KARACHI: Was Shakespeare not a man? A new research has shaken the foundations of the literary world, claiming that a Black Jewish woman named Emilia Bassano actually wrote all the famous plays attributed to Shakespeare.
Shakespeare’s true identity was deliberately concealed by Western-centric historiography. According to the new book The Real Shakespeare, the poorly educated man from Stratford-upon-Avon simply took credit for Bassano’s literary work under his own name.
The book asserts that during the Elizabethan era, Bassano’s complexion was intentionally portrayed as lighter, while the majority of scholars still regard Shakespeare as the writer born in Stratford.
Details from the British newspaper The Telegraph report that the new book The Real Shakespeare claims William Shakespeare was in fact a Black Jewish woman, and her real identity was hidden for centuries due to Western- and Euro-centric historical writing.
Feminist historian Irene Coslet argues that the true Shakespeare was a multicultural woman named Emilia Bassano, a poet associated with the Tudor royal court.
She is said to have created the plays and poetry published under the pen name “Shakespeare.”
According to the book, Emilia Bassano’s literary creations were later attributed to a poorly educated man from Stratford-upon-Avon, whom we now know as William Shakespeare.
