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“A vibrant tale of a remarkable woman.”
—Kirkus Reviews
⭐ A Good Morning America Book Club Pick!
⭐ People Magazine’s Book of the Week!
Two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—are forced to hide behind another name to make their voice heard. It’s a sweeping tale of courage, desire, and a woman’s struggle to be seen and heard for her own accomplishments.
Synopsis
In 1581, Emilia Bassano—like most young women of her day—is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain’s mistress, she has access to all theater in England, 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 great cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history.
In the present, playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. Although the challenges are different four hundred years later, the playing field is still not level for women in theater. Would Melina—like Emilia—be willing to forfeit her credit as author, just for a chance to see her work performed?
Told in intertwining narratives, this sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire asks what price each woman is willing to pay to see their work live on—even if it means they will be forgotten.
ABC News Interview August 20, 2024 —Jodi talks with George Stephanopoulos about her new book.
By Any Other Name is an:
INSTANT #1 NYT Bestseller :)
Praise for By Any Other Name
By Any Other Name is named ELLE Magazine’s “Best New Books to Read This Summer”
Where to read it:
Lounging on a blanket before a Shakespeare in the Park production.
What it’s about:
The iconic Jodi Picoult (of My Sister’s Keeper, Small Great Things, A Spark of Light, and many more) travels to 1581 to rub shoulders with Shakespeare—or, anyway, the woman behind his plays. Told via dual timelines, By Any Other Name introduces readers to Emilia Bassano, whose work bears not her own name but William Shakespeare’s, and the modern Melina Green, a descendant of Bassano’s. Both are playwrights; both must confront the sexism of a theater world that diminishes the work of women, despite the centuries between them. As fans have come to expect from Picoult, this is a inspiring work of feminist literature inspired by real historical accounts.
Her best one yet. Jodi Picoult has combined her trademark research with an astonishing and heart-rending story, embedded in truth, and turned it into a gripping novel.
Jojo Moyes
I love Picoult’s juggling act of perception and expectation, the genuine depth of her characters, and her ability to make a point without overplaying her hand. After reading By Any Other Name, I want to know more: about Emilia Bassano, about other amazing women lost to history, about inequality in the arts today. This remarkable novel is an awakening, an entertainment, and a story I want to share.
Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
Picoult, known for exploring social issues in her best-selling fiction, returns with a thought-provoking tale of two female playwrights and the similar compromises they make 400 years apart. . . . In the end, both women must decide what price they will pay to satisfy their desires and ambitions.
The Washington Post
The acclaimed Jodi Picoult dives right into the did-Shakespeare-write-his-plays controversy with a novel that spans centuries.
Parade
A blend of historical fiction and modern-day settings, the novel gives us timelines that intertwine and surprise. . . . This one is definitely for fans of Shakespeare’s work; Picoult has done her research.
Harper’s Bazaar
[An] inspiring work of feminist literature.
Elle
Stunning. So interesting, clever, educational and moving. One of the best books I’ve read in recent times.
Gillian McAllister
Picoult’s fictional take on the real life of [Emilia Bassano]. She quite likely would have known Shakespeare, because they moved in the same circles. Did she write things attributed to the Bard? Who knows. But her own life is interesting enough.
Los Angeles Times
In the present, Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of Emilia, her Elizabethan ancestor. . . . [Picoult] creates a well-observed tapestry that connects these two women across time, through art and circumstance.
The A.V. Club
You’ll fall in love with Emilia Bassano, the unforgettable heroine based on a real woman that Picoult brings vividly to life in her brilliantly researched new novel. Jodi Picoult’s books always start passionate conversations, and this one is sure to get people talking. Book clubs will embrace this rich, inspiring story.
Kristin Hannah
Perennial bestseller Picoult . . . takes on another hot-button topic sure to ignite controversy and conversation: the question of Shakespearean authorship. . . . [A] timely and affecting tale . . . Picoult’s many, many fans will pounce on her latest incisive, pot-stirring tale, while the Shakespearean theme will attract even more readers.
Booklist, starred review
Picoult creates a richly detailed portrait of daily life in Elizabethan England, from sumptuous castles to seedy hovels. . . . It’s Emilia’s story, and Picoult lovingly brings her to life. . . . A vibrant tale of a remarkable woman.
