The Last Letter by Fritz Leiber
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"The Last Letter" by Fritz Leiber is a science fiction short story that was published in the late 1950s, a period marked by experimental ideas and innovative narratives in the genre. The story revolves around a future society that relies heavily on automated communication, where the concept of personal letters is almost alien and has dangerous ramifications when suddenly encountered. The narrative follows a hopeless romantic, Richard Rowe, who causes a cascade
of chaos in the robotic postal system by attempting to send a handwritten love letter to Jane Dough, a girl he briefly encountered during a tour. This simple act of personal communication triggers a catastrophic failure in the machines responsible for sorting mail, leading to widespread confusion and the mobilization of the authorities. As Richard's heartfelt message is met with disbelief and panic, it culminates in a serendipitous meeting with Jane, ultimately bringing about an unexpected resolution that challenges the sterile norm of their society. The story explores themes of love, individuality, and the human desire for connection in an increasingly automated world. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Leiber, Fritz, 1910-1992 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Dillon, Diane, 1933- |
| Illustrator | Dillon, Leo, 1933-2012 |
| Title | The Last Letter |
| Series Title | Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction June 1958 |
| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 74.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Postal service -- Fiction |
| Subject | Letters -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 51530 |
| Release Date | Mar 22, 2016 |
| Last Update | Oct 23, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 368 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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