Evolution Man: Or, How I Ate My Father [Paperback]

Roy Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 30, 1994 | Series: Vintage Contemporaries

"Artfully told and laugh-out-loud funny", says the Los Angeles Times Book Review of this long out-of-print novel--now being rediscovered. Lewis's hilarious tale of one Stone Age family offers highly-revised accounts of the invention of fire, the origins of courtship, and much more. Charles Darwin may turn over in his grave.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This humorous account of an upwardly mobile Pleistocene family's life was first published in 1960.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Humorous fantasy first published in Britain in 1960; rediscovered, it became a bestseller in Italy; this is the first US edition. Human evolution as a kind of domestic situation comedy? Well, Lewis's yarn--an autobiographical narrative by an ape-man named Ernest--recounts the efforts of Father, the leader and inventive genius, to evolve his tribe into the dominant species--preferably before the end of the Pleistocene. Weary of being terrorized by fierce carnivores with big teeth, Father obtains fire from a nearby volcano and transforms the lives of the tribe. Soon they're driving bears out of all the best caves, inventing cooking, and taking a break from endless flint-chipping. Then Father, with his eye on social evolution, forces his sons to steal wives from a neighboring tribe. Meanwhile, Uncle Vanya stubbornly refuses to leave the trees and condemns the whole enterprise; Uncle Ian returns from his travels in China, only to fall off an unfortunately unevolved horse and break his neck; and Ernest and his brothers finally lose patience when Father gives away the secret of making fire--they wanted a monopoly. So when Father invents the bow and arrow, thus threatening the jobs of traditional spear hunters, the brothers decide it's time to get rid of Father. Broadly amusing, though it's impossible to predict how well this comedy will travel. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage Contemporaries Ed edition (August 30, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679750096
• ISBN-13: 978-0679750093
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #854,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic tale of love, patricide and cannibalism. June 30, 2003

By Mark Silcox

Sweet Jehovah, this is a funny book. The conceit is an obvious one when you think about it - write the story of our evolutionary ancestors from a first-person perspective, but in a language that shows all the sensibilities of a well-read, reflective and slightly pompous late-nineteenth century Englishman. The courtship scenes alone I think I have re-read about fifty times and never without laughing.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lewis redivivus August 21, 2000

By Barbara Isaac

We first read this book in Kenya in the early 60s, while we were working on the archaeology of early man. Subsequently my husband taught anthropology (Plio-Pleistocene archaeology) at U.C. Berkeley and used it as a text to lighten his Introduction to Archaeology classes. As "practitioners" we found it hilarious and amazingly insightful, and it has continued to provide amusement ever since. Our battered paperback has long needed replacement, and is shelved where it cannot be permanently borrowed by an envious reader. PLEASE reprint in English. I always wanted to ask Mr. Lewis if he had modelled Father after Dr. Louis Leakey.... Another light-hearted and well-informed view of evolution is the Larry Gonick "History of Everything, Including Sex"

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Smart April 27, 2002

By Dr. Zoidberg

"The Evolution Man, Or, How I Ate My Father" tells about a normal family in prehistorical times. The main character, Ernest, reminiscences how his family/clan, which was led by his father, discovered fire, domesticated dogs, invented the first bow, drew the first cave drawings, and more. Even though this
family lived thousands and thousands of years ago, they weren't so different from us. In fact, what I particularly liked about this book is that the main characters, while still ape-men, are talking and thinking like modern people. Ernest's father and his uncle keep arguing how "Modern Technology" (i.e., fire) is dangerous, and how maybe they should go back to the trees. Despite that, they are STILL ape-men: when Ernest's brother finds a wife, Ernest keeps thinking how amazingly fat she is - meaning, truly gorgeous!
Even though this book was very humoristic, it was also intellectually stimulating. It offered some very interesting points about how many things which are the cornerstones of human life started. All this is presented in a truly hilarious way.
I wholeheartly recommend this book for anyone, especially if you're a bit interested on how the human species was at the very beginning. Absolutely a wonderful book - I wish I could see this as a movie.