''Last Words'' is the fifth and final book written by American

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercultur ...

. Serving as his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, It was published on November 10,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

. ''Last Words'' tells the story of his life from his conception, literally, to his final years; he died on June 22, 2008, at the age of 71. The book contains photos taken throughout Carlin's life. In 1993, George Carlin asked his friend and bestselling author

Tony Hendra Anthony Christopher Hendra (10 July 1941 – 4 March 2021) was an English satirist and writer who worked mostly in the United States. He was probably best known for being the head writer and co-producer in 1984 of the first six shows of the long ...

to help him write his autobiography, although Carlin preferred to call it a "sortabiography". The two of them had scores of conversations, many of which were recorded, for almost fifteen years. During the conversations, they discussed Carlin's life, times, and evolution as a major comedian artist. After Carlin died, Hendra set out to assemble the book just as Carlin would have wanted. This book was also released twice in

Audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

format. The first recording at unabridged length narrated by Johnny Heller and the second with George's brother Patrick reading an abridgment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Words (Book) Books by George Carlin 2009 non-fiction books Books published posthumously English-language non-fiction books American autobiographies