By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult’s By Any Other Name is a must-read for Shakespeare lovers. This novel is a thought-provoking story based on research about the real-life Emilia Bassano, who lived in the 16th century and might have authored some of William Shakespeare’s plays. A second thread follows Melina Green, a fictional playwright living in present-day NYC. Male producers steadily reject her work until a friend submits one of her plays using a man’s name. Compelling and engaging, this novel celebrates the talents of two women seeking to bring their words to life despite the prejudice they face.

Because the book details the customs of Elizabethan England, including facts about Bassano’s life, the notion of her authorship of Shakespeare’s plays seems plausible. Collaborating and selling plays were part of the theater milieu. Bassano received a robust private education as a young girl and then was forced to become a mistress to Lord Chamberlain who oversaw all theater productions in England. Like other writers, she could have sold her plays to Shakespeare. That she was a talented writer is not in question. After years of prohibition, in 1611, Bassano was the first woman whose poetry was published in England.

Shakespeare, the writer and actor, is also a character in the novel. However, the narrative offers many facts (sources are listed in the author’s notes) and questions whether Shakespeare wrote all the plays attributed to him. Among the facts that caught my attention: he wrote strong female characters and yet had two daughters who could not read or write, he never traveled to the locations where some of his plays took place, and there is no record that Shakespeare played a musical instrument. Yet, his plays collectively have more than two thousand musical references. When he died, he left no books or manuscripts. Nor is he buried in Westminster Abbey like other revered writers of England.

As I pondered Picoult’s hypothesis, I reminded myself that history is written by those in power. The men in charge of the theater would not consider women capable of such erudition. But even if the novel’s premise is not proved over time, By Any Other Name is an engrossing story that highlights two women writers, one real and one fictional, living centuries apart, yearning for their voices to be heard. The story is a reminder that despite progress, parity between men and women has yet to be achieved. I highly recommend this novel. 4/5