Last Word

the long version

"Mamoon Azam is an eminent Indian-born writer who has made a career in England--but now, in his early seventies, his reputation is fading, his book sales are nonexistent, and his flamboyant second wife's expensive habits are bleeding him dry. In an attempt to revitalize his career and reputation, Mamoon's publisher commissions Harry, an ambitious young writer, to pen the famous writer's biography. Honored and slightly intimidated, Harry promises himself that he will present an unbiased look at his literary hero--but Mamoon's publisher is after a more naked truth, a salacious tale of the author's life that will generate headlines. Meanwhile, Mamoon is less than cooperative. Vain, breathtakingly cynical, and cruelly manipulative, Mamoon turns out to have a hidden agenda of his own. Harry and Mamoon find themselves in a battle of wills, but which of them will have the last word? The ensuing struggle for dominance raises questions of love and desire, loyalty and betrayal, and the frailties of age versus the recklessness of youth. A poignant and brilliantly entertaining book, THE LAST WORD is a tale of youthful exuberance, as hilarious as it is moving, and is Kureishi's most important work to date"--