Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival, Christopher Marlowe

Poor boy. Dark star. Spy. Transgressor. Genius.

This is the extraordinary story of Christopher Marlowe – Shakespeare’s greatest inspiration and rival.

‘Sparkling, addictive reading' MAGGIE O'FARRELL
‘A dazzling account of a dazzling life’ STEPHEN FRY
'Brilliant' JAMES SHAPIRO
‘As evocative as any novel’ PHILIPPA GREGORY
‘Riveting’ BEN ELTON

** AN ECONOMIST, DAILY EXPRESS AND NEW YORKER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 **

In brutally repressive Elizabethan London, artists are frightened; foreigners are suspect; crowds revel in animal fights and public executions. Into this crude world comes an ambitious boy whose uncanny ear for poetry and radical streak would change England forever.

Enter Christopher Marlowe. A cobbler’s son from Canterbury, by the time of his murder in 1593 Marlowe is the most celebrated playwright of his time, setting the stage for an explosion of artistic creativity. Written by one of our greatest writers on the Elizabethan era, Dark Renaissance tells Marlowe’s story: a thrilling tale of daring, scandal and tragedy which reveals Marlowe to be a blazing talent who helped break England out of the cultural darkness and into the light.

‘An unforgettable literary biographical tour de force’INDEPENDENT
‘Reads like something out of Le Carré’OBSERVER
‘Gripping’THE TIMES
‘Terrific … A thrilling, twisty tale’NEW YORK TIMES
‘Outstanding’MAIL ON SUNDAY