Hey guys! A very silly question crossed my mind the other night and I figured that I might ask it to you as well. As I was finishing once again to read American Psycho, I was wondering if there was anything that Bukowski might have said about it or about Ellis' work in general. I somehow find that interesting as, at first sight, the two authors seem to be quite opposite. What's your take on the matter ?
Bret Easton Ellis (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Tom23
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mjp
Founding member
If he did it would have been in a letter response to someone asking his opinion. I've never seen a reference, but there are hundreds (thousands?) of letters we'll never see.
I think it's safe to assume that response would have been along the lines of "never heard of him," since Bukowski wasn't exactly an avid reader of young author's novels.
Well just like that out of my mind : Bukowski was the epitome of a late bloomer, while Bret Easton Ellis published his first novel at 21 and became famous almost overnight. Now about American Psycho, you've got a lot - and I do mean a lot - of description of what the people are wearing or what they're buying and all that. This has a purpose obviously, but this is also something Bukowski would have completely hated because of how he thought the writing (correct me if I'm wrong) : simple and imaged, straight to the point. There are few more points I could develop on I think, but I'm not going to do a comparative study or anything but you know, in the end, I feel that those two authors are quite different and using different techniques to kinda work around the same thing. They both write to get something out of their systems (which might not be only limited to them obviously), to cope with death and harshness of life, and to somehow to try to show a disfunctionning society (I'm particularly thinking of Factotum here). I hope I made my point clear !
That's why I thought. Do you think he could have liked Easton Ellis' works ?
Skygazer
And in the end...
I agree with you Tom23 about them both writing to get something out of their systems, American Psycho is about alienation and loneliness and disgust of the modern consumer society, in fact at the end of the book you are left knowing the psychoses is with the society and it's values. But for me that is where the similarities end with Bukowski.
As you say, their writing styles are very different. For me it was one of the most difficult books I have ever read in terms of the graphic descriptions of violence, but not new ground, from the early Gothic horrors to A Clockwork Orange. It seems to be getting the proper recognition now, than the knee jerk hysteria that followed the book's release.
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mjp
Founding member
I appologize for the time between my responses, I'm in the middle of a travel so ...
Yes obvioulsy it is. What I meant to ask was whether or not Ellis' works could have interested him. But I guess in the end the answer is all the same. But anyway were there many authors that Bukowski appreciated (aside from the well know like Fante, Céline and the others) ?
On a completely different note, is there anything planned for the 20th anniversary of Buk's passing ?
Yes obvioulsy it is. What I meant to ask was whether or not Ellis' works could have interested him. But I guess in the end the answer is all the same. But anyway were there many authors that Bukowski appreciated (aside from the well know like Fante, Céline and the others) ?
On a completely different note, is there anything planned for the 20th anniversary of Buk's passing ?
I literally just made an account to reply to this, because I love both authors and I'm mildly obsessed with American Psycho. Bukowski definitely wouldn't have the patience to get through all of Ellis' lofty lists of brand names and his over-the-top explanations of music (Huey Lewis, Whitney Houston, etc.)...BUT if he skipped right to the sex scenes, and the violence, I couldn't see him not being a fan, or at least not being "interested." While Bukowski as you say is definitely more simplistic in his writing, you can't deny that the two authors had a lot of the same things on their minds, despite the fact that Bateman certainly doesn't know what it's like to live in poverty with nothing but a bottle of port to his name. Overall the work of the two authors share a lot of dark fantasies (pertaining to sex/violence) that perhaps could only be unleashed through writing.
Skygazer
And in the end...
I don't agree that they share the same fantasies, either in their private lives or through their work: Hank Chinaski and Patrick Bateman are so alien to each other in every respect, except for the sense of alienation and disconnection from mainstream society.
Bateman inhabits a very narrow, strictly hierachical privileged society, outwardly at least, he conforms to society and then we see it all disintegrating with the collusion of his peers helping to maintain the facade of normality despite what they see ( as well as being a schizoid,violent, frighteningly empty human being). But I agree both authors tackle the sickness at the heart of society.
I agree about American Psycho being an obsessive wor. and how people will close their eyes to the horror in front of them; by an individual, or society at large, to keep the status quo.
Bateman inhabits a very narrow, strictly hierachical privileged society, outwardly at least, he conforms to society and then we see it all disintegrating with the collusion of his peers helping to maintain the facade of normality despite what they see ( as well as being a schizoid,violent, frighteningly empty human being). But I agree both authors tackle the sickness at the heart of society.
I agree about American Psycho being an obsessive wor. and how people will close their eyes to the horror in front of them; by an individual, or society at large, to keep the status quo.
