The Last Flower

A Parable in Pictures
by James Thurber

Originally published in November 1939, two months after World War II officially began, James Thurber’s parable in pictures—a graphic novel ahead of its day—about the eternal cycles of war, peace, love, and the resilience of one little flower remains as relevant today as it was when it was written. The New York Times called it “at once one of the most serious and one of the most hilarious contributions on war.” E. B. White wrote, “In it you will find [Thurber’s] faith in the renewal of life, his feeling for the beauty and fragility of life on earth.”

The 2007 edition features new scans of Thurber’s original 1939 drawings.

“James Thurber’s The Last Flower expresses a simple but deep truth: the unending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. It is an uncynical tale but not a toothless one, and its idealism feels hard-won. The humor has the typical Thurber charm, and even a bit of absurdity, but it is never merely whimsical; rather, it is leavened with the sorrow and gravitas of an uncertain world that was teetering on a very real, perilous edge, and this gives both the spirited drawings and the heartfelt sentiment an undeniable power and nobility.”—Ivan Brunetti, editor, An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories

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