Ros Barber knows about poetry--she has written three collections--and she knows about Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), the subject of her doctorate in English literature and additional scholarly articles. What better way, then, to introduce the Elizabethan poet and playwright to a greater readership than for Barber to write a novel in verse, narrated by the man himself? The Marlowe Papers was first released in the U.K. to great acclaim; now available to readers here, it is a must-read for anyone interested in Marlowe, William Shakespeare or 16th-century English history.
In blank verse (as Marlowe used in his plays), Barber chooses to let Marlowe narrate his own story, beginning with his supposed death in a bar fight. In this fictionalized memoir, Marlowe escapes the knife and is forced into hiding. While exiled, he continues to write under an assumed name: William Shakespeare. In addition to addressing the Marlowe-Shakespeare authorship question, Barber allows her Marlowe to confess much of what has been ascribed to him by historians: his intelligence and charm, his sexual liaisons with both men and women, his dealings as a spy on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, his alleged atheism. Barber's use of verse may surprise readers initially, but the writing is superb, the plot moves quickly and Marlowe's story is compelling. --Roni K. Devlin, owner, Literary Life Bookstore