The Marlowe Papers

On May 30th, 1593, a celebrated young playwright was killed in a tavern brawl in London. That, at least, was the official version. Now Christopher Marlowe reveals the truth: that his 'death' was an elaborate ruse to avoid being convicted of heresy; that he was spirited across the Channel to live on in lonely exile; that he continued to write plays and poetry, hiding behind the name of a colourless man from Stratford - one William Shakespeare.

With the grip of a thriller and the emotional force of a sonnet, this remarkable novel in verse gives voice to a man who was brilliant, passionate and mercurial. A cobbler's son who counted nobles among his friends, a spy in the Queen's service, a fickle lover and a declared religious sceptic, he was always courting trouble.

Memoir, love letter, confession, settling of accounts and a cry for recognition as the creator of some of the most sublime works in the English language, The Marlowe Papers brings Christopher Marlowe and his era to vivid life. Written by a poet and scholar, it is a work of exceptional art, erudition and imagination.

Winner of Desmond Elliott Prize 2013 (UK)
Winner of Authors Club Best First Novel 2013 (UK)

“What a pleasure it was to discover that the book is not only packed with the kind of upper-echelon phrase-making that one expects from a poet of Barber's standing ('snow is falling like small promises', 'I'd make world in words, I'd show it things/you'd only see in mirrored glass, and then/scratch off the silver, let the truth go through') but it is also as excitingly plotted as any thriller... The Marlowe Papers thunders along like an episode of some Elizabethan 24”

A big, clever, vividly wrought work of conspiracy fiction, filled with impeccable but lightly worn research. Elizabethan England, in all its stifling atmosphere of repression - writers were regularly being imprisoned and having their hands cut off - is brought to life by Barber's faultless poet's ear...[she]cannily uses the poetry to do just what any prose narrative aspires to: it's sharp, concise, stunningly visual. - Sunday Times - Robert Collins

This rich and charmingly playful work avoids the potential for whimsy inherent in such an undertaking. The thrill at reimagining the events and era comes through wave after wave in Barber's blank verse. - Adam O'Riordan, Sunday Telegraph

The Marlowe Papers grips. - John Sutherland, The Times

This is effortlessly better stuff than many far more trumpeted poets can produce, even on a good day...The Marlowe Papers is the best read, so far, this year. - Martin Newell, Sunday Express

this highly ambitious debut makes for an engrossing read...brought to life by smatterings of exquisitely poetic descriptions and turns of phrase worthy of the Bard himself, whoever he was. - Time Out

This terrifically accomplished and enjoyable novel/play/poem, call it what you like, restores one's faith in English fiction. - Fay Weldon

Lush, inspired and provocative, this spellbinding dossier conjures up a bewitching Marlowe. - Kirkus

Barber ingeniously weaves the action of the plays and sonnets into her story...The verse is subtle and varied enough never to disturb the ear, and in fact you forget that you're reading poetry at all. This is no bawdy cod-Shakespearean romp. - Suzi Feay, Financial Times

Ros Barber was born in Washington DC and raised in England. She is the author of three collections of poetry, the latest of which (Material, Anvil 2008) was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. Her short fiction, which won prizes in the Asham and Independent on Sunday short story competitions, has been published by Bloomsbury and Serpents Tail. Her poetry has appeared in Poetry Review, Poetry Wales, Poetry London, London Magazine, The Guardian, the Independent on Sunday and many other publications; it also features in anthologies published by Faber, Virago, Anvil and Seren. As Dr. Barber she has published academic papers on Christopher Marlowe, and in 2011 was awarded the Hoffman Prize for THE MARLOWE PAPERS. She lives in Brighton and has four children.

On May 30th, 1593, a celebrated young playwright was killed in a tavern brawl in London. That, at least, was the official version. Now Christopher Marlowe reveals the truth: that his 'death' was an elaborate ruse to avoid being convicted of heresy; that he was spirited across the Channel to live on in lonely exile; that he continued to write plays and poetry, hiding behind the name of a colourless man from Stratford - one William Shakespeare. With the grip of a thriller and the emotional force of a sonnet, this remarkable novel in verse gives voice to a man who was brilliant, passionate and mercurial. A cobbler's son who counted nobles among his friends, a spy in the Queen's service, a fickle lover and a declared religious sceptic, he was always courting trouble. Memoir, love letter, confession, settling of accounts and a cry for recognition as the creator of some of the most sublime works in the English language, The Marlowe Papers brings Christopher Marlowe and his era to vivid life. Written by a poet and scholar, it is a work of exceptional art, erudition and imagination.

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