''Less'' is a 2017

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

comedy novel by American author

Andrew Sean Greer Andrew Sean Greer (born November 1970) is an American novelist and short story writer. Greer received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel ''Less''. He is the author of ''The Story of a Marriage'', which ''The New York Times'' has ...

. The plot follows writer Arthur Less as he travels the world on a literary tour to numb his loss of the man he loves. The novel won the

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during ...

. The sequel ''Less Is Lost'' was published in 2022.

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 gentleman, 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-sweetheart, 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

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. 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,

relationship Relationship most often refers to: * Family relations and relatives: consanguinity * Interpersonal relationship, a strong, deep, or close association or acquaintance between two or more people * Correlation and dependence, relationships in mathem ...

aging Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In ...

, and travel. Greer began writing ''Less'' as a "very serious novel" but found that "the only way to write about eing gay and agingis 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

. 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.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 2017 American novels 2017 LGBT-related literary works 2010s LGBT novels American LGBT novels Pulitzer Prize for Fiction-winning works Novels about writers Novels with gay themes English-language books Novels set in San Francisco Novels set in New York City Novels set in Mexico City Novels set in Turin Novels set in Berlin Novels set in Paris Novels set in Morocco Novels set in Kerala Novels set in Japan Travel novels