Happy birthday Shakespeare...

And happy St George’s Day too!

As well as being Shakespeare’s official 448th birthday, today is also the start of the World Shakespeare Festival, part of the London 2012 Festival of events – the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad, which will see artists from all over the world participating in a UK-wide festival this summer.



Much curiosity surrounds Shakespeare’s life. We’re not even sure which day he was born on, though he is thought to have been baptized on April 26th, so has been given the honorary birthday of 23rd April – St George’s Day - which, curiously, is also the date of his death.

Another strange myth about Shakespeare is that he was actually an Arab. In the Middle East, he is referred to as Sheikh al-Zubair, which apparently means Sheikh Prickly Pear... I wonder what the residents of Stratford-upon-Avon would have to say about that?!

Anyway, if you’re a lover of Shakespeare’s plays, you may be interested in a collectable piece of royal memorabilia at ShopCurious. This book was presented to guests attending an evening hosted by Prince Charles (as President of the RSC) at Buckingham Palace in 1993 to celebrate the work of William Shakespeare. It was a star-studded event, full of notable theatrical types, who are all listed, along with the names of the distinguished attendees. I’m sure it will be of great interest to collectors of vintage theatre souvenirs – and those curious to find out who was on the guest list…

Are you?