Bibliofile

Many more readers know the plot of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone than of Hamlet. Sixty-six per cent of readers polled by amazon.co.uk could recall the first Potter story, but only 28 per cent could even remember that Hamlet was plotting to kill his uncle. And 51 per cent did not know Mr Darcy came from Pride and Prejudice. In fact, 28 per cent thought author Helen Fielding had invented the character for her book Bridget Jones’s Diary. Oldies are definitely out. Sixty-nine per cent said they’d rather read modern books than classics. But more than a third did say they’d feel more ashamed about not knowing Shakespeare’s plays than not knowing who was No. 1 in the music charts.

Shakespeare as rap? Yes, or rather, yo. The Bomb-itty of Errors, with actors rapping through The Comedy of Errors. "I think hip-hop is doing things to language the same way that Shakespeare was doing years ago," said Joe Fernandes Colski, one of the actors. And what’s "bomb-itty"? Apparently, it’s the ultimate in hip-hop slang: "It’s basically saying Bomb-itty is the coolest comedy."