New book reveals the real Shakespeare

His plays are renowned, but a new book unravels the mystery of the man, says Rita de Brun

ASK any school kid for facts about William Shakespeare and they’ll say: ‘writer of 37 plays, 154 sonnets, four poems.’ Ask any scholar and they’ll say: ‘the plagiarism question.’

The man behind the plays has long been mysterious, but that’s changing, with the publication of 30 Great Myths about Shakespeare, a new book by Laurie Maguire and Emma Smith.