Sibylle Grimbert: Writing the Fragile Bond Between Man and Nature

About The Last of Its Kind

A sweeping novel of adventure exploring the bond between humans and animals.

In 1835, Gus, a young zoologist from the Natural History Museum of Lille, is sent to study the wildlife of Northern Europe. During an expedition, he witnesses the massacre of a colony of great auks and manages to save one of them. He brings the bird back to his home in the Orkney Islands and names it Prosp, unaware that he has just rescued the last surviving member of its species.

An extraordinary relationship soon develops between man and bird. The curiosity of the scientist and the wariness of the animal gradually give way to a deep and mutual affection.

Over the next fifteen years, Gus and Prosp journey from the Faroe Islands to Denmark. As time passes, Gus begins to understand that he may be witnessing something unimaginable for his era—the extinction of a species. Though he builds a family, he becomes consumed by the fate of his feathered companion, at the expense of everything else. Through this singular experience, he is confronted with a haunting question: what does it mean to love something that will never exist again?

In this age of the sixth extinction, Sibylle Grimbert offers a profound meditation on the relationship between humans and animals through an unforgettable duo. She achieves the remarkable feat of giving voice to an animal’s inner life—its emotions, intelligence, and sensitivity—without ever straying into fable or sentimentality. The Last of Its Kind is both a grand adventure story and a moving reflection on one of the most vital questions of our time.

Sibylle Grimbert's eleventh novel, Le Dernier des siens (2022) was a finalist for the Femina, Renaudot, Femina Lycéens, and Renaudot Lycéens prizes, and the Grand Prix de l’Académie française. The book has been translated into many languages, including English as The Last of Its Kind (tr. by Aleshia Jensen), and an animated film is forthcoming. Grimbert is also a recipient of the prestigious Maurice Genevoix Prize from the Académie Française, the 30 Millions D’Amis Literary Prize, the François Sommer Prize, and the Joseph Kessel Prize. She lives in Paris.