Bret Easton Ellis is an American Novelist, screenwriter, and director. He is an acclaimed writer whose works have become a modern classic in American literature. From ‘Less Than Zero’ to ‘American Psycho,’ his satirical approach and use of intense narration to describe brutal scenes depicting violence have made many people tag his works as misogynistic. However, others have claimed his novels to be incredible in every literal sense.
Life Facts
- Bret Easton Ellis was born on March 7, 1964.
- Bret stated that his father was abusive.
- While still at college, Bret published his first novel ‘Less Than Zero.’
- For many years Bret refused to state his sexuality., claiming it was best to keep the audience in the dark. However, he came out as gay in 2012.
- Most of Ellis’s works feature California as the setting.
Interesting Facts
- Bret showed interest in becoming the screenplay writer for ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.’ However, he never got the role.
- Though he claimed his acclaimed novel character Patrick Bateman was based on his abusive father, Bret came forward and stated he made the character after himself.
- Bret shares many of his characters in different stories.
- Bret wrote ‘Lunar Park’ in honor of his lover Michael Wade Kaplan, who died before he completed the novel.
Famous Books by Bret Easton Ellis
‘American Psycho’ is Bret’s third novel. It is a satirical book that follows the life of a New York Investment Banker, Patrick Bateman. Living in a world of excessive materialism and vanity, Bateman struggles with his identity and humanity. With no avenue to express himself, he starts killing people.
After killing a colleague, Paul Owen, he becomes a serial killer ending the lives of many men, women, and even a child. Amid a police chase and intense panic, Patrick calls his lawyer Harold Carnes and leaves a message confessing his crimes. He starts eating the bodies of his victims and drinking his urine. When he meets his lawyer, he learns that Paul Owen, whom he thought he killed, is alive and had dinner with Harold in London.
‘The Shards’ is a 2023 autofiction novel published by Alfred A. Knopf. It tells the story of Bret, a seventeen-year-old high school senior at Buckley Prep School. When Robert Mallory, a new student, arrives, Bret finds a new obsession with him. He also obsesses over a serial killer called the Trawler, who seems to be targeting him and his friends. As time passes, Bret spirals into paranoia as his unhealthy obsession with Mallory and the Trawler leads him to isolation.
‘Less Than Zero’ is Bret’s first novel. Published by Simon & Schuster while Ellis was at Bennington College, the book follows the lives of Clay, a young college student who has returned to Los Angeles, and his friends. Written in the first-person narrative, Clay explains the alienation that came from the toxic culture around him.
After getting back with his ex-girlfriend Blair and friends, he indulges in drugs, parties, and one-night stands with men and women. As time passes, he gets disillusioned with his life and tries tracking his old friend, Julian. After meeting him, Clay borrows Julian a large sum of money and later learns he is a heroin addict into prostitution.
‘The Rules of Attraction’ is Bret’s second novel. It is a black comedy satirical book about spoiled, rowdy, and promiscuous Camden College students Sean Bateman, Lauren Hynde, and Paul Denton. With Lauren’s boyfriend Victor out of Camden in Europe, she gets into a love triangle with Sean Bateman and Paul Denton.
Early Life and Career
Personal Life
Literature by Bret Easton Ellis
Explore literature by Bret Easton Ellis below, created by the team at Book Analysis.