The Marlowe Papers: A Novel

In this memoir, love letter, confession, and settling of accounts, Ros Barber brings Christopher Marlowe and his era to vivid life in The Marlowe Papers.

“Combines historical erudition with a sharply satisfying read. Marlowe's passion infects the page; Barber's skill draws the fever.”  -  The Independent (UK) 

You're the author of the greatest plays of all time. But nobody knows. And if it gets out, you're dead. 

On May 30, 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 a conviction of heresy; that he was spirited across the English Channel to live on in lonely exile; that he continued to write plays and poetry, hiding behind the name of a colorless man from Stratford - one William Shakespeare. 

“With the screw-tightening verve of a great thriller and the romantic pull of Renaissance poetry, the novel - which purports that Marlowe is the true author of William Shakespeare's legendary oeuvre - is a gripping, lyrical, most unlikely page-turner.”   -  American Way

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 skeptic, Christopher Marlowe always courted trouble.