Kirkus Reviews
Perennial best-seller Picoult, who has tackled such heady subjects as same-sex marriage, abortion, and racism, takes on another hot-button topic sure to ignite controversy and conversation, the question of Shakespearean authorship. In this dual timeline tale, struggling playwright Melina Green has written a play about her ancestor Emilia Bassano, who she believes really penned many of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. Frustrated with sexism in the New York theater scene in 2023, Melina pushes her Black male friend Andre, also a playwright, to claim credit for her work when a lauded but arrogant critic expresses interest in getting the play produced. This leads to a Shakespearean—or should it be Bassanian?—comedy of errors. At the same time, Picoult tells Emilia’s story. Forced to become a courtesan at 13, she eventually falls in love with a handsome nobleman, but when she gets pregnant, she’s married off to a brutal man and forced to find a way to earn a living penning poems and plays for a dissolute actor, namely, William Shakespeare. Some readers will undoubtedly quibble with Picoult’s conclusions about the Bard, but they’ll just as assuredly find themselves thoroughly engaged with the struggles of Emilia, Melina, and Andre as writers with the deck stacked against them in this timely and affecting tale. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Picoult’s many, many fans will pounce on her latest incisive, pot- stirring tale, while the Shakepearean theme will attract even more readers.
YA: Teens reading Shakespeare in class will be intrigued by Picoult’s premise and the exploration of theater-world sexism and racism.
Kristine Huntley, Booklist
Had me absolutely captivated . . . I loved all the questions this novel raised about who gets to tell which stories and how complex that can become. Jodi Picoult is a genius.
Jennifer Saint
Who was Shakespeare?
Move over, Earl of Oxford and Francis Bacon: There’s another contender for the true author of plays attributed to the bard of Stratford—Emilia Bassano, a clever, outspoken, educated woman who takes center stage in Picoult’s spirited novel. Of Italian heritage, from a family of court musicians, Emilia was a hidden Jew and the courtesan of a much older nobleman who vetted plays to be performed for Queen Elizabeth. She was well traveled—unlike Shakespeare, she visited Italy and Denmark, where, Picoult imagines, she may have met Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—and was familiar with court intrigue and English law. “Every gap in Shakespeare’s life or knowledge that has had to be explained away by scholars, she somehow fills,” Picoult writes. Encouraged by her lover, Emilia wrote plays and poetry, but 16th-century England was not ready for a female writer. Picoult interweaves Emilia’s story with that of her descendant Melina Green, an aspiring playwright, who encounters the same sexist barriers to making herself heard that Emilia faced. In alternating chapters, Picoult follows Melina’s frustrated efforts to get a play produced—a play about Emilia, who Melina is certain sold her work to Shakespeare. Melina’s play, By Any Other Name, “wasn’t meant to be a fiction; it was meant to be the resurrection of an erasure.” Picoult creates a richly detailed portrait of daily life in Elizabethan England, from sumptuous castles to seedy hovels… It’s Emilia’s story, and Picoult lovingly brings her to life.
A vibrant tale of a remarkable woman.
Kirkus
You’ll fall in love with Emilia Bassano, the unforgettable heroine based on a real woman that Picoult brings vividly to life in her brilliantly-researched new novel. Jodi Picoult’s books always start passionate conversations, and this one is sure to get people talking. Book clubs will embrace this rich, inspiring story.
Kristin Hannah
Thanks to all my devoted fans who came out to the 2024 BY ANY OTHER NAME tours —in person and online!
xoxo —Jodi
See more BY ANY OTHER NAME tour photos»
And… in the UK…
What if the greatest works of literature were a fraud?
1581
Emilia Bassano is allowed no voice of her own, but finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly. Yet by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history. His name? William Shakespeare . . .
NOW
Playwright Melina Green is fed up of never seeing her shows make the stage. Even in the 21st century it appears a woman’s voice is worth less than a man’s. So Melina takes a lesson from history.
And makes a bargain with a man . . .
Women have long been written out of history, but what if they held the pen all along?
And… just for fun, watch Shakespeare reveal Jodi’s 2024 novel, BY ANY OTHER NAME:
At the Globe Theater
(责任编辑：)
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