Shakespeare's Sonnets, Retold : Classic Love Poems with a Modern Twist (Hardcover)

Product Description An enlightening and entertaining collection of the most esteemed love poems in the English canon, retold in contemporary language everyone can understand   James Anthony has long enjoyed poetry with a strict adherence to beat, rhythm, and rhyming patterns, which he likens to the very best pop songs. This drew him to the rewarding 14-line structure of Shakespeare’s sonnets, yet he often found their abstract language frustratingly unintelligible. One day, out of curiosity, he rewrote Sonnet 18—Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day—line-by-line, in the strict five-beat iambic pentameter and rhyming patterns of the original, but in a contemporary language a modern reader could easily understand. The meaning and sentiment—difficult to spot, initially—came to life, revealing new intricacies in the workings of Shakespeare's heart.   And so, James embarked on a full-time, year-long project to rewrite all 154 of the Bard's eternal verses creating SHAKESPEARE'S SONNETS, RETOLD. This collection of masterful reinterpretations brilliantly demystifies and breathes new life into Shakespeare's work, demonstrating the continued resonance of a playwright whose popularity remains over 400 years after his death. Now, the passion, heartbreak, deception, reconciliation, and mortality of Shakespeare’s originals can be understood by all, without the need to cross reference to an enjoyment-sapping study-guide. Coming with a foreword by Stephen Fry, this is a stunning collection of beautiful love poems made new. Review “A dazzling success…. Aside from the pleasure any reader can derive from this achievement, schools and colleges will stamp and cheer with unrestrained gratitude and delight.” —Stephen Fry About the Author William Shakespeare was born in 1564, the son of a glove-maker from Stratford-upon-Avon, and spent much of his adult life in London. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. Shakespeare's poetry first appeared in 1593, dedicated to his patron Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd Earl of Southampton. It is unknown when he wrote each sonnet, but the collection was first published in 1609. He died in 1616, aged 52.   James Anthony was born in 1970, the son of an engineer from Peterborough, and has spent much of his adult life in London. James cut his teeth building cars for the Ford Motor Company in Dagenham, and Shakespeare's Sonnets, Retold is his first published work of poetry. James is still seeking an aristocratic patron. He lives in New York City with his beloved wife, Versha. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. ***This excerpt is from an advance uncorrected copy proof*** Copyright © 2018 William Shakespeare & James Anthony1 From fairest creatures we desire increase,That thereby beauty’s rose might never die,But as the riper should by time decease,His tender heir might bear his memory:But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,Feed’st thy lights flame with self-substantial fuel,Making a famine where abundance lies,Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.Thou that art now the world’s fresh ornament,And only herald to the gaudy spring,Within thine own bud buriest thy content,And, tender churl, mak’st waste in niggarding.            Pity the world, or else this glutton be,            To eat the world’s due, by the grave and thee. 1 We strive to procreate with gorgeous folkSo that our beauty won’t capitulate;We reach a ripe old age, but then we croak;Our memories live through offspring we create.But you’re in love with you, and you alone,So self-consumed, your face is all you see,Depriving us of children of your own,And hence you are your own worst enemy.Now you are young and walking in your prime,Well set to raise a daughter or a son,But you’re content to piss away your time,And—silly fool!—your days will soon be done.            Take pity on your world, or go awry;            Have children now, for one day you will die. 2 When forty