The bestsellers of the 16th century are forgotten and the era’s top playwrights are known only to theater historians—except for William Shakespeare. British author Robert McCrum weighs in on the whys and hows of the Elizabethan bard’s ongoing relevance. Perhaps his enigmatic personal life allows him to be a mirror for every generation. And maybe his genius was to be acutely aware of the comedy, tragedy and mystery at the heart of the human experience. In his engaging account, McCrum can do little better than quote Virgina Woolf: “Shakespeare surpasses literature altogether.”
