Hi, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. So, apparently, and I'm just

finding this out after listening to today's interview, William Shakespeare had a son. His name was

Hamnet. I think you can guess which play he inspired. Novelist Maggie O'Farrell thought it was a shame

that more people didn't know

about him. So she wrote a book titled Hamnet. It was one of the busiest books in 2020 when it came

out and it got a bunch of accolades and placement on a year-end list. But a lot of folks might have

avoided it because Hamnet actually died at 11 years old and that might have just been too dark, especially if you have your own kids to worry about.

O'Farrell spent some time in this interview with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talking about what it took emotionally to write truly about one of the worst things that could ever happen to a parent, losing a child.

But here's the thing. This fictionalization

of Hamnet's life and the life of his parents has just as much light as darkness in it.

Amaro Glass. On this American life, we tell real life stories, really good ones.

My mother said, I'm sorry that you weren't here because Father Sager was here visiting, and he found a very nice orphanage for you.

And I said, but I'm not an orphan.

Surprising stories in your podcast feed, This American Live.

How much do we really know about the inspiration for one of the most famous plays ever performed?

When William Shakespeare sat down to write Hamlet, his son, his only son, Hamlet, was some four years dead.

Hamlet Shakespeare only lived to the age of 11.

His death was recorded. The cause was not.

In her new novel, Maggie O'Farrell sets out to imagine who he was, how he died.

And in doing so, to imagine the interior life and family life of the father, William Shakespeare.

The novel is titled Hamlet, and Maggie O'Farrell joins me now from her home in

Edinburgh in Scotland. Maggie O'Farrell, welcome to all things considered. Thank you very much for

...