Katherine Chiljan – The First Folio Fraud

Twenty Shakespeare plays were printed for the first time, along with 16 previously printed ones, in the First Folio of 1623. This publication of 36 Shakespeare plays was certainly the greatest literary event of that century, if not of all time. The title page featured the great author’s portrait, followed by a preface of letters and poetic tributes, and then 900 large pages of play texts.

At first glance, this grand book would inspire the 17th century reader’s awe, as well as excitement to learn something about the great author, who, before this book, was virtually unknown. Instead the preface confused the reader with lies and contradictions, gave no biography of the great author, and only hinted at his home town. This paper, based on a chapter of Shakespeare Suppressed, will analyze the Folio’s preface and the messages it tried to convey, which fostered the greatest hoax in literature.

Katherine Chiljan is an independent scholar who has studied the Shakespeare Authorship Question for over three decades. In 2011, she wrote Shakespeare Suppressed: The Uncensored Truth about Shakespeare and his Works, which earned her an award for distinguished scholarship at Concordia University. Chiljan has debated the topic with English professors at the Smithsonian Institution and the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco. She has written numerous articles on the topic and is a frequent guest on podcasts. In addition to her work with SOF, she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Shakespeare Authorship Coalition.

This talk was presented as part of the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship Spring 2022 International Online Symposium on April 9, 2022. Learn more at ShakespeareOxfordFellowship.org.