The books of the Englishman Peter Ackroyd have gained wide popularity not only in his homeland, but also in Russia. A poet, novelist, and biographer, Ackroyd has published about four dozen books, an important place among which is occupied by the life story of his great compatriot William Shakespeare. The biography published in 2005, like everything Ackroyd has written about England and the English of different eras, is distinguished by a profound knowledge of the country's history and culture. Placing his hero in the context of the Elizabethan era, the author notes many of its characteristic curious details. "I'm trying to come up with a new kind of biography, to look at history from a different angle," Ackroyd admitted in one of his interviews. Apparently, he has brilliantly accomplished this task.