Awards

• Winner of Marfield Prize for Arts Writing 2019

Overview

The remarkable, ridiculous, rain-soaked story of Shakespeare’s Jubilee: the event that established William Shakespeare as the greatest writer of all time. In September 1769, three thousand people descended on Stratford-Upon-Avon to celebrate the artistic legacy of the town’s most famous son, William Shakespeare. For three days, attendees paraded through garlanded streets, listened to songs and oratorios, and enjoyed masked balls. It was a unique cultural moment— a coronation elevating Shakespeare to the throne of genius. It was also a disaster. The poorly planned Jubilee imposed an army of Londoners on a backwater town ill- equipped to host them; meanwhile, rain fell in sheets and the whole town seemed like it might wash away. Told from the dual perspectives of David Garrick, who masterminded the Jubilee, and James Boswell, who attended it, What Blest Genius? is rich with humor, gossip and theatrical intrigue. Recounting the absurd and chaotic glory of those three days in September, Andrew McConnell Stott illuminates the circumstances in which William Shakespeare became a transcendent global icon.

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9780393248654

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Reviews

It was to be the spectacle that would transform the Bard from cultural icon to secular saint of English literature, and make actor (and self-promoter) David Garrick's name inseparable from that of William Shakespeare's...With humor and meticulously researched detail, Andrew McConnell Stott takes us on the circuitous and muddy road from idea to realization of the first Shakespeare Jubilee. His gentle prose makes us feel like we are being let in on inside secrets, preparing us for a comical and surprising denouement.--Andrea Mays, author of The Millionaire and the Bard Yes, Shakespeare's genius is in the work. But in this sprightly volume, Andrew McConnell Stott argues that an eighteenth-century publicity stunt of a weekend--improvised, outsized, and in many ways absurd--put the playwright on the map. Stott's revel sparkles, even in the teeming rain.--Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of V ra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) and The Witches A meticulous, sharply observed, and often funny account of the great Shakespeare Jubilee of 1769, a celebration largely responsible--despite various mishaps--for the notion of semi-divine 'bardic' genius which still encumbers him today.--Charles Nicholl, author of The Lodger Shakespeare: His Life on Silver Street

Yes, Shakespeare's genius is in the work. But in this sprightly volume, Andrew McConnell Stott argues that an eighteenth-century publicity stunt of a weekend--improvised, outsized, and in many ways absurd--put the playwright on the map. Stott's revel sparkles, even in the teeming rain.--Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of V ra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) and The Witches It was to be the spectacle that would transform the Bard from cultural icon to secular saint of English literature, and make actor (and self-promoter) David Garrick's name inseparable from that of William Shakespeare's...With humor and meticulously researched detail, Andrew McConnell Stott takes us on the circuitous and muddy road from idea to realization of the first Shakespeare Jubilee. His gentle prose makes us feel like we are being let in on inside secrets, preparing us for a comical and surprising denouement.--Andrea Mays, author of The Millionaire and the Bard A meticulous, sharply observed, and often funny account of the great Shakespeare Jubilee of 1769, a celebration largely responsible--despite various mishaps--for the notion of semi-divine 'bardic' genius which still encumbers him today.--Charles Nicholl, author of The Lodger Shakespeare: His Life on Silver Street

... highly entertaining book... sharp-eyed and funny account... Stott's book is a glorious study of the mother of all heritage events, and it's an excellent reminder of why they should be avoided like the plague. -- Emma Smith, Book of the Week - The Guardian McConnell Stott writes with a clear brisk style and also an evident enjoyment of language... -- Times Literary Supplement McConnell Stott's wildly exuberant new book... has brought this odd and oddly resonant event to enchanting and illuminating life. -- Simon Callow - The Sunday Times

On the non-fiction side I enjoyed What Blest Genius? by Andrew McConnell Stott, a diverting account of the Shakespeare Jubilee of 1769 in Stratford-upon-Avon... -- Nick Curtis, The Best Books of 2019 - Evening Standard ... lively account... -- 100 sizzling summer books - Mail Online This is the hilarious tale of a poorly organised three-day festival in Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1769 that launched the bard into the mega-celeb he is today... A comedy of errors as funny as Twenty Twelve. -- Literature Books of the Year 2019 - The Sunday Times ... curious, passionate revisions of the Shakespearean myth... remind me why I came to enjoy Shakespeare so much in the first place. -- Emma Smith - Literary Review ... highly entertaining book... sharp-eyed and funny account... Stott's book is a glorious study of the mother of all heritage events, and it's an excellent reminder of why they should be avoided like the plague. -- Emma Smith, Book of the Week - The Guardian McConnell Stott writes with a clear brisk style and also an evident enjoyment of language... -- Times Literary Supplement McConnell Stott's wildly exuberant new book... has brought this odd and oddly resonant event to enchanting and illuminating life. -- Simon Callow - The Sunday Times

Author Information

Andrew McConnell Stott is the author of four books. The recipient of the Royal Society of Literature/Jerwood Award for Non-Fiction, he is professor of English at the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles.

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