The Last Man is the title of this dystopian novel published by Mary Shelley in 1826, in which she portrays a future 21st century society that has been ravaged by a terrible plague. The narrator, Lionel Verney, the only survivor of the disease, recalls the final years of the existence of the human race, whose prophetic end had already been revealed in some incomplete leaves found in the Cave of the Sibyl. Verney is the one who with his narration of events leaves testimony to the fulfillment of the prophecy and describes the development of the dire events that led to the sad fate of humanity. The tale, which exudes pessimism and harshness, has been interpreted as Mary Shelley's lament for the loss of her loved ones - her children who never came of age, her husband Percy Shelley, and her friend and support in widowhood, Lord Byron. - as well as the deep questioning of the author's revolutionary and romantic ideals. The work was received after its publication with great criticism and, contrary to what happened with his Frankenstein or the modern Prometheus, it had to wait until the second half of the 20th century to receive the literary recognition it deserved.