The Life and Times of William Shakespeare – a Literary Picture Book
Donovan Bixley (text and ill.)
Upstart Press
Paperback, NZ$35
ISBN 978 1 927262 02 3
The
drollest painting shows three Elizabethan gentlemen, splendidly breeched and
shod, lounging on a bench in front of their “Members Only” University Club.
Their faces are obscured by the news-sheets they are clasping. The titles they
are reading range from “Tyme” to “The Sunne,” while the headlines have a
familiar ring: “Who is Shakespeare? Bare-All on Bombastic Bard, Shake-Scene and
Upstart Crow.” Shakespeare’s portrait not only appears in the tabloids; copies are
also stuffed in a waste bin and pinned to the wall by daggers. It is an
endearing and funny image of the playwright’s first brush with fame, and it is
neatly matched by an apt Shakespearean quotation, “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”
Donovan
Bixley has celebrated the four centuries since William Shakespeare’s death by
creating four dozen splendid colour paintings depicting stages in the Bard’s career,
and matching them with appropriate quotations. Also included is a fascinating
ramble through the events (known or deduced) of Shakespeare’s life. The result
is a superbly entertaining and enjoyable volume, a true celebration of
Shakespeare’s genius.
Bixley
is a talented artist with a good eye for the quirks of fashion and furniture,
as well as a wicked sense of humour. He cheerfully nods towards a range of
artists, from Van Eyck to Norman Rockwell meanwhile maintaining his own
distinctive style and wit. (D.B.’s initials can be found anywhere from an inn
table to an embroidered sleeve.) The strongest unifying feature is Bixley’s
obvious admiration for Shakespeare. Interestingly, since Bixley is an amateur
actor, most of the theatrical scenes are from the point-of-view of the
performer.
Intriguing,
impish, tragic, moving, reflective, kind and witty, this “literary picture book”
gives an exciting glimpse into the world of Shakespeare, a world that contains
every aspect of human life. As we follow the playwright’s progress from fidgeting
schoolboy, through reluctant horse-holder and struggling playwright to literary
success and worldly fame, we can also appreciate the power of his words.
Donovan
Bixley has created the picture book of the year.
Trevor Agnew
16
May 2016
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