The Last King of Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Last King of Scotland is an award-winning first novel by journalist Giles Foden. Focusing on the rise of Ugandan President Idi Amin and his reign as dictator from 1971 to 1979, the novel is a fictional memoir of a Scottish doctor in Amin's employ based on impressions of actual events.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
Published by Faber and Faber in 1998 to critical acclaim, the novel interweaves both historical fact and fiction. Its fictional protagonist, Scotsman Nicholas Garrigan, relates how he came to be the personal physician and confidant of Idi Amin, the president by coup d'etat of Uganda from 1971-1979. The novel focuses on Garrigan's relationship and fascination with Amin, who soon grows into a brutal and ruthless dictator. Garrigan acts repeatedly against his better judgment, remaining in Amin's employment until he is far past the point of easy escape physically or morally. He is gradually drawn into the corruption and paranoia of Amin's rule with disastrous results for those around him.
Drawing on his twenty years living in Africa and his background as a journalist, Foden researched the events surrounding Amin's rise to power and downfall, interviewing many of those who watched and participated in the Ugandan ruler's eight-year reign. The author evokes the form of a memoir by inserting fictional newspaper articles, journal entries, and authentic events.
During a 1998 interview with the online magazine Boldtype, Foden said he based parts of Garrigan's character on a man named Bob Astles who was an associate of Amin. As a British soldier who worked his way into Amin's favor, Astles was much more "proactive" than Garrigan, according to Foden, but paid the price by spending six and a half years in a Ugandan jail after Amin's fall. [1] Bob Astles also more fully compromised himself by his direct association with Amin's security forces. In addition to his jail term after Amin's fall, Astles was also at various times either favored or punished by Amin. He was imprisoned and tortured by Amin's government on at least one occasion.
The title refers to Amin giving himself the title of King of Scotland, among others.
[edit] Awards & nominations
- 1998 James Tait Black Memorial Prize (for fiction) (shortlist)
- 1998 Whitbread First Novel Award
- 1999 Betty Trask Award
- 1999 Somerset Maugham Award
- 1999 Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize
[edit] Editions in print
- ISBN 0-571-19564-4 English Faber and Faber 1998 paperback
- ISBN 0-375-70331-4 English Vintage Books USA 1999 paperback
- ISBN 0-375-40360-4 English Random House USA Inc 1999 hardcover
[edit] Other Giles Foden novels
- Ladysmith (Faber and Faber, 1999)
- Zanzibar (Faber and Faber, 2002)
- Mimi and Toutou go Forth. The Bizarre Battle for Lake Tanganyika (Michael Joseph, 2004)
