Did Christopher Marlowe write Shakespeare's plays? -

Marlowe's Ghost

"Did Christopher Marlowe write Shakespeare's plays?"

Marlowe Shakespeare

Winner of the 17th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards

From the Back Cover

"On the morning of May 30, 1593, Christopher Marlowe met with three associates in the English intelligence network. Days earlier, a list of charges against him that included heresy, blasphemy and treason had been delivered to the Privy Council. Later that evening, the Queen's Coroner was summoned to their meeting place. A body lay on the floor. After an inquest, the dead man was taken to a nearby churchyard busy at the time receiving victims of the plague. According to the official report, England's foremost playwright was interred without fanfare or marker.

Soon, plays attributed to William Shakespeare began to appear on the London stage, plays so undeniably similar to Marlowe's that noted scholars have since declared that Shakespeare wrote as if he had been Marlowe's apprentice.

Marlowe's Ghost explores the possibility that persecution of a writer who dared to question authority may have led to the greatest literary cover-up of all time."

Marlowe's Ghost was chosen by Writer's Digest Magazine as the best self-published book of 2008, in a field of more than 2600 entries from all genres.

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"Bronze Medallist, Best Regional Non-fiction, Canada (East)" —2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards

"A worthy take on the fascinating debate over Shakespeare’s true identity." --Kirkus Discoveries Review

"Marlowe’s Ghostis not the first to make these claims, but it makes a strong case." --Foreword Clarion Review

"[Pinksen's] arguments are precise, thorough, and compelling." —Anthony Flacco, author of USA Book News "Best Books Award Winner" The Road Out of Hell.

"From top to bottom, Marlowe's Ghost is outstanding." —Writer's Digest, Judge's Comments

"A fascinating blend of solid writing and meticulously constructed arguments." —Zach Petit, Managing Editor, Writer's Digest

"Pinksen's book is a dangerous dose of delight." —Mike Rubbo, Director, Much Ado About Something (2002)

"A highly readable story, full of interesting unusual insights."—Roger Hards, Editor, The Marlowe Society Newsletter

"I thoroughly enjoyed the book, learned a lot from it, and will definitely be sharing it with others." — The LL. Book Review

Marlowe's Ghost:The Blacklisting of the Man who was Shakespeare

Named the Grand Prize Winner of the 17th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards, topping over 2600 other entries. A feature article appears in the March/April 2010 print edition of Writer's Digest, with a longer article featured online. Buy it now at Amazon.com:

Watch a five minute interview with Daryl Pinksen filmed by Michael Rubbo,the Emmy award winning director of the PBS Frontline documentary Much Ado About Something.

"Between 1585 and 1593, Christopher Marlowe transformed the face of English drama. Before him, scholars say, neither true English blank verse nor genuine English tragedy existed. By 1593, the year he was arrested on suspicion of heresy, Marlowe had laid the foundations of what today we know as Shakespearean drama. Why are Marlowe’s revolutionary accomplishments largely unknown? Because Marlowe’s name has been reviled for four hundred years, his reputation in ruins. Shakespeare by contrast has enjoyed a never-ending rise in fortune bordering on deification. . . "

Read an exclusive excerpt from Marlowe's Ghost at WritersDigest.com

MARCH/APRIL 2010 Issue

Risk & Rewards

By Zachary Petit

Daryl Pinksen took matters into his own hands to bring a controversial book to a niche market—and earned top honors in WD's annual self-published book competition. PLUS: The complete winners list. (Purchase digital issue here . . . )

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010

Alumnus work chosen best self-published book of 2008

By Kelly Foss

A book written by a Memorial alumnus has turned heads not only because of the theory it contains, but because it was chosen as the best self-published book of 2008. (Read the full story here . . . )

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2010

How do you self-publish the right way?

By Zachary Petit

No matter how you feel about self-publishing, it’s undeniable that there’s a bad way to do it—think sloppy covers, poor binding quality and wild spelling. And a good way—like Daryl Pinksen’s Marlowe’s Ghost, the grand-prize winner of WD’s Self-Published Book Awards this year. (Read the full story here . . . )

Daryl Pinksen and Mike Rubbo in Montreal, March 2009.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Learn Secrets to Self-Pub Success

By Zachary Petit

In this extended interview, discover how Daryl Pinksen, the winner of our 17th Annual Self-Published Book Awards, created a great independent offering—and how you can, too. Plus: Read an excerpt from his book, Marlowe’s Ghost.

(Read the extended interview here)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2009

Local Author wins international award

By Ashley Fitzpatrick

St. John's-based author Daryl Pinksen has been named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2008 Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards.

(Read the full story here. . . )

MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009

Who really wrote some of Shakespeare's plays?

A local author has won an international award for his book on that topic... and he dropped by the studio to talk about it. (Jeff Gilhooly with Daryl Pinksen)

Click HERE for podcast.

Right click to Download Dec. 14, 2009_Marlowe's Ghost [mp3 file: runs 10:02]

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2010

Shapiro's Straw Man

By DARYL PINKSEN

James Shapiro, perhaps wisely, chose to focus his efforts in Contested Will on countering the claims of the Oxfordians, the soft underbelly of Shakespeare skepticism. A ready-made straw man, Oxford was just begging for Shapiro to knock him down. (Read the full article here . . . )

Daryl Pinksen and Carlo DiNota in Montreal, July 2009.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2010

In Plain Sight: What the Witness Protection Program can tell us about Shakespeare

By DARYL PINKSEN

In Marlowe’s last known conversation with Thomas Kyd — the playwright lately tagged as a collaborator with Shakespeare on the anonymous Edward III — Marlowe made it clear that he ntended to flee England for Scotland, and urged Kyd to do the same.

(Read the full article here . . . )

Research Journal 6

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

Was Robert Greene’s “upstart Crow” the actor Edward Alleyn?

By DARYL PINKSEN

“The first mention of William Shakespeare as a writer occurred in 1592 when Robert Greene singled him out as an actor-turned-playwright who had grown too big for his britches.”

Such is the claim made by all Shakespeare biographers. However, a closer look at the evidence reveals what appears to be an unfortunate case of mistaken identity.

(Read the full article here . . .)

MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2009

Who Wrote Venus and Adonis, and Why?

By DARYL PINKSEN

There has always been some mystery surrounding the writing of Venus and Adonis. Why was it written? What was the poet's connection to the Earl of Southampton? Did Shakespeare really write it?

(Read the full article here . . . )

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2009

Philip Yordan: A Modern-Day Shakespeare?

By DARYL PINKSEN

In Marlowe’s Ghost, I argue that Shakespeare, as a shareholder in the theatre company that performed the plays attributed to him, used his position to act as a front for Christopher Marlowe, a writer I speculate had fled from prosecution and was in hiding.

(Read the full article here . . . )

Read more articles at The International Marlowe-Shakespeare Society