The Last Lovers on Earth [Paperback]

Charles Ortleb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

This is the first collection of short stories by Charles Ortleb. The stories capture the precarious position of gay people in America today. With a contrarian sensibility, Ortleb uses humor to tell painful truths about where the gay community has been and where it is headed.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles Ortleb is the author of "Iron Peter," and "The Closing Argument."

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Rubicon Media; 1 edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966345428
• ISBN-13: 978-0966345421
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #859,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Last Lovers is the best intro to Ortleb's works, November 25, 1999

By 

Rex Poindexter - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Lovers on Earth (Paperback)

Of his two books I've read, the satirical novel Iron Peter and this one, which is a short-story collection, I prefer this and recommend it for a number of reasons. In Last Lovers, Ortleb takes big chances as he tackles topics beyond the usual attacks on HIV/AIDS orthodoxy. The first two stories examine our community response to those who might choose to leave the 'gay lifestyle', skewering those who profess tolerance for all but react with only fear and censorship when faced with 'ex-gays'. In "The Retraction", the parents of a lesbian are upset when she decides she's straight after all, because they have re-invented their own boring lives as Ultra-Proud PFLAG-ers to the extent they fear their own status and identities at risk should the neighbors find out their lesbian daughter isn't so lesbian anymore. Then, in "Banned In Boston", Ortleb questions our community's lock-step rush to add the transgender plank to the leftist queer revolutionary laundry list. When one character says, "I want you all to remember that none of us will be free until every transgender queer in Pocatello, Idaho who wants a free sex-change operation gets one!", another one cries out, "Well, then, Mary, we ain't never gonna be free!", whereupon he is gay-bashed and banned by his own 'community'. The bulk of the stories in Last Lovers however, center on Ortleb's main rallying cry: AIDS dissidence. One of the most moving is "The Swans", a fable in which two gay lovers are magically transformed into swans which are at first worshipped and then victimized by a consumerist, homophobic and AIDS-crazed society.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sharp and On-Target, January 27, 2000

By 

R. Beard "Small Town Virginia Critic" (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Lovers on Earth (Paperback)

I have read and read again this poignant collection of short stories - each time laughing a little, crying a bit and always reflecting on how Ortleb's satirical voice should make us all stop and think about the society in which we live. The stories are full of witty one-liners which you remember long after the book is finished - and Ortleb has managed to spin a cast of charaters who are so familiar that you stop to wonder if he knows the same people you do. Underneath it all is a not-so-subtle wake up call to end the ridiculous attitudes our society has about being gay or living with AIDS. This is a book you will read more than once and is a "must" for anyone touched by the horror of AIDS. It is sure to become a benchmark in the search for truth and an eye-opener about a disease we thought we understood.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Last Lovers on Earth, February 27, 2000

By 

Barbara Lewis (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Lovers on Earth (Paperback)

I recently read Charles Ortleb's book, "The Last Lovers On Earth." This is a group of short stories that trace the fears, joys and sorrows of contemporary gay life. I am a heterosexual woman, still this book spoke to me on many levels. Ortleb's themes are universal: loneliness, the search for love that lasts, the value of true friendship, the huge cost of betrayal.

His work also contains powerful political nuances.

Ortleb writes courageously about how misinformation about AIDS and the so-called virus called HIV has profoundly affected many lives. His stories are about life and death issues. They have both depth and humor. I recommend this book.