Shakespeare Magazine

Michael Dobson’s talk on ‘Spaces for Shakespeare’ in Zaporizhzhia, south east Ukraine.

A review for Shakespeare Magazine of Professor Michael Dobson’s lecture in the ‘Shakespeare Days in Ukraine’ series, and as part of his tour of Ukraine, in April and May this year. This is on the Shakespeare Magazine website. The review includes the link for the Shakespeare Days in Ukraine festival from this Spring. A very impressive programme of events coordinated by Professor Nataliya Torkut and members and friends of the Ukrainian Shakespeare Centre. It is worth noting that Zaporizhzhia is in the region next to the War. It is a completely peaceful city despite a war in parts of two regions of the country 100 miles away. There are more shopping malls than Liverpool and more sushi restaurants than Manchester (pity, I don’t like sushi). I would have said more coffee shops also but the UK has had a further explosion of coffee shops in the last 18 months so we’re probably equal to this large city in SE Ukraine, bigger than Liverpool, that nearly no one in the UK has heard of. Great support for the people there that an intrepid Shakespeare public scholar from Birmingham has been to visit. (There are many alternate spellings, Zaporizhia from Russian, is more common still online, and you see Zaporozhye also). There are many great things about the city – Russian, Soviet, Ukrainian, industrial, post-industrial, concrete, green and nature; but the roads and pavements are terrible except in some public areas, and the driving catastrophic.
http://www.shakespearemagazine.com/2018/10/earlier-this-year-professor-michael-dobson-the-director-of-the-uks-shakespeare-institute-visited-a-university-in-ukraine-to-talk-about-spaces-for-shakespeare-an/

The Ukrainian Shakespeare Centre website:
http://shakespeare.zp.ua

Mostly in Ukrainian (a few links in English).

Recent writing.

My recent writing has been published in a few other places. And on culture, politics and history.
Shakespeare Magazine’s website on links between Georgian literature and Shakespeare. Edited by Pat Reid. With thanks to Neli Shiolashvili of the Embassy of Georgia, and Armand Wang of the British Georgian Society.
http://www.shakespearemagazine.com/2016/12/could-shakespeares-cymbeline-have-been-influenced-by-rustaveli-the-national-poet-of-georgia-was-the-question-asked-in-a-packed-lecture-room-at-londons-royal-asiat/
““Could Shakespeare’s Cymbeline have been influenced by Rustaveli, the national poet of Georgia?” was the question asked in a packed lecture room at London’s Royal Asiatic Society”

Liberator magazine, on the Parliamentary elections in Georgia, October 2016. Edited by Mark Smulian. ‘Georgia’s democracy finds it feet’. Issue 382, January 2017. Pages 18 – 20. Print edition out, available now to e-subscribers, and online on the website next month. liberator-382

InterLib, the Journal of Liberal International (British Group) on some cultural and political reflections about Georgia. 2017, no. 1. Edited by Stewart Rayment. ‘Some culture and politics of Georgia’ pp. 9 – 11. https://libg.co.uk/en/document/interlib-january-2017

The New European newspaper on the British International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War Battle of Jarama, 80 years ago this month. Issue 30, February 3 2017. Pages 34 – 35, ’80 years since Jarama: Battle’s tale echoes today’. Edited by Jasper Copping. Published in print edition, and digital copy available to e-subscribers. The New European Jarama

With thanks to the editors, sites and publications.

Shakespeare Magazine
Liberator magazine
Liberal International British Group
The New European