“Taylor Swift really is a poet.”

An expert on William Shakespeare praised Taylor Swift and said that she is a “real poet” like the Bard, one of the best writers in history.

Sir Jonathan Bate, a former Shakespeare professor at Warwick University who wrote an article for The Sunday Times, said that the megastar is more than “just high-class showbiz” and has a “literary sensibility” that was clear from her first record.

In an essay called “Why Taylor Swift is a literary giant,” he said that he had “one of the best nights of [his] life” at one of Swift’s shows.

“After listening to her lyrics, which most of the rapturous (mostly female) audience seemed to know by heart, I confirmed a thought I had 15 years ago: this isn’t just high-class showbiz; Taylor Swift is a real poet,” he said.

The professor said that he first noticed connections to Shakespeare in her song, “You were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles/And my daddy said, “Stay away from Juliet.”

The expert said that the soundtrack was “almost the perfect pop song” because it had a catchy hook, a driving beat, and clever use of the banjo and mandolin.