''The Last King of Scotland'' is a novel by journalist Giles Foden, published by Faber and Faber in 1998. Focusing on the rise of Ugandan President

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern w ...

and his reign as dictator from 1971 to 1979, the novel, which interweaves fiction and historical fact, is written as the memoir of a fictional Scottish doctor in Amin's employ. Foden's novel received critical acclaim and numerous awards when it was published. In 2006, a loose eponymous film adaptation was released.

Plot summary

The protagonist is a fictional character named Nicholas Garrigan, a young Scottish doctor who goes to work in Uganda out of a sense of idealism and adventure, arriving on the day of the 1971 Ugandan coup d'état. He relates how he came to be the personal physician and confidant of Amin, the

president of Uganda The president of the Republic of Uganda is the head of state and the head of government of Uganda. The president leads the executive branch of the government of Uganda and is the commander-in-chief of the Uganda People's Defence Force. The ...

during the Second Republic of Uganda. The novel focuses on Garrigan's relationship and fascination with the president, who soon grows into a brutal and ruthless dictator. Garrigan consciously and repeatedly acts against his better judgment, remaining in Amin's employment until he is far past the point of easy escape physically and morally. Mesmerized by Amin's charm and charisma, he is gradually drawn complicitly into the corruption and brutality of Amin's rule (including his personal participation in the severance of British relations with Uganda, the murder of Kay Amin, the events of

Operation Entebbe Operation Entebbe, also known as the Entebbe Raid or Operation Thunderbolt, was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week ear ...

and the murder of Dora Bloch, and the Uganda-Tanzania War) with fatal results for his friends and colleagues, which Garrigan treats with a mixture of physical disgust; nonchalant, fatalistic acceptance of living under a totalitarian regime; and self-serving denial of culpability.

Development and inspiration

Drawing on his 20 years of living in Africa and his background as a journalist, Foden researched the events surrounding Amin's rise to power and downfall. He interviewed many of those who watched and participated in the Ugandan ruler's eight-year reign and evokes the form of a memoir by inserting fictional newspaper articles and journal entries, along with actual events. In a 1998 interview with the online magazine ''Boldtype'', Foden said he based parts of Garrigan's character on an associate of Amin's named Bob Astles. As a British soldier who worked his way into Amin's favour, Astles was much more "proactive" than Garrigan, according to Foden, and he paid the price by spending six and a half years in a Ugandan jail after the fall of his protector. Astles compromised himself by his direct association with Amin's security forces. While Amin was in power, Astles was alternately either favoured or punished; he was imprisoned and tortured on at least one occasion. Foden drew in part on a lengthy interview with Astles in ''The Times'' by the journalist Paul Vallely, who spoke to Astles in a Ugandan jail after smuggling a message in to Amin's henchman in a Bible. Another real-life figure who has been mentioned in connection with Garrigan is Scottish doctor

Wilson Carswell John Wilson Carswell (born 1937) is a Scottish physician who was one of the first medical researchers to identify HIV/AIDS in Uganda. He graduated from the King's College London with an MBBS in 1961, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Colle ...

. Amin's personal physician was, in fact, a Ugandan doctor called

Paul D'Arbela Professor Paul George D'Arbela MBChB, FRCP, is a Ugandan physician, cardiologist, academic, and medical researcher. According to a 2008 published report, he is a professor of medicine and the dean of postgraduate studies at the Mother Kevin Post ...

. The title of the book refers to Amin's declaring himself the " King of Scotland". Foden claims that the book is an adaptation of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's '' Macbeth'' as a third-world dictator.

Awards and nominations

*1998

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Uni ...

(for fiction) (shortlist) *1998 Whitbread First Novel Award *1998 Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize *1999 Betty Trask Award *1999

Somerset Maugham Award The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each year by the Society of Authors. Set up by William Somerset Maugham in 1947 the awards enable young writers to enrich their work by gaining experience in foreign countries. The awa ...

Editions in print

*1998: New York: Knopf; Distributed by Random House, hardback, (English) *1998: London: Faber Paperbacks, paperback, (English) *1998: Faber and Faber, paperback, (English) *1999: Vintage Books USA, paperback, (English) *1999: Random House USA, hardcover, (English)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last King of Scotland 1998 British novels Costa Book Award-winning works Cultural depictions of Idi Amin Novels set in Uganda Fiction set in the 1970s British novels adapted into films Faber and Faber books Novels based on plays Works based on Macbeth Novels based on works by William Shakespeare fr:The Last King of Scotland