The Last White Man

Last updated
The Last White Man
The-last-white-man.jpg
Author Mohsin Hamid
LanguageEnglish
PublisherPenguin Publishing Group
Publication date
August 2, 2022
ISBN 9780593538814

The Last White Man is a 2022 novel by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid. It is Hamid's fifth novel. [1] The main themes of the book are love, loss, change, and identity. [2]

Contents

Summary

The novel uses the technique of magical realism, and it is about a white man, Anders, who one morning wakes up to find himself changed to a darker skin color and a different, unfamiliar appearance. Soon, more people begin to experience the same changes, and society finds itself divided and puzzled with questions about race, privilege, loss, love, belonging. [3]

Hamid published a short story on the same theme as 'The Face in the Mirror' in the same year as the novel. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Baldwin</span> American writer (1924–1987)

James Arthur Baldwin was an American writer and civil rights activist. He garnered acclaim for his work across several forms, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, was published in 1953; decades later, Time magazine included the novel on its list of the 100 best English-language novels released from 1923 to 2005. His first essay collection, Notes of a Native Son, was published in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles W. Chesnutt</span> Writer, activist, and lawyer

Charles Waddell Chesnutt was an American author, essayist, political activist and lawyer, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity in the post-Civil War South. Two of his books were adapted as silent films in 1926 and 1927 by the African-American director and producer Oscar Micheaux. Following the Civil Rights Movement during the 20th century, interest in the works of Chesnutt was revived. Several of his books were published in new editions, and he received formal recognition. A commemorative stamp was printed in 2008.

Orlando: A Biography is a novel by Virginia Woolf, first published on 11 October 1928. Inspired by the tumultuous family history of the aristocratic poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West, Woolf's lover and close friend, it is arguably one of her most popular novels; Orlando is a history of English literature in satiric form. The book describes the adventures of a poet who changes sex from man to woman and lives for centuries, meeting the key figures of English literary history. Considered a feminist classic, the book has been written about extensively by scholars of women's writing and gender and transgender studies.

<i>The Face on the Milk Carton</i> 1990 book by Caroline B. Cooney

The Face on the Milk Carton is a young adult mystery novel written by author Caroline B. Cooney that was first published in 1990. The first in the five-book Janie Johnson series, it was later adapted into a film for television. The book is about a 15-year-old girl named Janie Johnson, who starts to suspect that her parents may have kidnapped her and that her biological parents are somewhere in New Jersey. These suspicions come after Janie recognizes a picture of herself on a milk carton under the heading "Missing Child." Janie's life gets more stressful as she tries to find the truth while hiding the secret from her parents.

<i>Candy Candy</i> Japanese novel and its adaptations

Candy Candy is a Japanese series created by Japanese writer Keiko Nagita under the pen name Kyoko Mizuki. The main character, Candice "Candy" White Ardley, is a blonde girl with freckles, large emerald green eyes and long hair, worn in pigtails with bows. Candy Candy first appeared as a manga in April 1975, written by Mizuki and illustrated by manga artist Yumiko Igarashi, a collaboration which was put together by the Japanese magazine Nakayoshi who were interested in recreating a "masterpiece" manga in the same vein as Heidi, Anne of Green Gables and other famous classic titles of literature read predominantly by young girls. The manga series ran for four years and won the 1st Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1977. The story was adapted into an anime series by Toei Animation. There are also three animated short films.

<i>Giovannis Room</i> 1956 novel by James Baldwin

Giovanni's Room is a 1956 novel by James Baldwin. The book focuses on the events in the life of an American man living in Paris and his feelings and frustrations with his relationships with other men in his life, particularly an Italian bartender named Giovanni whom he meets at a Parisian gay bar.

<i>Their Eyes Were Watching God</i> (film) 2005 American TV series or program

Their Eyes Were Watching God is a 2005 American television drama film based upon Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Darnell Martin, written by Suzan-Lori Parks, Misan Sagay, and Bobby Smith Jr., and produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. It stars Halle Berry, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Michael Ealy, and aired on ABC on March 6, 2005.

