The Low Down

Columbia Professor James Shapiro '77CC is no stranger to Shakespeare. He has lead lectures and seminars at Columbia about the bard since 1985 and has written several books on the subject. The talk we recorded specifically references his newest book, "The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606."

In this talk, Shapiro discusses the significance of that year, the events that influenced Shakespeare’s writing, why he chose to focus so intensely on Lear in this new book, and when his fascination with Shakespeare first began. So, curl up in a cozy armchair with a nice cup of tea and enjoy.

You might have seen Shakespeare in the news recently. Over 400 years ago, the Bard published three of his most famous tragedies (King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra). Shakespeare's prolific year is the subject of a new book by James Shapiro ’77CC, The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606.

The Columbia University Club of New York and the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) are hosted a special conversation with Shapiro about his new book in November 2015. To listen to an excerpt from his lecture, check out the podcast.

The book received a slew of praise from various publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Sunday Times.

Columbia News also posed five burning Shakespearean questions to Shapiro that you can check out here.

Amidst this publication news, there has been a flurry of Shakespearean controversy and Shapiro has been at the forefront of the debate.