Bret Easton Ellis is the author of several celebrated books, including American Psycho (subsequently adapted into the 2000 film bearing the same title), Less Than Zero (the 1987 film starring Robert Downey Jr. was loosely based on this novel), Imperial Bedrooms, and The Rules of Attraction. In the 1980s, Ellis was a member of the revered “Brat Pack,” comprising of several young American authors deemed the new faces of literature. In a 2016 interview with The New York Times, Ellis discussed his ten favorite books, which you can find below. This post also includes a comprehensive list of novels Ellis has referenced in numerous social media posts as personal favorites.
UPDATE: In an October 25, 2018 Instagram post, Ellis revealed his next book, White, is scheduled for publication in April 2019. We also examined the favorite films of Ellis: Bret Easton Ellis – Favorite Films
Click on any of the images below for more information on the respective book. (via Amazon).
We examined the favorite books of author Philip Roth in a subsequent post: Philip Roth’s Favorite Books
Sentimental Education (Penguin Classics)
Anna Karenina (Modern Library Classics)
Play It As It Lays: A Novel (FSG Classics)
In a subsequent post, we examined the favorite books of author Joan Didion: Joan Didion – Favorite Books
Madame Bovary (Bantam Classics)
Middlemarch (Penguin Classics)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
We examined the favorite books of author Tony O’Neill in a subsequent post: Tony O’Neill’s Favorite Books
Stoner (New York Review Books Classics)
We examined the favorite books of author Jonathan Littell in a subsequent post: Jonathan Littell’s Favorite Books
Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, The Flesh, and L.A. (New York Review Books Classics)
We examined the favorite books, films & albums of author Eve Babitz in a subsequent post: Eve Babitz – Favorite Books, Films & Albums
We examined the favorite books of From Rockaway author Jill Eisenstadt in a subsequent post: Jill Eisenstadt – Favorite Books
The Last Love Song: A Biography of Joan Didion
Ellis has remarked in several interviews that Didion is his favorite author.
The White Album: Essays (FSG Classics)
In a September 20, 2018 Instagram post, Ellis stated that Cline’s The Girls was “one of the better novels I’ve read recently.”
Ever, Dirk: The Bogarde Letters
With respect to The Bogarde Letters, Ellis stated it is “one of the most sheerly pleasurable books I’ve come across. So addictive that hours get lost and I find myself late to everything. Highly highly recommended.” (via Instagram post).
If you are unfamiliar with the works of Bret Easton Ellis, we recommend checking out the following:
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