Judi Dench = Baklava

Book 33 of 2024 was baklava.

How is a flaky dessert of unparalleled delight a book, you ask? First, you must understand that baklava is my absolute favorite dessert. I made this discovery this week. I’ve had baklava many times and know I thoroughly enjoy it.

This week, however, I have had one piece in my fridge that I look forward to coming home after a long shift and biting into the crispy, flaky layers to the chewy sweetness of the walnuts and honey. I take that one bite, close my eyes, and revel in the flavors and textures, singling out the complexities and the harmonies of this delectable treat.

It was on the third day that I realized that baklava is the only dessert that makes me want to pause, save, and savor all week long and look forward to the next time I get to enjoy it. Tiramisu is a close second. Blackberry pie with Gruyère crust is a further third.

What, you ask again, does this have to do with Book 33? Book 33 was Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea was like baklava. I couldn’t wait to listen (because who passes up the chance to hear Dame Judi Dench performing Shakespeare in between chapters?!). It flavored my days with anticipation and contemplation. There were afternoons when I had to pause after five minutes to roll the flavor of thought and insight around in my mind. Other days I could listen for hours.

Formatted as an interview between old friends and colleagues, Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent is a memoir of Dench’s career as a Shakespearean actor. Dench offers insight into all the characters she’s played across Shakespeare’s body of work. Beloved characters or hated characters have a new life as Dench shares her intimate perspective of a person who has walked in the shoes of these characters and breathed their breaths every night for years.

Wicked humor and blistering intelligence abound in this remarkable book. It took my breath away. June 2024 was the background to this narrative of empathy and analysis of acting, Shakespeare, poetry, human experience, and emotion.

Read it. Listen to it. Embrace it. There’s a life worth living in these pages.

#Shakespearethemanwhopaystherent, #damejudidench, #shakespeare, #theroyalshakespearecompany, #brendanohea