The Last Tasmanian
- Publisher
- Goose Lane Editions
- Initial publish date
- Aug 2001
- Category
- Literary, Humorous
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780864923172
- Publish Date
- Aug 2001
- List Price
- $18.99
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Description
Winner, Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award
Shortlisted, Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Canada and the Caribbean
The Last Tasmanian has reaped more national and international recognition than any other novel by Herb Curtis. First published in 1991, it has remained in print continuously in its original edition and later in The Brennen Siding Trilogy. Now it's available again as a separate volume in the GLE Library Series.
Brennen Siding, a hamlet on a small tributary of the famous Miramichi River, is home to an unforgettable crew — Shadrack Nash and his friend Dryfly Ramsey; Dry's mother, the homely, destitute Shirley, and Nutbeam, the big-eared hermit she marries; the American sports who come to the Cabbage Island Salmon Club to fish; and, above all, Hilda Porter, the elderly schoolteacher who treasures the story of Trucanini, the last Tasmanian on earth. Hilda herself is the last of the Porters, and, amid the invasion of TV, Elvis, and rich Americans, Shad and Dry may be the last true natives of Brennen Siding.
About the author
Herb Curtis (b. 1949) has lived all his life in New Brunswick; he moves between Fredericton and the Miramichi, where he guides visiting salmon fishermen. His masterpiece, The Brennan Siding Trilogy (Goose Lane, 1997), is a compilation of his first three novels, The Americans Are Coming (1989, 1999), The Last Tasmanian (1991, 2001) and The Lone Angler (1993). A different version of "The Party" appears in The Last Tasmanian.
Awards
- Short-listed, Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Canada and the Caribbean
- Winner, Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award
Editorial Reviews
"Quite simply, this is a wonderful book. It has everything that anyone in search of a splendid read could possibly want."
<i>Books in Canada</i>
"Curtis's writing is confident, filled with startling images and witty, incisive stabs at Canadian issues."
<i>Toronto Star</i>
