Stalking Shakespeare: A Memoir of Madness, Murder, and My Search for the Poet Beneath the Paint is fascinating. Author Durkee is honest about his abuse of Adderall and alcohol while consumed with his obsession with finding the definitive portrait of William Shakespeare. I enjoyed “watching” him collect images, tweak them on his computer, and harass art historians and librarians all while searching for the consummate image.
There is a lot of art history (and art terminology) and British history here, more than the usual memoir might contain, but it all pertains to Durkee’s sometimes-obsessive search. The prose is witty, snarky, and irreverent. It should be a treat for Shakespeare nerds to read and can serve as a detective story as well. I cannot comment more without giving away the prize question: did Durkee find the truth he sought or not?
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Stalking Shakespeare: A Memoir of Madness, Murder, and My Search for the Poet Beneath the Paint (Scribner, April 18, 2023) is available through:
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