The Great Conversation: Echoing the Bard in Martin Bidney’s Shakespair
- Global Literary
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Canoga Park, CA — In the world of literary criticism, we usually analyze. We dissect metaphors, debate historical contexts, and write essays. But Martin Bidney, a poet and scholar, decided that a prose analysis wasn't enough to capture the "mercurial and intense" spirit of William Shakespeare’s 1609 sonnet sequence. Instead, he chose a more intimate path: the lyric response.
In his ambitious work, Shakespair: Sonnet Replies to the 154 Sonnets of William Shakespeare, Bidney engages in a book-length dialogue, matching the Bard rhyme for rhyme and heartbeat for heartbeat.
The original sequence presents two major surprises that continue to shock and fascinate readers: the narrative arc, the sonnets hover between a play and a psychological novel. Bidney describes himself as a dialogic poet. Rather than just reading the sonnets, he treats them as an invitation to a "con-verse-ation." His approach follows a long-standing tradition of friendly rivalry among poets, where the best way to honor a poem is to write one back.
In Shakespair, Bidney’s replies serve several functions:
Summary and Reframing: He often encapsulates Shakespeare's complex lyrics from a fresh, modern perspective.
Parallel Memories: He offers his own imaginings and memories that mirror or contrast with the original themes.
A Polyphonic Gathering: Bidney doesn't go it alone. He invites a cast of "poets, philosophers, mythic figures, and musicians" into his replies, expanding the psychological depth of the work.
This underscores the power of the sonnet. It is a strict architecture of 14 lines that, paradoxically, offers "unlimited possibilities" for introspection. Bidney’s work proves that Shakespeare’s voice isn't a closed book, but a living, breathing partner for anyone brave enough to talk back.
To know more of his book, Martin Bidney has recently concluded his Spotlight TV Interview, you can further check the interview in this link: https://youtu.be/aimx91EEY9o
Grab a copy of Shakespair: Sonnet Replies to the 154 Sonnets of William Shakespeare in bookstores and other online outlets like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more.
Written by Martin Bidney
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