The Winding Stair: Sir Francis Bacon, His Rise and Fall
Category: Books,Biographies & Memoirs,Arts & Literature
The Winding Stair: Sir Francis Bacon, His Rise and Fall Details
"All rising to great place is by a winding stair," wrote Sir Francis Bacon. It wasn't until he was 45 that Bacon's feet found the first step on that staircase, when King James I made him Solicitor-General, from where he rose through the ranks to become Lord Chancellor. Many accounts of the life of Sir Francis Bacon have been written for scholars, but du Maurier's aim was to paint a vivid portrait of this remarkable man for the common reader. In "The Winding Stair," she illuminates the considerable achievements of this Renaissance man as a writer, lawyer, philosopher, scientist, and politician. Dame Daphne du Maurier wrote more than 25 acclaimed novels, short stories, and plays, including "Rebecca" and "The House on the Strand. "She was also a passionate and skillful biographer. Read more
Reviews
The book is a well researched and interesting account of Francis Bacon's extraordinary life which hints at his being the writer of the Shakespeare plays. However it excludes what many believe to be the real reason for Bacon's choice of Wm Shakespeare as a mask to conceal Bacon's authorship. This is that Bacon was the concealed first born son of Elizabeth 1st and her heir apparent. There is also no mention of the secret codes which run through the plays by which Bacon reveals his identity and biography for future generations to discover. Since the publication of The Winding Stair a good deal more information is available and the Shakespeare authorship debate is increasingly a hot topic. The new 2016 novel -The Royal Secret- now available on Amazon in print- reveals a great deal more of the drama of Bacon's life and the reasons why he is the most likely candidate for the Shakespeare authorship, and perhaps deserves to be known as the most important man in both UK and US history.