Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Greatest Rival
by Stephen Greenblatt
Buy on AmazonElizabethan scholar Stephen Greenblatt has written a riveting thriller about the short, daring life and work of Shakespeare’s contemporary, Christopher “Kit” Marlowe. The son of a poor Canterbury cobbler, Marlowe was an unlikely artistic genius whose innovative, popular plays reflected the brutal violence, backstabbing ambition and greed that characterized Elizabeth I’s regime. Did he spy for the queen? Was he killed at age 29 on her orders, or in a bar brawl? Was he an atheist? Homosexual? Due to lack of documentation, Greenblatt can’t say for sure, but he has his theories.
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"Elizabethan scholar Stephen Greenblatt has written a riveting thriller about the short, daring life and work of Shakespeare’s contemporary, Christopher “Kit” Marlowe. The son of a poor Canterbury cobbler, Marlowe was an unlikely artistic genius whose innovative, popular plays reflected the brutal violence, backstabbing ambition and greed that characterized Elizabeth I’s regime. Did he spy for the queen? Was he killed at age 29 on her orders, or in a bar brawl? Was he an atheist? Homosexual? Due to lack of documentation, Greenblatt can’t say for sure, but he has his theories."
NPR Books We Love — 2025 · apps.npr.org
"Author Greenblatt and Golden Voice Edoardo Ballerini match well in this insightful biography of Shakespeare’s predecessor and early model, playwright Christopher Marlowe. Little is known for certain about Marlowe’s life, or more mysteriously, his murder at age 29. His sparse biography is fleshed out and enriched by a marvelous evocation of Elizabethan theater before and during his brief career—and his impact on a string of his contemporaries, particularly Shakespeare . (9.75 hours)"
The Best History & Nonfiction Audiobooks of 2025 · fivebooks.com