Bibliofemme News
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15/06/2006
Shakespeare biography wins non-fiction prize
An account of 1599, the year that Shakespeare is thought to have turned 35, has won the Samuel Johnson prize.
The richest prize for non-fiction in the English language with prize money of 30,000, this is the eighth year of the award, which celebrates originality and diversity in contemporary non-fiction.
James Shapiro's 1599: A Year In The Life of William Shakespeare, focuses on the period of time that the playwright became a partner in the newly built Globe Theatre, completed Henry V and wrote both Julius Caesar and As You Like It.
It was also the year when he completed the first draft of Hamlet.
1599: A Year In The Life of William Shakespeare was chosen from a six-strong shortlist which included a memoir by Alan Bennett, entitled Untold Stories, alongside books by Jerry Brotton, Carmen Callil, Tony Judt and Tom Reiss
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