The Last Smoker Explained

"The Last Smoker" (Japanese: '''最後の喫煙者''', "'''Saigo no Kitsuensha'''") is a 1987 short story by Yasutaka Tsutsui.[1] It has been adapted for television and radio. An English translation by Andrew Driver was published in the collection Salmonella Men on Planet Porno in 2008.[2]

The story deals with the repression of dissent.[3] It is set in a future Japan where smokers are persecuted to the point of extinction, and the last smoker is stuffed and preserved in a museum.

Adaptations

Television

The story was adapted for television in Japan in 1995. Nine years after being broadcast it was said to have left a strong impression on audiences.[4]

Radio

The English-language radio adaption is a 45-minute Loftus Production radio drama broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 20 February 2009,[5] picked that day as an editor's choice[6] and listed as a "pick of the day".[7] It was adapted by Julia Dover[6] and the final program directed by Matt Thompson.[6] The actors include John Byrne,[7] Eileen McCallum,[5] Madeleine Worrall,[6] Stewart Conn,[5] and Madeleine Brolly.[5]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Feldman . Eric A. . 2006 . The culture of legal change: A case study of tobacco control in twenty-first century Japan . Michigan Journal of International Law . 27 . 3 . 807 .
  2. News: Naked fantasies with edge . . 2 November 2008 .
  3. News: 'Porno' Goes Absurdist . . 31 October 2008 . 2009-03-24 .
  4. News: Kicking the habit? The central government enacted the Heal . . 1 May 2004 .
  5. Web site: Afternoon Play, The Last Smoker . . 2009-03-24 .
  6. News: Radio highlights: Friday 20 February . https://archive.today/20130422042208/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/gillianreynolds/4699628/Radio-highlights-Friday-20-February.html . dead . 22 April 2013 . . 20 February 2009 . 2009-03-24 . London . Gillian . Reynolds.
  7. News: Pick of the day . . 20 February 2009 . 2009-03-21 . London.