Malorie Blackman: 'Othello was the first thing I read that actually featured a black character'

Since Noughts and Crosses was published 15 years ago, Malorie Blackman has been a permanent fixture in the hearts of countless YA readers. As she releases her new book, Chasing the Stars, we speak to her about graphic novels, saving our libraries and why she decided to set her Shakespeare tale in deep space

Read the first chapter of Chasing the Stars

Former children’s laureate Malorie Blackman is one of the nation’s most loved teen authors, with a passion for sci-fi, V for Vendetta and Shakespeare. In her new novel, Chasing the Stars, she re-imagines one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Othello. Rather than being set in Elizabethan Cyprus however, the action takes place on a giant space ship, and Othello himself is no longer a soldier, but a teenage girl called Vee. We caught up with Malorie to find out more.

Chasing the Stars is based on Shakespeare’s play Othello, why did you choose Othello for your inspiration?

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