Conversation with Bret Easton Ellis

The American novelist was born in Los Angeles in 1964. His prose is influenced by French social realism. In his novels Ellis addresses issues such as materialism, obsession with status and social transgression. He also commonly uses recurring characters in his novels to set them in a literary universe of his own.

Considered the most important member of the so-called literary Brat Pack, Ellis has earned as many fans of his cruel and heterodox stories as he has detractors. According to some critics, Ellis’s greatest asset is precisely his ability to leave no reader indifferent. His literary style is simple and based on well-crafted dialogue and effective descriptions. As for themes, he is notable for not making any idea taboo and for speaking plainly about the moral decline of the new generations of Americans.

His first novel, Less Than Zero, was published when he was only 21 years old. With The Rules of Attraction, he continued to make a name for himself as a transgressive, postmodern author, and this reputation was further reinforced in 1991 by his smash hit, American Psycho. The main character of the novel, Patrick Bateman, has become a pop culture icon thanks largely to the film adaptation and the controversial portrayal of Bateman by actor Christian Bale.