The Last King of Scotland

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The Last King of Scotland

Author	Giles Foden
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Faber and Faber
Publication date	1998
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN	ISBN 0571195644

For the 2006 film adaptation of the novel, see The Last King of Scotland (film).

The Last King of Scotland is an award-winning 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.

1 Plot introduction
2 Awards and nominations
3 Editions in print
4 References

[edit] Plot introduction

Published by Faber and Faber in 1998 to critical acclaim, the novel interweaves both historical fact and fiction. Its protagonist is a fictional character named Nicholas Garrigan, a young Scottish doctor who goes to work in Uganda out of a sense of idealism and adventure. He relates how he came to be the personal physician and confidant of Amin, the president of Uganda from his coup d'etat in 1971 until his deposition in 1979. The novel focuses on Garrigan's relationship and fascination with the president, 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, including the expulsion of the Asians, with disastrous results for those around him.

Drawing on his twenty years of 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.

In a 1998 interview with the online magazine Boldtype, Foden said he based parts of Garrigan's character on an associate of Amin named Bob Astles.^[1] As a British soldier who worked his way into Amin's favour, 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 the fall of his protector. Astles also more fully compromised himself by his direct association with Amin's security forces. While Amin was in power, Astles was alternately either favoured or punished; he was imprisoned and tortured on at least one occasion.

The title refers to Amin giving himself the title of King of Scotland, among others.