OR NOT TO BE: The True Story of William Shakespeare

“Things standing thus unknown…\ndraw thy breath in pain\nTo tell my story.”\nHamlet\nOr Not To Be is an extraordinary novel. It is a literary-historical detective story unlike any other in English literature. Set during the reigns of Queen EIizabeth I and King James I, England looks outward to overseas expansion, while at home the struggle for power sees the presence of a large number of spies and informers who lurk in the shadows. Amidst religious and political intrigue, the Queen, a lover of literature and languages, promotes story-telling and theatrical performance. Writers are highly valued. But putting pen to paper is not a free for all. For a few who write poetry and plays, it is a dangerous vocation. Authorship and publication were not straightforward matters. Nonetheless, out of this period in English history, comes a standard of writing hitherto unknown. In this literary tapestry; an interweaving of verse, poetry, drama and prose, Ron Ramdin uses Artful Reason to unravel a centuries-old “mystery.” He tells the hidden story, not of a myth, but of a Man: England’s greatest Dramatist and Poet, William Shakespeare. Above all, Or Not To Be, is a compelling novel novel; a story of truth, humanity and hope. It is a story to pass on…\nRON RAMDIN is an internationally known author of sixteen books, spanning six genres, including three novels and a play featuring Sam Wanamaker and Paul Robeson as Shakespearian actors in Othello. Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he is the recipient of the University of London’s prestigious higher doctorate – the Doctor of Literature. He lives in London.
RON RAMDIN studied at the University of Middlesex and at the London School of Economics and Political Science where he gained a BSc degree in Economics. He has presented academic Papers at various Conferences, including Opening Papers at the University of London and at the University of Warwick. He has given many radio and television interviews, and for each of thirty consecutive years, he had given high-profile talks and lectures in schools, libraries, universities and public venues across Britain, in Spain, France and in the Caribbean. His election as the first black Shop Steward at the British Museum and, as the first elected Secretary of the Whitley Council when the British Library was formed, were historic and much talked about. Thereafter, having written the first Official ‘Minutes’ of The British Library his extraordinary, relentless dedication to the struggle for Equal Opportunities and Social Justice, had made him a legendary figure in the British Museum and the British Library, as well as nationally and internationally. Among his famous books are The Making of the Black Working Class in Britain (a reprinted Classic of British history); highly-praised biographies of Mary Seacole, Paul Robeson and Martin Luther King Jr, as well as the pioneering Reimaging Britain; Arising From Bondage and The Other Middle Passage, among others. He also wrote Isabella’s Legacy: My Discovery of Spain – an original book of travel, memoir, history, cultures and identities. His autobiography Turning Pages is among the most outstanding autobiographies encompassing the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. And underscoring his corpus, is the philosophical work On Respect for Difference: An Original Essay; a profound meditation on human societies. Significantly, Ron Ramdin’s books have informed and educated a generation of students and general readers; and overall his multifaceted writings have created a new path in British and world literature.\nAnd as a long-standing leading voice for Diversity and Social Justice in Britain and elsewhere in the world, he was recently Honoured by the Windrush Foundation in Great Britain. He is currently working on his fourth novel.