The Iguana

When young Count Aleardo di Grees sails from Milan, he chances upon an uncharted island off the coast of Portugal. The island is Ocana, said to belong to the devil. Intrigued, the Count drops anchor and is welcomed by the young Portuguese marquis who lives there. That evening, dinner is served by the family's servant, Estrellita, a "shrunken old woman" who is actually an iguana dressed in women's clothes. The Count is fascinated by this creature, and his fascination becomes pity, obsession, even desire. Is Estrellita indeed the embodiment of evil, as the marquis seems to believe, or is she simply an innocent beast cruelly maligned? This strange and lyric novel was first published in Italy in 1965 and winner of the prestigious Fiuggi Prize.