For the first time, the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship has bestowed joint Oxfordian of the Year awards. The 2018 awards were presented on October 14, at the conclusion of the SOF Annual Conference in Oakland, California, to husband and wife Ramon Jiménez and Joan Leon, both long-serving current or former members of the SOF Board of Trustees.
Ramon Jiménez
Ramon’s book, Shakespeare’s Apprenticeship: Identifying the Real Playwright’s Earliest Works (2018) (published by McFarland and also available on Amazon), supplies further evidence that the real “Shakespeare” was Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. The book presents new literary and historical evidence demonstrating that many “anonymous” plays published between 1591 and 1605 are actually the early versions of later “Shakespeare” plays. Three histories, The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth, The True Tragedy of Richard the Third, and The Troublesome Reign of John; a comedy, The Taming of a Shrew; and a romance, King Leir, are products of Shakespeare’s juvenile years. Later in his career, “Shakespeare” transformed them into the plays that bear nearly identical titles.
Each of these plays is strikingly similar to its canonical counterpart in terms of structure, plot and cast, although the texts were entirely rewritten. This addition of five plays to the Shakespeare canon introduces a new facet to the authorship debate. Ramon’s book is one of the most significant publications in years in the field of Shakespeare studies. It is reviewed in the current volume of The Oxfordian.
Ramon is an independent historian who has also written two acclaimed studies of ancient Rome, both book club selections — Caesar Against the Celts (Da Capo, 1996) and Caesar Against Rome: The Great Roman Civil War (Praeger, 2000) — as well as many articles, including “The Case for Oxford Revisited” (2009), “Ten Eyewitnesses Who Saw Nothing: Shakespeare in Stratford and London” (2011), “Shakespeare by the Numbers: What Stylometrics Can and Cannot Tell Us” (2011), and “An Evening at the Cockpit: Further Evidence of an Early Date for Henry V” (2016), showing that Shakespeare’s Henry V was probably written and performed no later than 1584. His scholarly articles have appeared in The Oxfordian, the Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter, and in the anthology Shakespeare Beyond Doubt? (Shahan & Waugh eds. 2013). He has received the Award for Distinguished Shakespearean Scholarship at the Shakespeare Authorship Studies Conference at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon.
This award is also a recognition of Ramon’s lifetime contributions to the Oxfordian cause. He has been a tireless researcher, writer, book reviewer, and presenter on many authorship issues. (Update: Ramon, in September 2020, published an important new article updating his work on Shakespeare’s early writings.)
Joan Leon
Joan has been incredibly helpful to Ramon, indeed invaluable, in his research and in reviewing his work. She has also been a hard-working SOF board member for many years, playing an essential role in fundraising efforts for the SOF and the Research Grant Program, including drafting appeal and thank you letters to donors. Joan was also instrumental in encouraging members to establish planned gifts to the SOF in their estate plans. This will leave a legacy to keep promoting research and knowledge of the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
The SOF has benefited from Joan’s expertise in fundraising at other non-profits. Joan worked in the independent living movement for people with disabilities for 40 years. In 1973 she joined the Center for Independent Living as Development Director. She co-founded the World Institute on Disability and played a major role in raising funds and leading the Institute’s research and advocacy agenda. She also led a $50 million capital campaign for the Ed Roberts Campus, a facility that is home to seven disability organizations. Joan has applied her fundraising background skills to the benefit of the SOF, especially in strengthening our outreach and approach to donors.
This joint award acknowledges a formidable couple who have used their knowledge in different areas to benefit the SOF and the Oxfordian cause for many years.
Joan and Ramon live in Berkeley, California.
A complete list of all Oxfordians of the Year is available here.
[published Oct. 16, 2018, updated 2021]