The publishing industry in Pakistan is hampered both by a low literacy rate (65%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohsin Hamid</span> British Pakistani writer

Mohsin Hamid is a British Pakistani novelist, writer and brand consultant. His novels are Moth Smoke (2000), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013), Exit West (2017), and The Last White Man (2022).

<i>Moth Smoke</i> 2000 novel by Mohsin Hamid

Moth Smoke is the debut novel by British Pakistani novelist Mohsin Hamid, published in 2000. It tells the story of Darashikoh Shezad, a banker in Lahore, Pakistan, who loses his job, falls in love with his best friend's wife, and plunges into a life of drugs and crime. It uses the historical trial of the liberal Mughal prince Dara Shikoh by his brother Aurangzeb as an allegory for the state of Pakistan at the time of the 1998 nuclear tests.

<i>The Reluctant Fundamentalist</i> 2007 novel by Mohsin Hamid

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a "metafictional" novel by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid, published in 2007.

Racial passing occurs when a person who is classified as a member of a racial group is accepted or perceived ("passes") as a member of another racial group.

<i>The Book Thief</i> 2006 novel by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is a historical fiction novel by the Australian author Markus Zusak, set in Nazi Germany during World War II. Published in 2006, The Book Thief became an international bestseller and was translated into 63 languages and sold 17 million copies. It was adapted into the 2013 feature film, The Book Thief.

<i>Trumpet</i> (novel) 1998 book by Jackie Kay

Trumpet is the debut novel from Scottish writer and poet Jackie Kay, published in 1998. It chronicles the life and death of fictional jazz artist Joss Moody through the recollections of his family, friends and those who came in contact with him at his death. Kay stated in an interview that her novel was inspired by the life of Billy Tipton, an American jazz musician who lived secretly as a transgender man in the mid-twentieth century.

<i>Caucasia</i> (novel)

Caucasia (1998) is the first novel written by American author, Danzy Senna. It is the coming-of-age story of two multiracial girls, Birdie Lee and her sister Cole, who have a Caucasian mother and an African American father. The novel is set in Boston, Massachusetts, during the turbulent mid-1970s.

<i>Evelyns Husband</i> Book by Charles Chesnutt

Evelyn's Husband is a novel published by the University of Mississippi in 2005 from an unpublished manuscript by African American author Charles W. Chesnutt which was edited by Matthew Wilson and Marjan Van Schaik. In addition to being an author, Chesnutt was an educator, lawyer and political activist who was involved in the early works of the NAACP.

<i>How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia</i> 2013 novel by Mohsin Hamid

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asiais Mohsin Hamid's third novel, published in 2013 by Hamish Hamilton in the United Kingdom and Riverhead Books in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Jenkins</span> American filmmaker

Barry Jenkins is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film My Josephine (2003), he directed his first feature film Medicine for Melancholy (2008) for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature. He is also a member of The Chopstars collective as a creative collaborator.

<i>Exit West</i> 2017 novel by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid

Exit West is a 2017 novel by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid. It is Hamid's fourth novel. The main themes of the novel are emigration and refugee problems. The novel, which can be considered fantasy or speculative fiction, is about a young couple, Saeed and Nadia, who live in an unnamed city undergoing civil war and finally have to flee, using a system of magical doors that lead to different locations around the globe.

<i>Of One Blood</i> (novel) 1902–1903 novel by Pauline Hopkins

Of One Blood: Or, The Hidden Self is a novel by author Pauline Hopkins that was serialized in The Colored American Magazine from November 1902 to November 1903, during the four-year period in which Hopkins served as its editor. The novel follows the adventures of Reuel, a mixed-race American, as he travels to Nubia from America searching for treasure. The novel explores issues of love, identity, trauma and spirituality through the perspective of the African-American community.

References

  1. "The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  2. Gunaratne, Guy (2022-08-03). "The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid review – a hypnotic race fable". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  3. "'The Last White Man' spins a deft, if narrow, fantasy about identity". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  4. Mohsin Hamid, 'The Face in the Mirror', New Yorker (May 16, 2022), 60–67.