"Bloom draws upon his extensive reading to place the characters and the story in context alongside the histories from which the plot was adapted...those who have read the play or seen it performed will find Bloom's passion to be infectious. Recommended for Shakespeare enthusiasts and readers seeking a deeper understanding of one of his greatest creations."
--Library Journal "Bloom brings considerable expertise and his own unique voice to this book."
--Publishers WeeklyPraise for Cleopatra: I Am Fire and Air: "A masterfully perceptive reading of this seductive play's endless wonders."
--Kirkus Review Praise for Falstaff: Give me Life "Famed literary critic and Yale professor Bloom showcases his favorite Shakespearian character in this poignant work... He has created a larger-than-life portrait of a character who is 'at his best a giant image of human freedom.'"
--Publishers Weekly"In this first of five books about Shakespearean personalities, Bloom brings erudition and boundless enthusiasm."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review"[Bloom's] last love letter to the shaping spirit of his imagination... An explanation and reiteration of why Falstaff matters to Bloom, and why Falstaff is one of literature's vital forces... A pleasure to read."
--Jeanette Winterson, New York Times Book ReviewPraise for Hamlet: Poem Unlimited "To read this book is to hear a powerful call to fall in love again with Shakespeare and his plays... I can think of no more engaging and nourishing pair of literary works: a drama of towering, perhaps unmatched, genius joining an exquisite work of literary criticism by a scholar of genuine greatness."
--Baltimore Sun"A deeply felt reverie on
Hamlet, a latter-day example of the genial impressionist criticism practiced by Walter Pater, John Ruskin, and Oscar Wilde."
--Washington Post Book World"Brilliant... Will give you a night of full joy and make you forget current events."
--NewsdayPraise for Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human "Not perhaps since Samuel Johnson in the mid-eighteenth century has a critic explained to a general audience as ably as Mr. Bloom does how much Shakespeare matters to our sense of who we are."
--The New York Times