I have been reading a "newly discovered" Shakespeare play, The Tragedy of Arthur, that's going to cause a stir in the coming year. Said to have been first published as a quarto edition in 1597, Arthur predates Love's Labours Lost, and has been cleverly unearthed by the American novelist Arthur Phillips. Random House/Modern Library will publish the text in 2011 together with a "unique appreciation" by Phillips, who has been described by the Washington Post as "one of the best writers in America". The text of Arthur demonstrates that there are few limits to Mr Phillips's imagination.
– Robert McCrum, The Guardian
The most ambitious book on Shakespeare I've come across in many years.
– James Shapiro, author of Contested Will
A funny, sad, absurd, moving, and very, very smart book. I don't know if it's fiction or non-fiction or both or neither, and ultimately it's irrelevant. The best books tell great stories, and they make you laugh and piss you off and make you sad and make you happy you've read them and spent time with them. Phillips absolutely does that with this book.
– James Frey, author of Million Little Pieces
The Tragedy of Arthur was short-listed for the 2013 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.