This publication can be seen as two intertwined narratives. The initial segment features the personal journals of Antony Sher, chronicling the months leading up to his passing from liver cancer in December 2021. The subsequent, more extensive section captures the journey of his long-time partner, Greg Doran, who embarked on an enthusiastic mission to view a significant number of the over 200 surviving editions of Shakespeare’s First Folio. Together, these narratives create a poignant exploration of one individual’s struggle with mortality and the efforts of his partner to navigate life after loss.
As an accomplished actor, writer, and artist, Sher was known for his keen insights, which are evident in what he termed The Dying Diaries. These entries reveal a blend of honesty, strength, and humor. He does not shy away from the grim realities of his illness, describing it at one point as “a bomb in our household,” lurking silently yet erupting at unexpected times. Nevertheless, he approaches his situation with a sense of dark humor. Upon learning that the tumors in his liver resemble the sizes of a satsuma and a walnut, he muses that this could serve as an intriguing title for his diaries. Reflecting on his final performance in John Kani’s play, Kunene and the King—centered on an aging South African actor grappling with liver cancer—he quips, “Who says actors don’t bring their roles home?” Despite the bleakness of his later days, the enduring bond between him and Doran shines through, evident in their shared enjoyment of various pleasures, from nature to recordings of comedian Jackie Mason.
The core of the book largely revolves around Doran’s quest for a renewed purpose following Sher’s death. After stepping down as the artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and leaving their home in Stratford, he was struck by a bold, if somewhat “crazy,” idea. With 2023 marking the 400th anniversary of the First Folio—an essential work that has preserved half of Shakespeare’s plays—he resolved to track down as many existing copies as he could. What begins as a journey across Britain expands to include destinations in North America, Japan, South Africa, and Australia. When questioned by his twin sister about the rationale behind his pursuit of numerous editions of the same book, he explains that it is an endeavor to better understand Shakespeare’s intricate legacy. However, he is aware that this exploration serves as “a massive piece of displacement activity.”
Each edition of the Folio carries its own narrative, and Doran’s journey commences with a compelling tale. In 1964, coinciding with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, the Catholic Church participated in the celebrations, leading a group of RSC actors to Rome to perform before Pope Paul VI. Among them was the company’s own First Folio, heavily insured for £25,000 and transported separately by train as a precaution against potential air travel mishaps. Following the recital, one actress, Dorothy Tutin, impulsively raised the Folio for the pope’s blessing, leading to a misunderstanding where the pope assumed it was a gift and handed it to a cardinal for inclusion in the Vatican’s archives. The swift action of the Archbishop of Westminster was necessary to recover the book and prevent Stratford from losing its sole copy of this literary treasure.
Doran’s narrative, which he refers to as The Folio Roadshow, is notable not only for its scholarly rigor and enthusiasm for detail but also for the constant presence of Sher in his thoughts. During a visit to Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral, he reflects on Tony’s funeral, his own dwindling faith, and the hope of mirroring the experience of CS Lewis, who transformed his grief into joyful memories after losing Joy Davidman. Arriving in Cape Town, he reminisces about how he would always switch seats with Sher, who preferred a window view of the iconic Table Mountain. At Cornell University, marking the anniversary of 9/11, he recalls a Shakespeare sonnet about fallen towers while reflecting on the poignant lines that express the inevitability of time taking away love.
While Doran occasionally feels overwhelmed by the sheer number of Folios he encounters, he manages to stave off monotony through his excitement in uncovering new insights and engaging with the unique characteristics of each edition. In Skipton, Yorkshire, where one Folio lacks any comedies, he wonders if the Brontë sisters may have read that particular version, speculating whether Charlotte was responsible for tearing out the plays she disliked. In Glasgow, he finds joy in discovering a Folio that lists 22 actors, including Shakespeare himself and John Lowin, who took on the role of Falstaff. “I feel,” Doran expresses with palpable enthusiasm, “as if I am back in the tiring-house of the Globe theatre spotting the actors as they exit the stage.”
Throughout the book, Doran’s admiration for both Shakespeare and Sher is evident, yet he also maintains a critical perspective on the eccentric figures who have attempted to exploit Shakespeare’s legacy. He recounts the story of the young William Henry Ireland, who in 1795 falsely claimed to have unearthed a lost Shakespearean play, Vortigern and Rowena, which was ultimately ridiculed during its brief performance at Drury Lane. He also discusses John Payne Collier, a 19th-century fraudster who made numerous alterations to a later Folio, only to be exposed as a “great literary slug.” Additionally, the vividly named James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps, who established the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, is revealed to have engaged in vandalism by removing the Droeshout engraving of Shakespeare from Stratford’s own First Folio.
Doran’s global travels lead him to numerous significant encounters, including with the emperor of Japan and King Charles, who personally called Sher during his final days and later invited Doran to view the First Folio housed in the Royal Library at Windsor following his coronation. This journey of discovery, intertwined with reflections on love and legacy, forms the heart of this remarkable book.
