This is gradually opened unprecedented in the history of world culture contradiction - a genuine gap between what they say about the author of Shakespeare's works, and those that show the original documents about the person traditionally by this author is considered, and is the cause of Great Dispute. Today the question about the identity of Shakespeare, "the Shakespearean question" is a scientific problem, since it is based on facts; and, like any scientific problem, it must be resolved by scientific methods, not hopes on tradition and authority or even more on some ideological dogma (regardless of color).

We have the same in the 1930-ies have thought of before, announced all sorts of doubts about the authorship of Shakespeare ideologically hostile, what then is meant could not be explained. And now, several generations of the Soviet Humanities were educated in the spirit of this ridiculous ideological taboos, enclosed them from the fascinating world of debate; the impact is felt yet today.

In fact, there are two competing science of Shakespeare, two of expiratory. The first - traditional, emanating from a belief that William Shakespeare and was a Great Bard. The second is denied, but the question of who, then, was, different researchers give different answers. The multiplicity of hypotheses is common in science, when faced with a difficult problem.

After the book we have, as expected, sparked a pretty heated debate in Newspapers, magazines, radio and television. Interestingly, while I have published work on specific private issues (Dating, identification of prototypes, and the like), avoiding to associate them with the "Shakespeare question" (otherwise they probably at all would not have seen the light), opponents were not. But when in the book this relationship was finally openly demonstrated the phenomenon of "Shakespeare" received a rational explanation to the results of specific studies, along with supporters were the opponents, who declared that they protect the great dramatist from "antisexist", i.e. enemies of Shakespeare.

But it is not about "exposure" or "overthrow" of Shakespeare, and its attainment! Many of the facts indicates that we are not just frequent in the history of literature the use of a pseudonym, and the Great Game, the most brilliant creation of a genius playwright, the scene of which was Time itself, and the role of not only spectators, but participants allocated successive generations of mortals. Those who are currently struggling guarding the sealed door to the inner sanctum of the Theater of the Time, not knowing what is behind them, too, fulfill their intended role. Is not affected by the attainment of Shakespeare, no one, including William Shakespeare from Stratford: when will it be understood that he was not a Great Singer, but a few centuries is properly performed its role, the world is not only not turn away from the Stratford relics, but will honor them in new ways.

As for the opponents, then debate them useful, as they are forced to think, to check the facts and arguments, to stimulate scientific research. However, it should be noted that after the disappearance of "ideological taboos" we have started to appear not only informative and serious analytical work on the "Shakespeare question", but also lightweight, and even just a parody full of speculation and wild fantasy works "the secret history of Shakespeare", confusing in the eyes of the reader a complex and extremely important for the entire world culture problem.

Those who are seriously interested in this problem, we have to learn how to distinguish fantastic build from the true facts. Most important: the book was translated into English and recently published in the USA. World centers, of course, are in England and America, and that is where it would be desirable to expand the discussion around the book and contained facts, ideas and hypotheses.

The point is not easy. The vast majority of American (and English) University professors adhere to traditional literature, imbibed from childhood notions about Shakespeare and used "threshold" to cast all sorts of doubts about the historical authenticity of the tradition. You can expect that, even noticing the "Game about William Shakespeare" in the book market, scientists-reviewers try to just dismiss her, without going into the merits of the case, not to mention the details of how they usually go with books by foreign authors, whose views are unacceptable for them.

So the book will have to thoroughly compete for the attention of readers to the ideas and hypotheses that it carries in itself, became the subject of a full debate. Some optimism gives rise to the fact that some of my ideas and hypotheses previously received recognition from the Western experts (though with no connection with the "Shakespeare question", someone should be able to scare). Encourages the reaction of the first readers: at the international festival in Verbie (Switzerland) in July 2003, the newly released copies of the English edition of "Game about William Shakespeare" publicly read and actively discussed in the framework of the literary program in the period of eight days. In General, the chances - albeit not very large - to start a discussion in the very heart of Orthodoxy is, and time will tell whether they will be able to use them.

The discussions are needed in order to stimulate the expansion and deepening of research in directions that have already proven their potential to attract to the participation of Western experts.