White

Bret Easton Ellis

Language: English

Publisher: Picador

Published: Apr 16, 2019

Pages: 261

Description:

THE CONTROVERSIAL SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER .

Candid, fearless and provocative
the author of American Psycho on who he is and what he thinks is wrong with the world today.

Bret Easton Ellis is most famous for his era-defining novel American Psycho and its terrifying anti-hero, Patrick Bateman. With that book, and many times since, Ellis proved himself to be one of the world’s most fearless and clear-sighted observers of society – the glittering surface and the darkness beneath.

In White , his first work of non-fiction, Ellis offers a wide-ranging exploration of what the hell is going on right now. He tells personal stories from his own life. He writes with razor-sharp precision about the music, movies, books and TV he loves and hates. He examines the ways our culture, politics and relationships have changed over the last four decades. He talks about social media, Hollywood celebrities and Donald Trump.

Ellis considers conflicting positions without flinching and adheres to no status quo. His forthright views are powered by a fervent belief in artistic freedom and freedom of speech. Candid, funny, entertaining and blisteringly honest, he offers opinions that are impossible to ignore and certain to provoke.

What he values above all is the truth. ‘The culture at large seemed to encourage discourse,’ he writes, ‘but what it really wanted to do was shut down the individual.’ Bret Easton Ellis will not be shut down.

Review

The first work of non-fiction from the American Psycho author is very good . . . the best thing he has published for years ― Sunday Times

A winning mixture of incautious autobiography and caustic polemic, with plenty of sharp social observation thrown in . . . What a timely book this is – bursting with wit and diablerie, shameless, bracing and fun. ― Mail on Sunday

A splenetic analysis of the culture of today . . . occasionally brilliant, often thought-provoking ― The Times

Not everybody is going to like it. He doesn’t care. ― New York Times

For the youthful twitterati, I suppose, he’s just another old white man who hates everything ― The Times

This attack on political correctness in the Twitter age . . . has all the sound, fury and insignificance of a misguided rant posted at 3am ― Guardian

Ellis will lose friends over this book. ― Wall Street Journal

Best described as a provocation . . . it’s up to you, the reader, to choose to what degree you are prepared to allow yourself to be riled. ― Observer

@BretEastonEllis Your book White is staggeringly good. I’m loving it. Thank you so much for your style, your humour and your honesty. -- Eric Idle (on Twitter)

From the Back Cover

‘A writer of real American genius’ GQ

‘A rebel whose work is controversial precisely because its sinister themes are so dexterously written’
*Sunday Telegraph

  • 'One of the most gifted and serious novelists working in America today.' Financial Times

About the Author

Bret Easton Ellis is the author of several novels, including Imperial Bedrooms, Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction, American Psycho, Glamorama and Lunar Park , and a collection of stories, The Informers. Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction, American Psycho and The Informers have all been made into films. His first work of non-fiction, White , was published in 2019. He is the host of the Bret Easton Ellis Podcast available on Patreon. He lives in Los Angeles.

Candid, fearless and provocative *– the author of American Psycho* on who he is and what he thinks is wrong with the world today.

Bret Easton Ellis is most famous for his era-defining novel American Psycho and its terrifying anti-hero, Patrick Bateman. With that book, and many times since, Ellis proved himself to be one of the world’s most fearless and clear-sighted observers of society – the glittering surface and the darkness beneath.

In White, his first work of non-fiction, Ellis offers a wide-ranging exploration of what the hell is going on right now. He tells personal stories from his own life. He writes with razor-sharp precision about the music, movies, books and TV he loves and hates. He examines the ways our culture, politics and relationships have changed over the last four decades. He talks about social media, Hollywood celebrities and Donald Trump.

Ellis considers conflicting positions without flinching and adheres to no status quo. His forthright views are powered by a fervent belief in artistic freedom and freedom of speech. Candid, funny, entertaining and blisteringly honest, he offers opinions that are impossible to ignore and certain to provoke.

What he values above all is the truth. ‘The culture at large seemed to encourage discourse,’ he writes, ‘but what it really wanted to do was shut down the individual.’ Bret Easton Ellis will not be shut down.

**