Michael Pennington’s fascinating book Sweet William: Twenty Thousand Hours with Shakespeare has been named among the nominees for the sixth Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography.

An illuminating exploration of Shakespeare’s life and work, Sweet William is a collection of essays from a leading actor and director, whose solo show on Shakespeare has been acclaimed throughout Europe and the US. Full of practical analysis, wonderfully detailed and entertaining interpretations of characters and scenes, and vivid reflections of Shakespeare’s theatre and ours, the book has been praised by a wide range of critics, with Speaking English calling it ‘the most important and best set of original Shakespeare essays… in over thirty years’.

Established in 2008, the Prize is to honour Sheridan Morley’s career as the author of 37 books, the majority of which were biographies, including the authorised lives of Sir John Gielgud, Sir Noel Coward, and David Niven. Nick Hern Books has had success at the 'Sherrys' since their inception, with previous nominees including Taking Stock by Max Stafford-Clark and Philip Roberts, Talking Theatre by Richard Eyre, and The Reluctant Escapologist by Mike Bradwell. Simon Callow's book My Life in Pieces won the Prize in 2010.

The Prize is judged by a distinguished jury of theatrical and literary practitioners, and this year includes theatre critic Mark Shenton, director and founding Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange in Manchester, Braham Murray, and actor and writer Isla Blair. The winner will be announced on 27 February.