Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt

How does a boy from a small provincial town grow up to become the greatest playwright the world has ever known? That’s the beautiful, elusive question at the heart of this book.

A young man moves to London in the late 1580s. And in a remarkably short time, he becomes the greatest playwright not of his age alone, but of all time. Stephen Greenblatt brings us down to earth to see, hear, and feel how an acutely sensitive and talented boy, surrounded by the rich tapestry of Elizabethan life, could have grown into Shakespeare.

What we love about this one? Greenblatt doesn’t just recite facts. He imagines. He walks us through the muddy streets, the crowded theaters, the whispered politics and the flickering candlelight of a world long gone, and shows us how it all might have shaped the man behind the words.

This is a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist, now reissued with a new afterword marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. A landmark of literary biography, and a genuine pleasure to read.

Whether you’re a lifelong devotee of the Bard or simply curious about the mystery of genius, this is a book to linger over. Perfect for a rainy afternoon here in the cove, when the sea air rolls in off the water and you’ve got nowhere to be but lost in the pages.

Pull up a chair. Stay awhile.

A curated pick for anyone who’s ever wondered how a shelf-full of masterpieces began with a single, ordinary boy.

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