For such classics as his Notes from a Small Island, Bryson is rightly acclaimed. So when he turns his attention to William Shakespeare, our hopes are high. Bryson will glide his intelligent, accessible, charming and witty way through the myths and shibboleths and the millions of words that surround the world's greatest playwright who is, for ever, England.

Our hopes, however, are disappointed. Although this is a useful summary of and introduction to the life and times of Stratford's son, it is no more than that. It is simply a synthesis of others' views, when what we have come to expect of Bryson is originality. His eye is clouded here. It's fun to point out that three of Shakespeare's many commentators were called Looney, Silliman and Battey. But this has been observed many times before. There are flashes of Brysonian humour, certainly. Of the critic A.L.Rowse, for example, Bryson says that he “never allowed an absence of certainty to get in the way of a conclusion”. But such lines are all too rare.

What is common is Bryson's repetition of how little we know of his subject: “ever a shadow in his own biography... there is not a more tempting void in literary history, nor more eager hands to fill it”. Like Bryson's? But here it's his autopilot at the controls. Still, even in that mode Bryson is better than many in full flight. Enjoy this short trip. The voice from the cockpit may be prerecorded. It's very pleasant, though.

Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
HarperPerennial, £7.99 Buy the book here

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