“So Long as Men Can Breathe: The Untold Story of Shakespeare’s Sonnets”
By Clinton Heylin 

AUGUSTA, GA - Once upon a time, Clinton Heylin explored incredible depths in the creation of a biographical account of one of the greatest poets of our time – Bob Dylan. Now, using the same powerful narrative, concern for detail, and intricate arrangement of materials that have made his previous adventures special, Heylin returns with a breathtaking account of the Sonnets by William Shakespeare. 

The author of “The Da Capo Book of Rock and Roll,” “All Yesterdays’ Parties” and “Behind the Shades,” Clinton Heylin offers a stunning look at a literary mystery full of intrigue in “So Long as Men Can Breathe: The Untold Story of Shakespeare’s Sonnets.” With an incredible talent for explicating details, Heylin paints a thrilling portrait of the numerous conflicts, tensions, mysteries and concerns surrounding Shakespeare’s collection of 154 Sonnets.

Among the questions he takes on are what may have happened if the collection had never been published, what was the real role of Thorpe and Eld in terms of publishing the work, and just how sleazy and treacherous was the publishing industry of the time. Within the framework of such questions, Heylin explores a tremendous litany of sources, myths and firsthand accounts detailing the fascination that these poems have generated.

They may be some of the greatest love poems of all time, but within the pages of Heylin’s latest exploration readers have the opportunity to learn that the Sonnets themselves are only the beginning of the story. 

Heylin, Clinton.  “So Long as Men Can Breathe:  The Untold Story of Shakespeare’s Sonnets.”  Cambridge, Massachusetts:  Da Capo Press.  2009.  $24.00 Cloth.  280 Pages.  ISBN:  9780306818059.