Stephen Greenblatt ’64 — Dark Renaissance:

The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of

Shakespeare's Greatest Rival

September 19, 2025

Hello Classmates:

On November 6 at 4:00pm Eastern time, the next talk in our Class Authors series features Stephen Greenblatt discussing his engaging new book about Christopher Marlowe. The book paints a lively portrait of Marlowe’s life, the complex fabric of Elizabethan society, and the transformational ways in which Marlowe’s transgressive writings invigorated English theater and inspired his contemporary, collaborator, and rival, William Shakespeare. Pete Putzel will moderate the session. Details below. 

Dark Renaissance is a riveting biography of Christopher Marlowe, a transgressive genius who fundamentally helped to create the English Renaissance. Greenblatt presents Marlowe's short, brilliant, and dangerous life as a thriller-like narrative, detailing his journey from a cobbler's son to a celebrated dramatist and government spy recruited while at university. Greenblatt immerses readers in the brutal and fearful world of Elizabethan England, showing how Marlowe's classical education offered an escape into skepticism and daring imagination.

The book delves into Marlowe's personality, including his documented atheism and possible homosexuality, which made his existence precarious. It explores how his work as a spy influenced groundbreaking plays like Tamburlaine and Doctor Faustus. Greenblatt argues that Marlowe's cascade of invention in poetry and drama "awakened the genius of the English Renaissance." By making both Marlowe and his historical context live for the reader, the book shows how his radical talent helped to catapult England from a cultural backwater into a crucible of creativity.

Greenblatt’s book is a masterpiece of writing. Many books about historical periods are stultifying dull, mired in a litany of pedantic details. Not this one. The details here are crafted to bring Marlowe and his times to life, transporting you back to that era. 

Dark Renaissance can be ordered now through Amazon or through many independent book stores. Since the book was released on September 9 there have been many prominent reviews praising the book, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker, and many more.

Stephen Greenblatt is Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University, the author of fifteen books, and has received the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and many other honors.

Registration for the event is required. Classmate spouses and partners are welcome to attend. Register for the event by clicking on the following link:

Register by clicking here

Once registered, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a link to the Zoom meeting. That link will be unique to you. On the day before the event you’ll be sent the link again as a reminder.

I hope to see you joining Stephen Greenblatt, Pete Putzel, and me on November 6. Don't forget to register!

Best wishes,