James Shapiro is a writer and Professor of English at Columbia University, where he has taught since 1985. Among his books are 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare (2005), which was awarded the Samuel Johnson Prize; 1606: The Year of Lear (2015), awarded the James Tait Black Prize for Biography; and most recently Shakespeare in a Divided America (2020), selected as one of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times. He is currently at work on two books: Playbook: Politics, Theatre, and the Origins of America’s Culture Wars and Othello: An American Life. His latest book, ‘The Playbook: A STORY OF THEATER, DEMOCRACY, AND THE MAKING OF A CULTURE WAR’ will be released in May 2024.