Reminder: Stephen Greenblatt ’64 — Dark Renaissance:

The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of

Shakespeare's Greatest Rival

October 19, 2025

Hello Classmates:

The next Class of 1964 Authors event will occur in a little under three weeks, on Thursday, November 6 at 4:00pm Eastern time. If you haven’t registered, please do so here.

Stephen Greenblatt will be featured 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.

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. You may have already registered for this event in response to my email a month ago but if you're not sure, it doesn't hurt to register again. Classmate spouses and partners are welcome to join but must register separately. 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,