《*后的土司》故事发生在兵荒马乱年代的长江三峡边的一个土家山寨。伍娘是一个哑女，但聪颖过人舞技绝世；无意中撞进山寨的外乡人李安因偷吃土家祭祀的供品受到重罚；土司覃尧看似罚他却是救他，并许诺将伍娘许与李安。伍娘出嫁前夜按照祖先赋予的初夜权，将自己奉献给了神。土司覃尧作为神的化身得到了伍娘但与此同时才发现自己原本深爱着这个女子，从此陷入深深的痛苦。
李安不能接受山寨的习俗，将对伍娘的喜爱化成了厌恶和仇恨，不断给纯洁无辜的伍娘以伤害，土司覃尧却因信义而只能默默地忍受煎熬无法相助，火焰一般的爱恨情仇之间，美丽的伍娘以她的生命完成了*后的舞蹈。李安逃离山寨，覃尧在长江边堵住了他，命运将指向何方？结局给读者留下了无尽遐想。
The Last Tusi tells a story of a Tujia village in the Three Gorges wracked by war. Wu Niang, a mute girl gifted with exceptional intelligence, accidentally encounters Li An, an outsider arrested and punished by the Tujia. The chief of the Tujia people, Qin Yao, promises to marry Wu Niang to Li An. However, the night before Wu Niang becomes his bride, she makes a decision that will change their lives forever.
在外乡人与土家人激烈的文化冲突之中，火焰一般的爱恨情仇煎熬着身处其中的每个人。叶梅以细致而生动的笔触描写了土家文化传统、情感生活与土司制度的变革。她的文字里流淌着土家族的血脉，叙述着大巴山的传说。
作为一个土性的小说家，叶梅的目光几乎从来就没有离开过她所熟悉的大巴山。她的几乎所有作品的叙事焦点，都集中在大山里的土家人身上。在中篇小说《山上有个洞》中，叶梅揭示了土司之间的权力斗争，写出了土司制度的变革和终结，写出了新一代土家人生活方式的巨大变化；《*后的土司》则叙写的是外乡人与土家人的文化冲突与和解，细致而生动地描写了土家人的文化习惯和情感生活；《撒忧的龙船河》的故事则忧伤而沉重，包含着强烈的情感冲突和尖锐的道德主题。
序言
叶梅，女，土家族，中国作协主席团委员、著有小说集《花灯，像她那双眼睛》《撒忧的龙船河》《五月飞蛾》《最后的土司》《九种声音》《第一种爱》《回到恩施》《妹娃要过河》，散文集《我的西兰卡普》《朝发苍梧》《大翔凤》《从小到大》《穿过拉梦的河流》、评论研究《叶梅研究专集》等。有多部作品被选载、翻译、获奖。叶梅的小说对民族文化的表现，对于现代性的批判和反思，其提供的角度给人以启示，她并不是以哀怨的姿态或者以批判姿态去夸张地表达民族文化与现代文明之间的裂痕，而是采取一种chao越的立场，极力展示民族文化、地域文化本身的美感，构成了对于中国现代文学传统的一种重要反思。
Ye Mei, a female writer of Tujia ethnic nationality, is currently a member of the presidium of China Writers Association. To date, she has published novels, novellas, and prose that, amongst many others, include The Melancholy Dragon Boat River,The Moth in May，My Xilankapu,River Threading through Lameng. Her critical studies include Studies on Ye Mei. Many of her works have been awarded literary prizes and been reprinted and translated into other languages. One can discern in her novels an inspiring perspective in her expressions of racial culture and her criticisms and reflections on modernity. Rather than a plaintive or an overly critical voice that deplores, in an exaggerated manner, the ruptures between ethnic culture and modern civilization，she has approached her themes from the standpoint of transcendence, with the utmost demonstration of the beauty of her ethnic and regional cultures, which constitutes a significant reflection on the modern Chinese literary tradition.
Contents
Flower Tree, Flower Tree 1
Dragon Boat River Full of Sorrow 74
Cave Within the Mountains 143
The Moth in May 195
The Last Chieftain 252
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