In 2022, The Polish Shakespeare Association is for the first time organizing a competition for “Prospero’s Book” (Księga Prospera), an award for the most interesting stage reading of William Shakespeare’s works. Members of the PSA who are part of the jury will be watching all plays shown as part of the 26th Shakespeare Festival in Gdańsk, regardless of category and country of origin, and will select a winner from among them, which will be awarded a symbolic diploma. We want to recognise the scenic interpretation of Shakespeare’s works which, in the jury’s opinion, most accurately helps to make sense of the modern world and will remain long in the memory of the audience. Despite the prize being awarded by the Polish Shakespeare Association, it is not just about the ‘Polish’ perspective, for the local cannot be separated from the global, and the great and the small of history are constantly intertwined, as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine clearly show us today.