I, Judas: A Novel

by James Reich

Judas Iscariot is the historical symbol of betrayal. But what really happened at the Garden of Gethsemane? What really compelled Judas to hang himself from a tree? I, Judas reimagines Iscariot’s relationship to Jesus Christ and explores Judas's orchestration of the elaborate con of the divinity of Jesus Christ, subverting the legend of Judas as he inhabits some of our most notorious literary and historic figures in their darkest hours. Custer, Sexton, Van These famous suicides converge through the figure of Judas in a cutting-edge piece of fiction that exposes the dangers of seeking universal truths in myth.

Genres: Fiction, Religion, Historical Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

James Reich is a novelist, essayist, and journalist. He is the author of The Moth for the Star (7.13 Books, September 2023), The Song My Enemies Sing, Soft Invasions, Mistah Kurtz! A Prelude to Heart of Darkness (Anti-Oedipus Press), Bombshell, and I, Judas (Counterpoint/Soft Skull). His psychoanalytic monograph Wilhelm Reich versus The Flying Saucers is forthcoming from Punctum Books. He is also the author of The Holly King, a limited-edition collection of poetry.

James is a contributor to SPIN Magazine, and his nonfiction has been published by Salon, Huffington Post, The Rumpus, International Times, Sensitive Skin Magazine, The Weeklings, Entropy, The Nervous Breakdown, Fiction Advocate, and others. His account of innovations in British science fiction is published by Bloomsbury in its ‘Decades’ series, The 1960s. His work has also appeared in the editions of Deep Ends: The J.G. Ballard Anthology, Akashic Books’ ‘Noir’ series, and various anthologies of fiction and criticism.

James was born in Stroud, Gloucestershire in the West of England, and has been a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, since 2009. He was greatly influenced by early exposure to the poetry of Dylan Thomas, and by a small book on dadaism, and later by Andy Warhol, the Beats, science fiction, psychoanalysis, punk rock, and the films of Ken Russell and Nic Roeg. Norman Mailer, Sylvia Plath, J.G. Ballard, Anne Sexton, Paul Bowles, D.H. Lawrence, and Lars von Trier are also vital constellations in his work.

Reviews

[Wes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Judas Iscariot has come unstuck in time. James Reich's sparky, visceral debut novel begins where the Judas story as we know it ends - with the continuation of Judas' descent from the tree, into Hell and Judecca. This underworld will be familiar to readers of Dante and Milton, but is also furnished with the modern and mechanical trappings of other infamous suicides. From the frozen wasteland, Reich's Judas tells us how he has come to inhabit all suicides and betrayals in history and literature. So, the novel becomes an exploration of the strange-seeming links between many celebrated figures who have taken their own lives, and a literary forging of links where there were none before. It is then, also, increasingly and finally, a retelling of the gospel story - one in which everything you think you know about the Greatest Story Ever Told is revisited, twisted and turned on its head. If it feels along the way as if you're being told secret truths about the life of Christ, you're also never allowed to forget that these stories are straight from the tongue of the man of Kerioth, the original unreliable narrator.

Reich gives Biblical Jerusalem and Galilee "sawdust and sweat". Every story in the book is a sensual feast, and each a fresh imaginative exploration of an ancient or modern legend. Judas is the bent prism through which he gives us a glimpse of his mind here. Unhesitatingly recommended.

