Blair Fell

But Rotten Heart isn't the only book taking on the bard this month.

We also have The Two Wills by Blair Fell.

But this is not a retelling of one of his plays.

This is a novel that inserts queer romance directly into William Shakespeare's actual historical life.

Why are contemporary queer authors so drawn to rewriting the classics or inserting themselves into these very specific European historical canons?

It's a really common critique.

I mean, if you were a talented author like Blair Fell or Kat Dunn, why not just create an entirely new original story set in Elizabethan London or Victorian England? Why do they feel the need to hijack Shakespeare?

That is the crucial question, and the answer has to do with the power dynamics of history and literature.

Okay.

And that's W-I-L-L-S the name, by Blair Fell.

Uh, this is from Alcove Press.

Uh, it's out October 20th, and it is a queer historical fiction.

What's it called again? Tell me again.

The Two Wills.

The Two Wills by Blair-

Okay.