Could a treasure trove of 400-year-old letters constitute a previously unknown "diary" written by William Shakespeare? After 25 years of research, we believe the astonishing answer is yes. We learn that Shakespeare left home bound for the New World, where he hoped to restore is family's fortunes, but knowing how risky the journey would be, he wanted to create a record for his two-year-old son (Hamnet) so that, one day, Hamnet would know why his father left home (especially in case Shakespeare was unable to return). Although he never made it to North American shores, these letters uncover the truth about the earliest pilgrims and reveal that Shakespeare was kept closer to home to fight in a pivotal battle for England against Spain (and that he used his theatrical talents to help win it). Overall, these remarkable letters represent a wealth of as-yet-undiscovered knowledge about Shakespeare's relationships, personality, and career as he carves out his place in the chaotic world of 16th-century London, describing vibrant details from his arrival in London to the premiere of Titus Andronicus, his first play to be staged.

In 1989 I was an actor and performed a one-man play about the life of William Shakespeare in London. "Miss B," an elderly woman who had seen the play more than once, was apparently sufficiently impressed by my impersonation of the Bard that she offered to show me some old, never-published letters that she believed were written by William Shakespeare. Although I was initially skeptical, it was an offer too good to pass up and, to be honest, as a struggling actor in those days, I didn't have anything better to do with my time We met almost daily for several weeks and what I discovered began to unravel almost everything I thought I knew about the great poet and playwright.

The Prologue to The Lost Letters of William Shakespeare: The Undiscovered Diary of his Strange Eventful Life and Loves(publication Fall 2017) describes our meetings, more about my mysterious benefactor, and how I spent over two decades since then decoding and researching what these letters had to say.

In brief, Shakespeare left his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1586 as a jack-of-all-trades for a troupe of traveling players. His goal was to get to London for one very astonishing reason in the hope of restoring his family's honor and finances. He wrote the letters to his friend John Combe, but intended them as a record of his journey, including the whys and wherefores, so that his son, Hamnet (two years old in 1586) would know his father in the event he was unable to return. Because he wanted to "report his cause aright," his letters are remarkably detailed and intimate.

Although Hamnet never apparently saw these letters (and Shakespeare did return home) we are the beneficiaries of his observations of life in Elizabethan England; first-hand secrets about the rulers of the land (and those who sought to rule); his participation in the war with Spain that could have changed history (and why we would be speaking Spanish in America today, among other alternate possible outcomes); bitter truths about his father, wife, and patrons; identities revealed of a Dark Lady and a heroic lady loved and lost.

The Lost Letters of William Shakespeare are updated for the modern reader and based on a very true story

The Lost Letters of William Shakespeare - innbundet, Engelsk, 2018