The Last Tasmanian

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Winner, Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award
Shortlisted, Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, Canada and the Caribbean

The Last Tasmanian has reaped more national and international recognition than any other novel by Herb Curtis. First published in 1991, it has remained in print continuously in its original edition and later in The Brennen Siding Trilogy. Now it’s available again as a separate volume in the GLE Library Series.

Brennen Siding, a hamlet on a small tributary of the famous Miramichi River, is home to an unforgettable crew — Shadrack Nash and his friend Dryfly Ramsey; Dry’s mother, the homely, destitute Shirley, and Nutbeam, the big-eared hermit she marries; the American sports who come to the Cabbage Island Salmon Club to fish; and, above all, Hilda Porter, the elderly schoolteacher who treasures the story of Trucanini, the last Tasmanian on earth. Hilda herself is the last of the Porters, and, amid the invasion of TV, Elvis, and rich Americans, Shad and Dry may be the last true natives of Brennen Siding.

AUTHOR

Herb Curtis

David Richards has written two historical novels for young adults, Soldier Boys (Thistledown Press, 1993) and Lady at Batoche (Thistledown Press, 1999) and The Plough’s Share, a historical novel set in late nineteenth century England and detailing Canada’s Barr Colonist experience. David Richards lives in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Reviews

Brennen Siding, a hamlet on a tributary of the famous Miramichi River, is home to an unforgettable crew — teenagers Shadrack Nash and Dryfly Ramsey and their families, friends, and neighbours. Hilda Porter, Shad’s elderly employer, treasures the story of Trucanini, the last Tasmanian, while the invasion of TV, Elvis, and rich American salmon fishermen influences everything, including Shad and Dry’s escapades. Are they, like Hilda and Trucanini, the last of their kind?

The Last Tasmanian is the second volume in the humorous yet poignant Brennen Siding Trilogy.

“Quite simply, this is a wonderful book. It has everything that anyone in search of a splendid read could possibly want.”
– Books in Canada

“Curtis’s writing is confident, filled with startling images and witty, incisive stabs at Canadian issues.”
– Toronto Star