I, Iago: A Novel (edition 2012)

William Shakespeare's Iago is a monster, the personification of evil that enjoys the destruction of the lives around him. Nicole Galland in 'I, Iago,'introduces the reader to the man behind the legend. And he is in all senses truly a man of his time.

The youngest in a wily Venetian family, the young Iago displays an honest streak that puts him at odds with his peers. An honest man for his time, the young Iago embraces the soldier's life, wins the love of a worthy woman, and earns the respect of his general. And it is here that Galland's complex story depicts the deception and betrayal that set Iago on his quest for vengeance.

"I, Iago" is a creative rendering of the death of a man's soul. There were times that I felt as if I were staring at a roadside fatality. ( )

Loved this re-telling of the classic story. Very well written, and an extremely interesting view of the characters we all know so well. Will definitely read more by this author! ( )

From Nicole Galland, acclaimed author of The Fool's Tale, comes a marvelous evocation of a distant time and place . . . and a breathtaking reexamination of one of literature's classic villains

From earliest childhood, the precocious boy called Iago had inconvenient tendencies toward honesty—a failing that made him an embarrassment to his family and an outcast in the corrupt culture of glittering Renaissance Venice. Embracing military life as an antidote to the frippery of Venetian society, Iago won the love of the beautiful Emilia and the regard of Venice's revered General Othello. After years of abuse and rejection, Iago was poised to achieve everything he had ever fought for and dreamed of . . .

But a cascade of unexpected deceptions propels him on a catastrophic quest for righteous vengeance, contorting his moral compass until he has betrayed his closest friends and family, and sealed his own fate as one of the most notorious villains of all time.

Inspired by William Shakespeare's classic tragedy Othello—a timeless tale of friendship and treachery, love and jealousy—Galland's I, Iago sheds fascinating new light on a complex soul, and on the conditions and fateful events that helped to create a monster.

Shakespeare’s Othello is one of his four great tragedies along with Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Lear. I especially enjoy teaching Othello, which I alternate with Lear. When I heard about Galland’s novel, I, Iago, which is part prequel and all retelling of the story from Iago’s point of view, I eagerly awaited its rise to the top of my TBR pile. This recently published novel is great fun – especially for those familiar with the play.

I won’t go into any of the details of the plot – if the play is not familiar territory, this novel would be a great introduction. But the real fun is in noticing lines and characters from the play as they pop up almost from page one. So, I would advise reading the play first.

Othello has some of the great lines from the Bard: “green-eyed monster,” “the beast with two backs,” and, of course, Iago’s final line in the play, “Ask me nothing, … What you know, you know. From this time forth I will not speak another word” (368). Some of these lines Galland alters slightly, but the essence is always there.

Galland recounts Iago’s early days from his childhood pranks with his boyhood friend, Rodrigo to his relationship with his father, and the origin of the epithet, “Honest Iago.”

Even though I knew exactly how the plot would spin out, the last hundred pages or so were thrilling as the downhill side of the highest roller coaster in the land.

Incidentally, I think the 1995 Kenneth Branagh, Lawrence Fishburne, and Irène Jacob Othello is a most interesting and accessible version of the play. 5 stars

--Jim, 6/13/12 ( )

I really liked this book. It was cleverly written and offered a fresh perspective on a character that before we only had a one-sided prespective (from Shakespeare). Quite creative, I recommend it! ( )