A London writer has penned more than 3,400 Shakespearean-style sonnets, more than 20 times the number written by Shakespeare, and hopes to help spark a revival of the centuries-old poetic form in 2026.
More than 400 years after William Shakespeare made the sonnet one of the most enduring forms of English literature, London-based poet Ryan J-W Smith is continuing the tradition.
Writing under his alter ego of Rogue Shakespeare, Smith has now written more than 3,400 personal, spiritual, political and prophetic sonnets, with the first 1,000 brought together in his new book. He has spent almost two decades using the traditional sonnet form as a kind of poetic diary, chronicling his life, relationships, travels, beliefs and observations on the changing world.
Smith describes his work as a 17-year ‘secret diary’ written entirely in strict rhyming iambic pentameter and says that he hopes his new book will share his joy and passion for creating poetry with readers young and old, saying: “I hope to inspire people to put down their phones and AI, pick up a pen and notebook, and start rhyming their way to spiritual fulfilment and calm.”
Smith’s verse, in the form of his plays, has already received numerous accolades, including an OFFIES Award, Hollywood Fringe International Awards and an Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award nomination. He now incorporates the feat of creating quick-fire sonnets into his show The Rogue Shakespeare Experience – Live, where the audience challenges him to write sonnets on any subjects of their choosing.
And while Shakespeare may have stopped at 154, Rogue Shakespeare is showing no signs of stopping. More than four centuries after Shakespeare’s death, Smith hopes to show that the sonnet is not simply a literary form preserved in history books – it can still be used to document a life, explore contemporary issues and react to the world around us.
Rogue Shakespeare’s Sonnets – Truth in Verse – Part I: The Path to Enlightenment in the Brave New World is out now, available from all good book stores.
