My Name is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs and Shakespeare

My Name is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs and Shakespeare

by JessWinfield (Author)

Synopsis

Struggling UC Santa Cruz grad student Willie Shakespeare Greenberg is trying to write his thesis about the Bard. Kind of. Having been cut off by his father for laziness, and desperate for cash, Willie agrees to deliver a single, giant, psychedelic mushroom to a mysterious collector, only to find himself a target in Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs.

Meanwhile, would-be playwright (and oppressed Catholic) William Shakespeare is eighteen and stuck teaching Latin in the boondocks of Stratford-upon-Avon. The future Bard is asked to deliver a contraband box of sacramental wafers blessed by the Pope at a time when Catholics are being hanged, drawn and quartered as traitors. When 1980s Willie, cornered by DEA agents and one too many girlfriends, eats the giant mushroom at a Renaissance Fair, and 1580s William takes his first communion at his own shotgun wedding, their minds and stories merge--allowing each to become the fully-realised Shakespeare he is destined to be.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 02 Oct 2008

ISBN 10: 0446508853
ISBN 13: 9780446508858

Media Reviews
An entertaining romp * KIRKUS REVIEWS *
[Winfield] brings an intimate knowledge of the Bard as well as an infectious sense of humour to this witty first novel ...Bawdy puns, a clever construction and a deliciously irreverent sense of humour make this debut novel irresistible * BOOKLIST *
The two narratives in Winfield's whimsical debut are unified by their shared irreverence, humour and literary gusto. Winfield uses his deep understanding of Shakespeare's work and times (he is a founding member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company) to great effect, and his affection for the material shines throughout * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *
Author Bio
As a founding member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, Jess Winfield co-created the full-length show The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1987 and became an international sensation, leading to multiple world tours and engagements. After leaving the RSC, Winfield spent ten years writing and producing award-winning cartoons for the Walt Disney Company. He left Disney to write this, his first novel.