Origins & Early Life

Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author and screenwriter. Ellis was one of the Literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique as a writer is the expression of extreme acts and opinions in an affectless style. His novels often share recurring characters. When Ellis was 21, his first novel, the controversial bestseller Less than Zero (1985), was published by Simon & Schuster.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His third novel, American Psycho (1991), was his most successful. Upon the novel's release, the literary establishment widely condemned it as overly violent and misogynistic. Though many petitions to ban the book saw Ellis dropped by Simon & Schuster, the resounding controversy convinced Alfred A. Knopf to release it as a paperback later that year. Ellis's novels have become increasingly metafictional.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Lunar Park (2005), a pseudo-memoir and ghost story, received positive reviews. Imperial Bedrooms (2010), marketed as a sequel to Less than Zero, continues in this vein. The Shards (2023) is a fictionalized memoir of Ellis' final year of high school in Los Angeles in 1981. Four of Ellis's works have been made into films. Less than Zero was adapted in 1987 but the...

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