Sir Stanley William Wells, (born 21 May 1930) is a Shakespearean scholar, writer, professor and editor who has been honorary president of the

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) is an independent registered educational charity based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, that came into existence in 1847 following the purchase of William Shakespeare's birthplace for preserva ...

, professor emeritus at

Birmingham University , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

, and author of many books about Shakespeare, including ''Shakespeare Sex and Love'', and is general editor of the Oxford and Penguin Shakespeares. He lives in Stratford-upon-Avon and was educated in English at

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

(UCL).

Biography

Wells was born in Hull, the son of Stanley Cecil Wells MBE and Doris Wells."WELLS, Prof. Stanley William", ''Who's Who 2012'', A & C Black, 2012; online edn,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, Dec 2011 ; online edn, Nov 201
accessed 11 Sept 2012
/ref> His father was a bus company traffic manager. Wells was educated at the Kingston High School

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

in Hull. Wells took a degree in English at

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

, London. He was invalided out of

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

for the RAF in 1951. He became a

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

school teacher before moving to Stratford to complete his PhD. He was awarded his PhD in English by

in 1961. He was Professor of Shakespeare Studies and director of the

Shakespeare Institute The Shakespeare Institute is a centre for postgraduate study dedicated to the study of William Shakespeare and the literature of the English Renaissance. It is part of the University of Birmingham, and is located in Stratford-upon-Avon. The Inst ...

(

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...

) 1988–1997, and is now emeritus professor of Shakespeare Studies. Wells is co-editor (with Gary Taylor, John Jowett and William Montgomery) of the

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Complete Works and (with Michael Dobson) the ''Oxford Companion to Shakespeare'', and has been general editor of the '' Oxford Shakespeare'' series since 1978. He edited several volumes for the New Penguin Shakespeare series. In 2009, Wells revealed the existence of the Cobbe portrait. He stated his belief, based on three years of research, that the portrait is a true portrait of Shakespeare, painted from life. On 20 October 2009 he appeared on BBC 4's comedy panel show ''It's Only a Theory'' – defending the prevailing opinion within contemporary Shakespeare studies that 'The plays of William Shakespeare were written by William Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon' and debunking the theory that Shakespeare's plays were written by some of his contemporaries. In June 2010, he was awarded the

Sam Wanamaker Award The Sam Wanamaker Award or Sam Wanamaker Prize is an award established in 1994 for pioneering work in Shakespearean theatre, usually given to individuals who have worked closely with Shakespeare's Globe or the Royal Shakespeare Company; the award ...

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

, an award given annually in the name of the Globe's founder

Sam Wanamaker Samuel Wanamaker, (born Wattenmacker; June 14, 1919 – December 18, 1993) was an American actor and director who moved to the United Kingdom after becoming fearful of being blacklisted in Hollywood due to his communist views. He is credited a ...

to celebrate work which has increased the understanding and enjoyment of Shakespeare. In 2013, together with Rev. Dr. Paul Edmondson, he called upon the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey to remove the question mark which appears in place of a date of death in the memorial window to Christopher Marlowe in

Poets' Corner Poets' Corner is the name traditionally given to a section of the South Transept of Westminster Abbey in the City of Westminster, London because of the high number of poets, playwrights, and writers buried and commemorated there. The first poe ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

Personal life

Wells is married to novelist

Susan Hill Dame Susan Hill, Lady Wells, (born 5 February 1942) is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include ''The Woman in Black'', '' The Mist in the Mirror'', and '' I'm the King of the Castle'', for which she received t ...

, and the couple was once considered part of the "Gloucestershire mafia" set of well-connected writers and socialites. They separated around 2011. He is the father of author Jessica Ruston and of Clemency Wells. Imogen, Hill and Wells' second-born child, died in infancy.

Honours

Wells was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in the 2007 Birthday Honours for services to literature. He was knighted in the

2016 Birthday Honours The 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

for services to scholarship. Wells was awarded an honorary DLitt by the

University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

in 2008. In 2016, he was awarded the President's Medal by the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...

"for his lifetime service to the study, knowledge and enjoyment of William Shakespeare".

Commonwealth honours

; Commonwealth honours

Scholastic

;Honorary degrees

Awards

Major publications

*''Re-Editing Shakespeare for the Modern Reader'' (1984) *''The Oxford Dictionary of Shakespeare'' (1998) *''Shakespeare in the Theatre: An Anthology of Criticism'' (2000) *''Shakespeare: The Poet and his Plays'' (2001) *''The Oxford Shakespeare:

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'' (2001) *''Shakespeare For All Time'' (2002)Holden, Anthony
"All Wells End Well"
review of ''Shakespeare For All Time''. ''The Guardian'', 1 December 2002. *''Shakespeare & Co.'' (2006) *''Shakespeare, Sex, and Love'' (2010) *''Shakespeare Beyond Doubt'' (editor with Paul Edmondson, 2013) *''Great Shakespearean Actors'' (2015) *''The Shakespeare Circle'' (editor, 2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Stanley 1930 births Living people Academics of the University of Birmingham Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Shakespearean scholars Alumni of University College London Writers from Kingston upon Hull Knights Bachelor Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Birmingham Recipients of the President's Medal (British Academy)