Verdi's Shakespeare: Men of the Theater

*Look out for a new book from Garry Wills, What the Qur'an Meant*, coming fall 2017.

"Riveting . . . a double-barreled salvo that hits two bull's-eyes." -*The New York Times Book Review**This dazzling study of the three operas that Giuseppe Verdi adapted from Shakespeare's plays takes readers on a wonderfully engaging journey through opera, music, literature, history, and the nature of genius. Verdi's Shakespeare explores the writing and staging of Macbetto (Macbeth), Otello (Othello), and Falstaff*, operas by Verdi, an Italian composer who could not read a word of English but who adored Shakespeare. Delving into the fast-paced worlds of these men and the hands-on life of the stage that at once challenged them and gave flight to their brilliance, Wills, in his inimitable way, illuminates the birth of artistic creation.