The Tragedy of Arthur

The Tragedy of Arthur is a 2011 novel by American author Arthur Phillips. The narrative concerns the publication of a recently discovered Arthurian play attributed to William Shakespeare, which the main narrator, "Arthur Phillips", believes to be a forgery produced by his father. It was published by Random House.

The book takes the form of an edition of the play The Tragedy of Arthur, along with an extensive introduction and footnotes by Phillips, and additional notes by the publishers who argue for the play's authenticity. The introduction also serves as a memoir of the protagonist as he tells the story of his family and their connection to the apocryphal text.

Critics have reviewed the book positively. It was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

The book opens with a Preface by the editors of Random House, introducing the text as the "first modern edition of The Tragedy of Arthur by William Shakespeare." It provides a brief summary of the Shakespearean canon and Apocrypha, claiming that The Tragedy of Arthur is "the first certain addition to Shakespeare's canon since the seventeenth century." They also thank Professor Roland Verre for his research confirming the play's authenticity, as well as Peter Bryce, David Crystal, Tom Clayton, and Ward Elliott for their efforts. Finally, the Preface thanks Arthur Phillips for writing an Introduction, as well as for editing and annotating the text of the play. However, Random House strongly recommends that readers read the play before the introduction, "allowing Shakespeare to speak for himself, at least at first," before perusing Phillips' "very personal Introduction" or "the many other commentaries sure to be available soon."

The Introduction is written by Arthur Phillips, a fictionalized version of the author, who opens the Introduction by admitting that he "never much liked Shakespeare." Phillips qualifies his lack of interest in the Bard, and notes that The Tragedy of Arthur could plausibly be the work of Shakespeare, as it is "as good as most of his stuff, or as bad." Even though Phillips admits that he is not a memoirist, and his reputation may be damaged by this story, he insists that: "to understand this play, its history, and how it came to be here, a certain quantity of [his] autobiography is unavoidable."