The Children of Men
First UK edition
|
|
| Author | P. D. James |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Dystopian novel |
| Publisher |
Faber and Faber (UK) Alfred A. Knopf (US) |
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Publication date
|
1992 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 241 pp |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 26214321 |
| 823/.914 20 | |
| LC Class | PR6060.A467 C48 1993 |
The Children of Men is a dystopian novel by P. D. James that was published in 1992. Set in England in 2021, it centres on the results of mass infertility. James describes a United Kingdom that is steadily depopulating and focuses on a small group of resisters who do not share the disillusionment of the masses.
The book received very positive reviews from many critics such as Caryn James of The New York Times, who called it "wonderfully rich" and "a trenchant analysis of politics and power that speaks urgently". The academic Alan Jacobs said, "Of all James’ novels, The Children of Men is probably the most pointed in its social criticism, certainly the deepest in its theological reflection."
The narrative voice for the novel alternates between the third person and the first person, the latter in the form of a diary kept by Dr. Theodore "Theo" Faron, an Oxford don.
The novel opens with the first entry in Theo's diary. It is the year 2021; but the novel's events have their origin in 1995, which is referred to as "Year Omega". In 1994, the sperm count of human males plummeted to zero, and mankind now faces imminent extinction. The last people to be born are now called "Omegas". "A race apart", they enjoy various prerogatives. Theo writes that the last human being to be born on Earth has been killed in a pub brawl.
In 2006, Xan Lyppiatt, Theo's rich and charismatic cousin, appointed himself of England in the last General Election. As people have lost all interest in politics, Lyppiatt abolishes democracy. He is called a despot and tyrant by his opponents, but officially the new society is referred to as egalitarian.
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