“Don’t Quill the Messenger” Podcast Wins Award; Host Steven Sabel Interviews North by Shakespeare Author Blanding; Book Review by Michael Hyde Published
In the May 12 episode of the SOF podcast program, “Don’t Quill the Messenger,” host Steven Sabel interviews journalist Michael Blanding about his new book, North by Shakespeare: A Rogue Scholar’s Quest for the Truth Behind the Bard’s Work. Blanding’s book explores the research of Dennis McCarthy, who contends that most of the plays we know as “Shakespearean” were originally written by Sir Thomas North (1535–c. 1604), and only later adapted and produced for the stage by William Shakspere of Stratford-upon-Avon.
As reported in the Spring 2021 issue of the Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter (p. 10), “Don’t Quill the Messenger” recently won a Communicator Award of Excellence from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, one of only three podcasts honored in the “documentary” category.
In the May 12 episode, Blanding and Sabel discuss the new “Northern” authorship theory and how it compares to the extensive evidence for Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550–1604). North has been best known for his 1580 English translation of a Roman classic, Plutarch’s Lives, an important source for several Shakespearean plays. With Sabel’s encouragement, Blanding agreed to consider signing the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt.
An in-depth review of Blanding’s book by Michael Hyde is now available on the SOF website. Hyde’s review originally appeared in the recent Spring issue of the Newsletter, which includes a wealth of additional fascinating material — including a report on the SOF Online Symposium held April 10, Patrick Sullivan’s review of a new book proposing that the author “Shakespeare” was familiar with Dante’s Divine Comedy (not yet translated into English then), and an article by retired psychology professor Andrew Crider about whether Shakspere of Stratford may have been a psychopath.
The two most recent issues of the Newsletter are available, by print subscription or online password, only to SOF members. To gain full access, and also online access to the most recent issue of The Oxfordian (our annual scholarly journal), please see membership options here. The SOF, from time to time, makes selected articles in both periodicals immediately and freely available to the public on our website — which also contains a wealth of other materials to explore. We recommend starting with our “Authorship 101” page.
