Bret Easton Ellis

Bret Easton Ellis, born in 1964 in Los Angeles, is an American novelist, screenwriter, and short-story writer who became one of the defining literary voices of his generation. He published his first novel, Less Than Zero, in 1985 while still a college student at Bennington, capturing the affectless, drug-hazed lives of wealthy young Angelenos.

He is best known for American Psycho, his 1991 novel narrated by the Wall Street banker and serial killer Patrick Bateman. Controversial on release for its graphic violence and satire of 1980s consumerism, it has since been recognized as a sharp critique of materialism and was adapted into a celebrated film.

Ellis's other novels include The Rules of Attraction, Glamorama, Lunar Park, and Imperial Bedrooms. His work is marked by a cold, deadpan style, recurring characters across books, and a preoccupation with surfaces, celebrity, and moral emptiness.

He has also worked as a screenwriter and podcast host, remaining a provocative and widely discussed figure in contemporary American letters.