The Shakespeare Requirement

A Novel

By: Julie Schumacher

Narrated by: Julie Schumacher

A WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune keep hitting beleaguered English professor Jason Fitger right between the eyes in this hilarious and eagerly awaited sequel to the cult classic of anhedonic academe, the Thurber Prize-winning Dear Committee Members.

Once more into the breach...

Now is the fall of his discontent, as Jason Fitger, newly appointed chair of the English Department of Payne University, takes arms against a sea of troubles, personal and institutional. His ex-wife is sleeping with the dean who must approve whatever modest initiatives he undertakes. The fearsome department secretary Fran clearly runs the show (when not taking in rescue parrots and dogs) and holds plenty of secrets she's not sharing. The lavishly funded Econ Department keeps siphoning off English's meager resources and has taken aim at its remaining office space. And Fitger's attempt to get a mossbacked and antediluvian Shakespeare scholar to retire backfires spectacularly when the press concludes that the Bard is being kicked to the curricular curb.

Lord, what fools these mortals be! Julie Schumacher proves the point and makes the most of it in this delicious romp of satire.

Don’t miss Julie Schumacher's new novel, The English Experience, coming soon.

Made me laugh out loud

Painfully ironic and funny. Julie Schumacher’s images, her spot on observations of academic life, and her voice and perfect intonation made the entire experience a delicious escapade.

I loved it!

I enjoyed the first book in what turns out to be a trilogy, and loved this one and look forward to the third. The trials and travails of Professor Fitger and the Eng ish department at Payne University (I purposely dropped a letter in English, though I don’t remember which one is missing in the sign) are told with delectable wit and boundless delightful similes. The eccentric characters are fun to share time with. I’ve taught in underfunded public universities and can assure you that the satire here is only a slight exaggeration of reality. These books could be turned into a great television series. The author narrates the book herself. Her tone is mostly fitting, but I found her pace a bit slow and listened at 1.1 for a better rhythm. I highly recommend this book.

Riotous Academic Satire

Julie Schumacher has done it again. In this followup to her novel Dear Committee, Ms. Schumacher once again sets her sights on skewering the academic world. God, this is a funny book. I've been teaching at the University level in one capacity or another for 20 years now, and this one is so true it hurts! Satire does not get better or funnier than this. I sincerely hope we get more of Jay Fitger and his colleagues at Payne University. I can honestly say that I did not want this book to end. My only complaint is that the book might have been better served with a professional narrator rather than the author, but the book itself is comic gold if you know the academy.

Hilarious. I loved it

There are few books that make me laugh out loud. This was one that did. I didn’t want it to end.

Enjoyable, poignant and very funny

Hapless English department chair fights for the life of his department. The author narrates her own work with deadpan glee. Characters well drawn and real. Cranky poetry of life's surprises adds a heart catching bittersweet quality to this very funny and oddly touching work.