Am bursting with excitement- have just booked tickets to see Bret Easton Ellis at the Southbank Centre in July. He's one of my favourite authors, his books totally encapsulate that feeling of irreverence of youth and the vacuity of modern society. This year it will be 25 years since Ellis's debut novel, Less than Zero was published and it feels as fresh, current and relevant as the day it was written. I read this novel, and it's successor, The Rules of Attraction whilst I was at University; Ellis's minimalistic prose spoke to me and his imagery remained in my head to this day. As an author he is the equivalent of Marmite- people either love or loathe him. I'm firmly in the former camp; the influence he has had on modern literature, particularly with the publication of the ever controversial "American Psycho", is undeniable- as Stuart Evers writes in the Guardian blog:
If you've read American Psycho, you probably have a very strong opinion either way. If there's a more divisive novel out there, I've yet to read it. Even love-it-or-loathe it classics such as Amis's Money, Lawrence's Sons and Lovers or Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles don't come close to engendering the levels of admiration or utter revulsion reserved for American Psycho. Personally I think it's one of the key novels of the last century, though I've spent hours arguing with people who believe it's nothing more than cheap exploitation, misogynistic violence and some pointless – if funny – asides about rubbish music. Whichever side you stand on, though, it's impossible to ignore the book's huge cultural impact.
Easton Ellis is at the Southbank Centre on the 13th July talking about his new book, Imperial Bedrooms, the much anticipated follow up to Less than Zero, which revisits the lives of Clay et al, as they approach middle age. This is one of only two Uk appearances and tickets are selling like slices of fried gold. See you there.
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