Ah, 1599. Now that was a good year

Posted Feb 21, 2006 by Kevin Walker

Updated Feb 21, 2006 at 05:44 PM

Which is true if you are a fan of literature, or theater. Or witty word play and action. 1599 is the year that William Shakespeare, already established as a great poet and playwright, elevated his game and became a writer for the ages. The Bard wrote Henry the Fifth, Julius Caeser, As You Like It and Hamlet - all in this one year. Author James Shapiro covers that one year in A Year In The Life of William Shakespeare, in which he pieces together where Shakespeare was hanging out, what he was reading, etc., when he went on this creative binge.

The above is one of a few books I found, going through the Books I Never Got Around to Writing About in 2005 But Should Have. Also:

“Music Through The Floor,” by Eric Puchner. This collection of short stories is earning big praise from critics, and I like the stories I have read.

“Harvard’s Secret Court: The Savage 1920 Purge of Campus Homosexuals,” by William Wright. The title says it all, and no less a personage than Joyce Carol Oates calls it “disturbing and illuminating.”

“Moses Levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer,” by C.S. Monaco, which provides an indepth look at the contradictory life of Levy: slave owner and abolitionist, religious reformer and biblical conserverative.

“Get Back In the Box,” by Douglas Rushkoff, which, inevitably, is the next step in the ever-changing industry that tells us how to operate a business. Yes, not that long ago you were told to think outside the box, now Rushkoff - lauded by many as a leading thinker in this area, sort of the “It” guy in offering advice to business leaders - is saying get back in there. I don’t know. It’s interesting, though, I suppose, if this is your sort of thing.