Less

Article written by Onyekachi Osuji

B.A. in Public Administration and certified in Creative Writing (Fiction and Non-Fiction)

‘Less’ by Andrew Sean Greer is a comic novel about a quirky novelist who decides to take up obscure literary gigs across the world in a bid to escape the awkward position of being present at the wedding of his lover to another.

Key Facts about Less

• Title: Less
• Author: Andrew Sean Greer
• Publication Date: 18^th July 2017
• Genre: Satirical Comedy
• Point of View: Alternates between third-person omniscient and first-person narration
• Setting: The year 2015 in several locations across the world
• Literary Period: Contemporary
• Protagonist: Arthur Less
• Climax: Arthur’s return to the Vulcan Steps

Andrew Sean Greer and Less

The story of ‘Less’ is Andrew Sean Greer’s sixth book and fifth novel. Andrew Sean Greer won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel ‘Less.’ Greer said he had started writing ‘Less’ as a serious novel about being gay and aging but had changed his initial plans and decided that the best way to write about such a serious theme was to make it something to laugh about. He claims the idea to change the novel’s tone from serious to comic came to him while swimming.

Greer said he reflected part of himself in the protagonist of ‘Less’ —a middle-aged white American gay. According to Greer, his ability to write ‘Less’ is an indication of how much progress has been made in society’s acceptance of homosexuality. Greer said twenty years earlier, he may not have been able to write a novel about being gay and that even if he did, it might not have been mainstreamed as it is today.

About the numerous destinations that comprised the setting of ‘Less,’ Greer said his ability to capture those destinations was from his experience and notes as a travel writer in the past. The details of the places in ‘Less’ were from his travel notes, and he said he put in some effort to avoid projecting stereotypes about those destinations in ‘Less.’

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, ‘Less’ has also earned Andrew Sean Greer numerous awards and recognition, including the 2018  Northern California Book Award and the 2019 Australian Industry Award for International Book of the year. Greer said he wrote ‘Less’ for himself because he wanted to read a story with a happy ending for a gay man and did not expect the recognition and acclaim he got for the novel.

Probably encouraged by the success of ‘Less,’ Andrew Sean Greer has written a sequel to ‘Less,’ it is titled ‘Less is Lost,’ and is to be officially published in September 2022.

Books Related to Less

• Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer (2022). This is a sequel to ‘Less’ by Andrew Sean Greer. In this novel, Arthur Less returns in all his glorious awkwardness. Following the death of his ex-lover and the risk of losing his home, Less takes a literary tour across America. He wades through a strain in his love life, his relationship with his father, and his financial prospects in this journey around his country and within himself.
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2013). ‘Less’ by Andrew Sean Greer has two things in common with Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie — traveling around the world and romantic love. Americanah is a novel about a Nigerian young lady Ifemelu who immigrates to the United States to further her education; her boyfriend Obinze tries to join her in America from Nigeria but is denied a visa. Obinze travels to the UK instead but is eventually deported due to documentation issues. Ifemelu and Obinze find each other again in Nigeria and must make tough decisions that could either result in contented love or heartbreak.
  However, both novels depict entirely different narratives on the subject of travel. Arthur in ‘Less’ is a privileged American male traveling for leisure, and people cannot conceive the idea that he has any worries in the world, while Ifemelu in Americanah is a Nigerian woman traveling from a developing country to a developed country in search of greener pastures.
• Janice Gentle Gets Sexy by Mavis Cheek (1993). Like ‘Less’ by Andrew Sean Greer, Janice Gentle Gets Sexy by Mavis Cheek is brilliantly humorous with a writer as the protagonist. In this novel, Janice Gentle is a reclusive novelist whose romance novels are massively loved despite their lack of sex scenes.
  Ms. Rohanne Bulbecker, a successful publisher in New York, embarks on a quest to find Janice Gentle wherever she is and persuade her to write another romance novel that would include sex scenes. Janice Gentle is willing to include sex scenes in her next books if it means more money, only that she has no idea how to depict a sex scene given that she is a virgin. The novel then regales readers with the hilarious and interesting ways the publishing team attempts to teach Janice Gentle enough about sex to include in her novel. Like ‘Less,’ this novel is guaranteed to have readers laughing out loud.

The Lasting Impact of Less