Pulitzer Prize-winning literary historian Stephen Greenblatt -- author of the bestselling Shakespeare biography Will in the World -- appears in conversation with Oskar Eustis to celebrate the launch of his riveting new biography, Dark Renaissance.

In Dark Renaissance, Greenblatt turns his attention to the brief, tumultuous life of Shakespeare’s friend, collaborator, and greatest rival: Christopher Marlowe. The author of Tamburlaine, Doctor Faustus, The Jew of Malta, and Edward II, Marlowe was a cobbler’s son with an extraordinary gift for language who transformed the English stage before his death at just 29.

Against the backdrop of brutally repressive 16th-century England -- where censorship was fierce, foreigners were suspect, and public spectacles were more often executions than plays -- Marlowe exploded onto the scene. His daring works paved the way for Shakespeare and ignited a cultural revolution whose reverberations shaped the modern world. With propulsive narrative, sharp literary insight, and historical depth, Greenblatt traces how Marlowe’s life and circle of influence opened new possibilities for art, science, and society -- Faustian bargains we continue to wrestle with today.

Who was Christopher Marlowe? Why was his legacy overshadowed by Shakespeare’s? And what makes his writing so urgent now? Join us for this special launch event as Greenblatt brings Marlowe vividly to life.

Praise for Dark Renaissance:

• “Brilliant and riveting.” -- James Shapiro
• “I cannot think of a more effortlessly gripping and unputdownable non-fiction I’ve read in the last decade or so. Absolutely masterful.” -- Neel Mukherjee

A book signing will follow the event.

Presented in partnership with Harper’s Magazine.