James S. Shapiro
Encyclopedia
James S. Shapiro is Professor of English
and Comparative Literature
at Columbia University
who specialises in Shakespeare and the Early Modern period. Shapiro has served on the faculty at Columbia University since 1985, teaching Shakespeare and other topics, and he has published widely on Shakespeare and Elizabethan culture
.
, New York. He obtained his B.A.
at Columbia University in 1977, Master's degree
in 1978 and Ph.D.
at University of Chicago
in 1982. After teaching at Dartmouth College
and Goucher College
, Shapiro joined the faculty at Columbia University in 1985. He taught as a Fulbright
lecturer at Bar-Ilan University
and Tel Aviv University
(1988–1989) and served as the Samuel Wanamaker Fellow at the Globe Theatre
in London (1998).
Shapiro has received awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Huntington Library, and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture for his publications and academic activities. He has written for numerous periodicals, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times Book Review, The Financial Times, and The Daily Telegraph. In 2006, he was named a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Fellow as well as a Fellow at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library.
Shapiro won the 2006 Samuel Johnson Prize
as well as the 2006 Theatre Book Prize for his work 1599: a Year in the Life of William Shakespeare.
"Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?" was awarded the 2011 George Freedley Memorial Award by the Theatre Library Association.
In 2011 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
, entitled Contested Will, has been hailed by Stephen Marche as the 'definitive treatment' of Oxfordian theory
.
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
and Comparative Literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
who specialises in Shakespeare and the Early Modern period. Shapiro has served on the faculty at Columbia University since 1985, teaching Shakespeare and other topics, and he has published widely on Shakespeare and Elizabethan culture
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
.
Life
Shapiro was born and raised in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York. He obtained his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
at Columbia University in 1977, Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 1978 and Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
at University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1982. After teaching at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and Goucher College
Goucher College
Goucher College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts college located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland, on a 287 acre campus. The school has approximately 1,475 undergraduate students studying in 31 majors and six interdisciplinary...
, Shapiro joined the faculty at Columbia University in 1985. He taught as a Fulbright
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
lecturer at Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
and Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
(1988–1989) and served as the Samuel Wanamaker Fellow at the Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
in London (1998).
Shapiro has received awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Huntington Library, and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture for his publications and academic activities. He has written for numerous periodicals, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times Book Review, The Financial Times, and The Daily Telegraph. In 2006, he was named a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
Fellow as well as a Fellow at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library.
Shapiro won the 2006 Samuel Johnson Prize
Samuel Johnson Prize
The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction is one of the most prestigious prizes for non-fiction writing. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award and based on an anonymous donation. The prize is named after Samuel Johnson...
as well as the 2006 Theatre Book Prize for his work 1599: a Year in the Life of William Shakespeare.
"Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?" was awarded the 2011 George Freedley Memorial Award by the Theatre Library Association.
In 2011 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Works
Shapiro's study of the history of scepticism over Shakespeare's authorshipShakespeare authorship question
Image:ShakespeareCandidates1.jpg|thumb|alt=Portraits of Shakespeare and four proposed alternative authors.|Oxford, Bacon, Derby, and Marlowe have each been proposed as the true author...
, entitled Contested Will, has been hailed by Stephen Marche as the 'definitive treatment' of Oxfordian theory
Oxfordian theory
The Oxfordian theory of Shakespearean authorship proposes that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford , wrote the plays and poems traditionally attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon. While a large majority of scholars reject all alternative candidates for authorship, popular...
.
Literature
- Shapiro, James S.: Rival playwrights : Marlowe, Jonson, Shakespeare. - New York : Columbia University PressColumbia University PressColumbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by James D. Jordan and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fields of literary and cultural studies, history, social work, sociology,...
, 1991. - xi, 203 p. - ISBN 0-231-07540-5 - The Columbia history of British poetry / Carl Woodring, editor ; associate editor, James Shapiro. - New York : Columbia University Press, 1993. - xi, 732 p. - ISBN 0-231-07838-2
- The Columbia anthology of British poetry / edited by Carl Woodring and James Shapiro. - New York : Columbia University Press, 1995. - xxxi, 891 p. - ISBN 0-231-10180-5
- Shapiro, James S.: Shakespeare and the Jews. - New York : Columbia University Press, 1996. - ix, 317 p. - ISBN 0-231-10344-1
- Shapiro, James S.: Oberammergau : the troubling story of the world's most famous passion playOberammergau Passion PlayOberammergau Passion Play is a passion play performed since 1634 oberammergau-passion.com. 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2011. as a tradition by the inhabitants of the village of Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany.-Origins:...
. - New York : Pantheon BooksPantheon BooksPantheon Books is an American imprint with editorial independence that is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.The current editor-in-chief at Pantheon Books is Dan Frank.-Overview:...
, 2000. - x, 238 p. - ISBN 0-375-40926-2 - Shapiro, James S.: 1599 : A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare. - London : Faber and FaberFaber and FaberFaber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
, 2005. - xxiv, 429 p. - ISBN 0-571-21480-0 - Shapiro, James, Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? - New York : Simon and Schuster; London : Faber and Faber, 2010. 352 p. - ISBN 1-416-54162-4
External links
- Columbia University, Faculty Profile: James S. Shapiro
- James Shapiro is the winner of the £30,000 BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2006, BBC FourBBC FourBBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
- James Shapiro: Passion and Prejudice: The Lessons of Oberammergau, Great Lecture Library (biography; mp3-download available for a fee), July 15, 2002
- James S. Shapiro: Death in a tenured position, Chronicle of Higher Education, April 14, 2000
- Robert McCrum: To hold a mirror up to his nature, The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, June 5, 2005 (review of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare) - Authors: 'A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare', NPR radio program Talk of the Nation, October 18, 2005 (audio stream file and excerpt from the first chapter)
- An Interview with James Shapiro —The Literateur interviews James Shapiro on the subject of Shakespeare conspiracy theories and authorship