Painting Shakespeare red

"One of the many signs of Shakespeare's exceptional stature in world culture is the endeavor of every political regime of whatever hue to legitimize itself by claiming him as its very own. This book sets out to examine the most recent, and perhaps the most thorough, attempt at such appropriation, undertaken by East-European Communism during the second half of the twentieth century. While the focus is predominantly on Bulgaria, its particular experience is considered as representative of the entire Soviet bloc, to which it belonged for four and a half long decades. And its multiple links with partner-countries in this fold are always kept in view."--BOOK JACKET.