Yesterday was the birthday of one of my favourite writers - William Shakespeare and I thought now would be a good time to start my blog.
Although I have to admit saying 'birthday' is a bit strange. Partly because he died centuries ago and partly because he died on his birthday. I remember someone joked, 'he must have had one hell of a party'...
Still, for all Shakespeare fans it's a time to celebrate him and his numerous works. I celebrated (as I imagine many poets did), by reading some of his many famous sonnets. Others have celebrated on a grander scale. Yesterday saw the launch of the World Shakespeare festival in which his thirty-seven plays will be performed in thirty-seven languages including sign. The BBC are also celebrating with their 'Shakespeare Unlocked Season' which includes three new radio adaptations. The first of which was broadcast last Sunday. There are also numerous productions taking place across the UK.
It just goes to show that he is just as popular today as he was all those years ago, and not just seen as an English poet, but as a worldwide icon of literature. 'Happy birthday Shakespeare' was even a top trend on Twitter. Now considering Twitter is mostly dominated by Justin Bieber fans - I thought that was pretty impressive!
