So Long as Men Can Breathe: The Untold Story of Shakespeare's Sonnets

By Clinton Heylin

Book Overview

In this lively, fascinating account of the publication of Shakespeare's Sonnets , noted biographer Clinton Heylin brings their convoluted history to light, beginning with the first complete appearance of the Sonnets in print in May, 1609. He introduces us to the "unholy alliance" involved in this precarious enterprise: Thomas Thorpe, the publisher, a self-described "well wishing adventurer;" George Eld, the printer, heavily embroiled in large-scale pirating; William Aspley, the prestigious bookseller, who mysteriously ended his association with Thorpe soon after. Leaving the calamitous world of Elizabethan publishing, Heylin goes on to chart the many editions of the Sonnets through the years and the editorial decisions that led to their present configuration. Passionate, astute, and brilliantly entertaining, the result is a concise and vivid history of perhaps the greatest poetry ever written.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306818051
• ISBN13: 9780306818059
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating, Informative and Compelling

I would describe Mr. Heylin's book as more than just a well-researched history of Shakespeare's sonnets and of theories about how and why they were published. One of Mr. Heylin's key premises is that the bootlegging of manuscripts in Elizabethan times, like the bootlegging of rock music, was common. He then argues convincingly, in my opinion, that the sonnets were not authorized, and may have even been suppressed after publication by friends of Shakespeare. (The sonnets almost certainly caused a scandal.) Also, Mr. Heylin makes the case that William Herbert was probably the so-called "Fair Youth" of the sonnets. Mr. Heylin paints a vivid picture of the world of copywriting - if we can call it that - and of book publishing in Shakespeare's time. The author then takes us on an historical journey about the republication of the sonnets, and about how they were forgotten for almost two hundred years until they were rediscovered, finally, by the Romantic poets. Finally, Mr. Heylin puts forth a theory about who many have given Thorpe a manuscript copy of the sonnets. While I think the theory is a bit of a stretch, it does provide interesting historical information on Elizabethan literary life. So Long As Man Can Breath is, for the most part, easy reading, almost as easy as a good detective novel. That is partly because the book has little critical analysis of the sonnets. (There is so much analysis elsewhere that readers shouldn't be disappointed.) I would, however, have liked to have read a lot more about who Mr. Heylin thinks the Dark Lady might have been. Then again, so many of our questions about Shakespeare's sonnets will never be answered, but Mr. Heylin's fair and balanced book brings us much closer to the truth.

Highly entertaining, educational, and recommended reading

The sonnets of Shakespeare are renowned as the very best in the world. "So Long as Men Can Breathe: The Untold Story of Shakespeare's Sonnets" tells of the publishing industry in a time long past, when copyright laws were simply unheard of. Relating the saga of Shakespeare, his publishers and peers, and the chaos surrounding the process of getting books published during the era, "So Long As Men Can Breathe" is highly entertaining, educational, and recommended reading.