A presumed “Ur-Hamlet”, written by either Thomas Kyd (1558–1594) or by Shakespeare himself, has been dated back to 1587, but no text survives. In his last years, Lawrence wrote a book called Shakespeare’s Lost Hamlet, which he himself believed to be the best of his many works on The Bard. But when he returned to his beloved Dublin, Villiers writes, the “academic purdah” resumed. Ever the theatre man, Lawrence likened the late harvest of academic awards to “Praise from Sir Hubert”: a phrase derived from an 18th century stage character who rewarded virtue with compliments rather than cash. He survived on money orders from his old friend, the Dublin poet and businessman Thomas Keller, who had once helped fund James Joyce.

Source: The Irish Times February 26, 2026 09:01 UTC