Hamlet's Dresser - Hardcover

Smith, Bob

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684851423 ISBN 13: 9780684851426

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2002

Synopsis

A vivid and lyrical memoir of a man damaged in childhood but redeemed by Shakespeare. 'Written with such delicate and sensitive humanity that laughter and tears are constantly interchanging. What a lovely man, with a golden gift for words and a deep understanding of human frailties and fears. The Shakespearean motif is superbly handled, never tricksy or clever but true and moving. I found it inspirational; it made me look at those around me more sympathetically - especially the aged. His compassion touched me deeply'. Derek Jacobi Bob Smith was a fragile boy from a difficult household that was presided over by an unstable, depressive mother who depended on him, an unsupportive, unavailable father and a severely disabled, beautiful sister who lived at home, largely cared for by Bob. At the age of ten he stumbled upon a line from THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - 'in sooth I know not why I am so sad' - recognized himself in this poetic, melancholy language, and found a buoy that would keep him afloat for the rest of his tumultuous life. He now knows every single Shakespeare play inside and out and every week Bob teaches the play to over six hundred senior citizens. A sad, funny and inspiring account of how one man's life was saved by Shakespeare, this will be the memoir of the year.

About this title

About the Author

Born in Stratford, Connecticut, Bob Smith first became a painter but would memorize Shakespeare's plays while he worked. He began to teach classes and then went on to directing Shakespeare, mostly in smaller theatres and college campuses. Like Shakespeare, he moved back home to Stratford in his fifties where he still lives.

From AudioFile

In this extraordinary memoir of a life saved by great art, the language and ideas of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets weave in and out of Smith's life in a way that could only be performed by a gifted scholar and actor. At the same time, only the author (who first dressed Hamlet at the Stratford, Connecticut, Shakespeare Festival when he was 18) could give us the exact intonation with which his terribly retarded younger sister sang "Bobby, Bobby..." throughout his childhood, or his demoralized mother called to him a thousand times, "Remember to wipe her good." Bob Smith writes and reads like a dream. There's not a false note, written or spoken, in this complicated story; this easily hits my top 10 list of best audiobooks ever made. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0684851423
• ISBN 13: 9780684851426
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256