The Last Man

New English translation of this "demise of the human race" story.

Originally published in French in 1805, The Last Man is a powerful story of the demise of the human race. Drawing on the traditional account in Revelations, The Last Man was the first end-of-the-world story in future fiction. As the first secular apocalypse story, The Last Man served as the departure point for many other speculative fictions of this type throughout the 19th century, including works by Shelley, Flammarion and Wells. Grainville's masterful imagination is evident in the vast scale of the action as Omegarus, the Last Adam, and Syderia, the Last Eve, are led toward the moment when "the light of the sun and the stars is extinguished." This is essential reading for anyone interested in the roots of apocalyptic science fiction.

Author: Jean-Baptiste Fran Cousin de Grainville
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
Published: 01/15/2003
Pages: 220
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.59lbs
Size: 8.62h x 5.78w x 0.61d
ISBN: 9780819566089

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2002 pg. 1510
PW Notes and Reprints 11/11/2002 pg. 46
Publishers Weekly 11/11/2002

About the Author

Jean-Baptiste François Xavier Cousin de Grainville (1746-1805) was ordained a priest in 1766, left the priesthood during the French Revolution, and died in 1805. Le Dernier Homme (The Last Man) was his life's work. A world-renowned scholar of early science fiction, Ian Clarke was Foundation Professor of English Studies at Strathclyde University. Margaret Clarke was a Lecturer in English in a College of Education.