By Any Other Name
by Jodi Picoult· 2024
A novel of female identity and inequality set in both Elizabethan England and present-day Manhattan, as two women centuries apart struggle to assert their artistic expression in a sphere dominated by men.
‘There was once a girl who became invisible in order that her words may not be. ’
In 1581, Emilia Bassano is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain’s mistress she has access to the theatre, and finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly. And yet, creating some of the world’s greatest dramatic masterpieces comes at a great cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history.
In modern day New York, playwright Melina Green is determined to see one of her shows make the stage. After years of struggle to be recognised she has finally written again, inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor — Emilia Bassano, England’s first published female poet. Although the challenges are different for her, four hundred years later, it is still not a level playing field for women in the arts. But what lengths will she be willing to go to in order to achieve her dreams?
Moving between Elizabethan England and modern day Manhattan, By Any Other Name explores the theme of identity and the ways in which two women, centuries apart—one of whom might just be the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—are both forced to hide behind another name to make their voices heard.
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A novel of female identity and inequality set in both Elizabethan England and present-day Manhattan, as two women centuries apart struggle to assert their artistic expression in a sphere dominated by men. ‘There was once a girl who became invisible in order that her words may not be. ’ In 1581, Emilia Bassano is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain’s mistress she has access to the theatre, and finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly. And yet, creating some of the world’s greatest dramatic masterpieces comes at a great cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history. In modern day New York, playwright Melina Green is determined to see one of her shows make the stage. After years of struggle to be recognised she has finally written again, inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor — Emilia Bassano, England’s first published female poet. Although the challenges are different for her, four hundred years later, it is still not a level playing field for women in the arts. But what lengths will she be willing to go to in order to achieve her dreams? Moving between Elizabethan England and modern day Manhattan, By Any Other Name explores the theme of identity and the ways in which two women, centuries apart—one of whom might just be the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—are both forced to hide behind another name to make their voices heard.