Cipher2

My favourite Bret Easton Ellis- The Informers. Not an easy author to discuss much less to read. In my view The Informers is his best work, especially the first few stories are brilliant. In American Psycho and Glamorama he seems to have abandonned the subtlety that made him great, in my view, in favour of an all-out gore-athon.

BlackHoleEnvy

I found Informers to be his least satisfying work. It's just so...empty. Conversely, I find AP and Glamo to be two of the most delightful books I've ever read. I can read them over and over again without becoming bored. True, they are not as subtle as Less than Zero or the Informers, but in terms of entertainment, social implications, and sheer force, they are both superb.

I feel that anyone who thinks that the gore is a reason not to read his later work has completely missed the point.

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Cipher2

Yes, I've heard the exact same argument before. I don't view gore as a reason not to read a book. In American Psycho, it often becomes so extreme it enters the realm of black comedy and yet these scenes were based on real FBI reports. Towards the end of Glamorama it is necessary for the terrorist scenes. I didn't much like the way B.E.E dealt with it in later scenes though. There are specific scenes that come to mind but I don't think there would be much point describing them.

My initial view was that Glamorama was his finest novel. In terms of the technical quality of the writing it is obviously a lot more skillfully written than Less Than Zero and it is a more entertaining read. Rules of Attraction I think didn't work. The early work though to me has some interesting social observation that I like about BEE and I prefer the focus on that.

BlackHoleEnvy

I see your points. I agree that Rules of Attraction didn't work, but I love it anyway. I hated it at first and actually put it down for about a year before picking it up again. Suddenly it made sense to me.... Being a fan of minimalism, I like his early work, but there is something about the sheer audacity of his last two efforts that totally blows me away. I like it when artists take their medium to the extremes.

Have you heard about his new book, Lunar Park? It's a semi-autobiography about the writer of American Psycho, who is stalked by an actual psycho.... One of those reality within a reality dealies....

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Cipher2

I have not heard about Lunar Park though I am eagerly awaiting the new book. As far as ROT goes although I found it very, very, funny it didn't seem especially acute.

Maybe after the reception of American Psycho BEE was restricted in what he could do. It will be interesting to see what BEE resurrects from AP in the new installment. It seems like the surreal element in BEE's writing that confused some readers of Glamorama isn't going to dissapear.

BlackHoleEnvy

Lunar Park is slated for fall, 2005, but there are rumors that it could come out sooner. From what I've heard, it is a grand departure for Ellis. It is said to have a much more "human" and poignant feel, while retaining the dark humor and surreality. I sure hope the surreal element doesn't disappear: I think this is what Ellis does best. A large part of the story apparently stems from Ellis' troubled relationship with his father and his disfuntional family life growing up in LA.

Here's the site where I get all my information:

http://notanexit.net

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Cipher2

The relationship with his father seems to have been a catalyst for a lot of his writing and can be seen in for example in "In The Islands" from The Informers. I notice that some people have got their hands on a leaked manuscript already. Me- I'm prepared to wait for the final edit.

BlackHoleEnvy

The people who have the leaked copy seem to know Ellis in some way, or know someone who knows him. The forum on that site is populated by a strange, almost clut-like inner circle of people who hint at vague personal connections to the man himself.

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