Mohsin Hamid, The Last White Man

Saba Karim Khan (Independent Scholar - Asia)

Ed. by Muneeza Shamsie, Independent Scholar - Asia
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.3.2: Pakistani and Bangladeshi Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Claire Gallien (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3), Sarker Hasan Al Zayed (Independent University Bangladesh), Pavan Kumar Malreddy (J W Goethe University of Frankfurt), Delphine Munos (Université de Liège), Muneeza Shamsie (Independent Scholar - Asia), Niaz Zaman (Independent University Bangladesh)

Dates

First circulation or publication 2022

Places

Bangladesh (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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Mohsin Hamid’s fifth novel,

The Last White Man

(2022), invites us to imagine a world where coexistence is the currency. Hamid’s novels have always intrigued with their titles, and

The Last White Man

is no different. Among the many rewards the novel promises and delivers is that it stays true to its rather provocative title right to the end.

The politics and complexities of how we see and are seen are at the heart of The Last White Man. The performance of race, the desperation to maintain the status quo and cling to privilege, the ensuing disruption and necessary chaos, imbued with quiet confidence and a craving to do better, combine to create a narrative milieu in which social constructions of reality – often mistaken for unassailable truths – take centre stage. Ultimately,

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3133 words

Citation: Khan, Saba Karim. "The Last White Man". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 May 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41602, accessed 09 May 2024.]

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