Shakespeare Lied is Sky Gilbert's second rumination on Shakespeare to be published by Guernica Editions. It places 'the bard' at the centre of present day debates over 'political correctness.' James Baldwin said Shakespeare's goal was "to defeat all labels and complicate all battles by insisting on the human riddle." Gilbert asserts Shakespeare is not just another dead irrelevant white guy, but that he- in the tradition of the Greek rhetorician Gorgias, and the scandalous, pornographic poet Ovid - was a magnificent, and quite intentional, liar. Shakespeare believed the purpose of art was not to teach, but instead to help us transcend traditional notions of truth.
"Provocative, intelligent reading for literary scholars and Shakespeare aficionados."
Kirkus Reviews
"I think the main ideas are valid and important-Shakespeare's refusal of didacticism, the importance of Ovid, and the idea that he's an essentially comic writer."
Alexander Leggatt, author of Introduction to English Renaissance Comedy
