the world through Shakespeare-tinted glasses. You’ll never look at the food court, Justin Beiber—or, for that matter, the English language—the same way again.” (A. J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically )

“How Shakespeare Changed Everything is fun and informative, with more than its share of ‘Aha!’ moments packed between its diminutive covers. Mr. Marche’s thesis is compelling and probably more true than we ever imagined.” (New York Journal of Books )

“A sprightly, erudite sampling of Shakespeare’s influence on absolutely everything.” (National Post )

“An ambitious and entertaining new book...[How Shakespeare Changed Everything] explores the many, often unsuspected ways in which the great playwright shaped just about every facet of contemporary culture.” (Maria Popova, BrainPickings.com )

“In his highly readable, never ponderous, sometimes funny, often insightful new book, [Stephen Marche] credits the Bard with everything from shaping American history (the rise of Obama, the fall of Lincoln) to the very enjoyable sex you had last night.” (Wicked Local )

“Informed, ebullient and profoundly respectful.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“[How Shakespeare Changed Everything] is informative and entertaining.” (Publishers Weekly )

“[A] charming tribute...This highly accessible paean to someone whom Marche describes as “the world’s most powerful writer” serves as yet another reminder of the impact Shakespeare has had on culture worldwide.” (Quill & Quire )

“We are lucky that Stephen Marche had his mind blown by Shakespeare; we are luckier still that in making the argument for Shakespeare’s inextinguishable relevance, he has given us a contact high.” (Tom Junod )

“There’s not a drop of boredom in this little book.” (Huntington News )

About the Author
STEPHEN MARCHE is a novelist who also writes for newspapers and magazines. He currently writes a monthly column for Esquire magazine about culture. Ten years ago, he chose Shakespeare as the subject of his Ph.D. because, he believed, Shakespeare would never bore him. He was correct. The best gig he ever had was as a professor of Renaissance drama at The City College of New York, which he quit in 2007 to write full time. He lives in Toronto.