Less (novel)

Less

File:Less (Andrew Sean Greer).png First edition cover
Author	Andrew Sean Greer
Illustrator	Lilli Carré
Cover artist	Leo Espinosa (art) Julianna Lee (design)
Country	United States
Publisher	Lee Boudreaux Books
Publication date	July 18, 2017
Pages	272
Awards	Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2018)
ISBN	978-0-316-31612-5
OCLC	962814984
Dewey Decimal	813/.54
LC Class	PS3557.R3987 L47 2017

Less is a 2017 satirical comedy novel by American author Andrew Sean Greer. It follows writer Arthur Less while he travels the world on a literary tour to numb his loss of the man he loves.

It won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Plot

Arthur Less is a 49-year-old gay writer of middling success from San Francisco, known primarily for having once been in a relationship with an older man, Robert Brownburn, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. He first experienced moderate success with his debut novel, but in the decades since has struggled to garner the same success. His most recent novel, Swift, has recently been rejected by his publisher. Arthur, who is dreading his 50th birthday, is suddenly invited to the wedding of his ex-lover, Freddy Pelu. In attempt to avoid the wedding, Arthur goes on an extensive overseas trip after accepting invitations to the numerous literary engagements which he typically declines.

He first travels to New York City to interview writer H.H.H. Mandern, and then to Mexico City for a conference about Robert. In Turin, Arthur attends an award ceremony where, to his surprise, he wins. He later accepts a teaching offer for a creative writing seminar in Berlin. After a layover in Paris where he meets an old friend, Arthur travels to Morocco to celebrate his 50th birthday in the Sahara. He eventually arrives in India, where he accepts a writer-in-residence at a Christian retreat community in Kerala. Finally, he travels to Japan to write as a food critic. After hearing that Robert has suffered a stroke, Arthur returns home to San Francisco where he finds Freddy there waiting for him.

Background

The book covers themes such as romantic love, relationships, aging, and travel. Greer began writing Less as a "very serious novel" but found that "the only way to write about [being gay and aging] is to make it a funny story. And I found that by making fun of myself, I could actually get closer to real emotion – closer to what I wanted in my more serious books."

Reception

Less won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In reporting the award, the Associated Press accidentally wrote the novel's title as "Fearless." The book also was a New York Times best seller, won the Northern California Book Award, and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction. In May 2019, Less won the Australian Book Industry Award for International Book of the Year, awarded by the Australian Publishers Association.

External links

• Official website