Bloomsbury are thrilled to announce the launch of an exciting new series—Beyond Criticism—exploring (and breaking) the boundaries between criticism and creativity in the 21st century. To celebrate the series, we’ll be dedicating the whole week on the blog to the publication of the first title: Macbeth, Macbeth.
Written by two leading Shakespearean scholars—Ewan Fernie of the Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon and Simon Palfrey, Brasenose College, University of Oxford—Macbeth, Macbeth is at once a sequel to, a repetition of and a profound commentary on Shakespeare’s most familiar tragedy.
The tragedy is done, the tyrant Macbeth dead. The time is free. But for how long? As Macduff pursues dreams of national revival, smaller lives are seeding. In the ruins of Dunsinane, the Porter tries to keep his three young boys safe from the nightmare of history. In a nunnery deep in Birnam Wood, a girl attempts to forget what she lost in war. Flitting between them, a tortured clairvoyant shakes with the knowledge of what’s to come.
And here is a trailer for the book to give you a preview of what you will find within its pages, performed by the actress Stephanie Greer, directed by Mark Jones with illustrations from the book by Tom de Freston:
Come back to the blog tomorrow for a reading from the book by Stephanie Greer.
On Wednesday, we’ll hear first responses from readers of the book, including Slavoj Žižek, RSC Director Lucy Bailey and poet Don Paterson.
Thursday, we’ll have a podcast interview with the authors who tell us about the inspiration for the book and the process of adapting Shakespeare’s play.
Finally on Friday, Beyond Criticism series editor John Schad introduces the series website, an exciting new platform for creative-critical work (see it here if you can’t wait until Friday): http://thebee.buzz/