November 12, 2004

William Shakespeare, the Mystery

To the Editor:

Any inferences about Shakespeare's life that make even the remotest reference to biographical detail are at best fantasy, and at worst dishonest ("The Writer's Tale," The Chronicle, October 1). The fact is that we have no idea who wrote those plays. As Anthony Burgess pointed out in his equally ridiculous biographical fantasy, scholars would give their right arms for even a laundry list in Shakespeare's handwriting, never mind a manuscript.

Until we know what

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