[Carlos Repuestodelatabla · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title attests, it is the story, or perhaps I should say a story, of Judas Iscariot. But this is not, does not attempt to be, a history. Rather, it is a poetic discourse of the role of the Judas figure through time, especially in relation to the Christ. It is anchored in the biblical era — in fact it is anchored in biblical language — but it easily changes time periods with the assumption of the Judas role, characterised by betrayal or suicide, in other historical figures. Some of these are familiar subjects for those acquainted with James' songs, e.g., Jacques Rigaut, the early Dadaist suicide, also the title of a Venus Bogardus (James' band) song. Whether Salome, Bob Dylan or Van Gogh, the reader must put together the pieces of this Judas continuum to understand the essence of the book. Judas always stands in relation to Jesus, his boyhood friend, lifelong companion and instrument of Judas' influence. The two are familiar human types: Judas, smart, cynical, perceptive; Jesus, impressionably naïve but with the deadly combination of idealistic severity and wild passion.
The book is not without humour, some of it found in the depiction of Jesus, other often with the interjection and juxtaposition of modern scenes with the ancient: Jesus addressing journalists during the Baghdad bombings of this century, Pontius Pilate enforcing a no-fly zone from the aircraft carrier USS Eldritch.
While reading through I, Judas, I often felt that I was reading the lost Gospel According to William Burroughs. The writing is surely influenced by Burroughs, not the random cut-and-paste that he became misunderstood for, but for the dreamlike, deep description and absolutely personal quality, the almost forensic sensual awareness of our physical bodies, blood and organs, bloom and decay, all very much evident in the first half of I, Judas; it somewhat gives way to the episodic story line in latter parts, but makes a potent return at the end.
William Burroughs is, of course, not the only influence here. I often thought of Flaubert's Salammbô with its bloody sensuality, historical setting and redolently lush prose. Generally, though, James Reich is a sensible product of 20th century literature, Faulkner, Joyce, Cortazar, Ginsberg, Dylan, with a healthy respect for biblical prose thrown in — and perhaps one other stretch, not a writer: film maker Kenneth Anger. Not only for the similar blasphemy and humour of Scorpio Rising, but for the juxtaposition of time, the imagery and the general causticism of Anger's work.
Beyond all these influences and interpretations, there is one thing that sets James Reich's I Judas apart, and that is the quality of his writing. While it's pretty clear James has a big brain, filled with encyclopedic knowledge, the attribute that serves him, and the reader, best is his surprising ability to strike home continually with an exalted, consummate phrase, paragraph, even a word. All the other qualities of the book indicate a fascinating thinker; this last means a genuine writer.

[Akira Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a long literary tradition of attempts to understand and/or interpret Judas, and this novel comes as, what is to me, an interesting and unique take on the question. (The closest literary approach I can think of is Borges's "Three Versions of Judas," but Reich takes things further and in a more interesting direction).

But for me, what sold me on the text, beyond the general notion of trying to explain Judas and flesh him out as a person, is that Reich's prose can be just breathtaking. The man can craft a sentence and weave those sentences into paragraphs and passages that are often beautiful. He also has a knack for reeling off long lists of things that grow increasingly more surreal and entertaining. It's the sort of writing that I find engaging and, as a writer myself, fascinating in its craftsmanship.

Probably not a book for everyone. Those averse to a bit of casual blasphemy or who have a lot invested in more traditional takes on Judas might have some trouble with the book. For all others, this is damned fine writing.

[Tidewatered · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously this is a book about Judas Iscariot, only if Judas was a mash of Lee Harvey Oswald, Sylvia Plath, Van Gogh and hundreds of others. It's a disjointed puzzle that slowly rebuilds a picture of the Bible from piles of bodies. It's twisted but poignant. The writer James Reich works in science fiction ideas, gothic horror and modern tv culture and Jesus Christ Superstar. I read this book after seeing a review from Julie Powell on Amazon. If you liked Live from Golgotha: The Gospel According to Gore Vidal you should like this. But not if you are a commited christian.

[Lynne Nunyabidness · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who like their fiction linear and non-anachronistic, this may not be the book for you. I'm indifferent in these matters, so once I got used to the jumps in time and such (imagine Levites riding up on their motorcycles to John the Baptist's spot in the river), I liked the story a great deal. Judas isn't an entirely sympathetic character, but he's honest, probably more so than Jesus. Reich spins a lyrical and creative yarn about how myths and mythical figures are made, but without being deliberately pretentious and nebulous.

[Trent · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love great prose, you’ll love this book for that alone. Reich is a master wordsmith, conjuring amazingly vivid imagery, building an entire world peppered with symbolism, philosophy, cultural references, all wrapped up in a bundle of thought-provoking entertainment. If you are looking to be entertained, I, Judas will work for you. If you’re looking for something that speaks on a deeper level, I, Judas will also likely be your cup of tea.

James Reich is a great writer. I’m certainly looking forward to his new one.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artsy, at times confusing. This book shows Judas Iscariot looking back on his life, but mostly on the leading role he plays in Jesus' life according to this story. Judas is ruthless, erotic, dramatic, strict and intelligent. But Jesus comes across as an easily impressed person who, because of Judas and their close realtionship, became who he became. Although Judas helped create him, he himself became the inevitable scapegoat. The author illustrates this by writting about other fames scapegoats, Judasses and suicidal famous figures like Vincent van Gogh. This books mixes the old and the new!