"Irritating but occasionally brilliant"
Writer, critic, lover, hater, tweeter, free speaker, transgressive, white, privileged, male; in his first work of non fiction Bret Easton Ellis tries to make sense of his own life and reputation as a self-proclaimed spokesperson for Gen Xers.
Despite amazing literary success with Less than Zero and American Psycho, in particular, Ellis is equally as well known today for his outspoken tweets and controversial pod-casts which offer a no holds barred foray into gender politics and contemporary culture. In White Ellis continues along the same theme, albeit with a good dose of reflection and self-awareness.
When analysing 80s and 90s pop culture Ellis has a distinct and valuable perspective. The sections in the book exploring the origin of the male gaze from Herb Ritts to Tom Cruise via Richard Gere in American Gigolo are fascinating and can be traced through to Ellis's own work in American Psycho yet its the rants about social media, Charlie Sheen, and modern day reputation management that really dominate this story.
Ellis's world is divided into 'Empire' and 'Post Empire' to describe the two distinct periods in US society following WWI and then in the aftermath of 9/11 yet these themes are not explored enough in White to make any real sense.
Bret Easton Ellis has no trouble in sharing his opinions, see the section around political correctness, even when they seem so contrary to popular ideology but these provocative themes are far better articulated through his fiction. Ellis himself discusses his lack of pace as a writer and his inability to meet his publishers demand for new work. Perhaps a break from social media will do the trick?
Despite amazing literary success with Less than Zero and American Psycho, in particular, Ellis is equally as well known today for his outspoken tweets and controversial pod-casts which offer a no holds barred foray into gender politics and contemporary culture. In White Ellis continues along the same theme, albeit with a good dose of reflection and self-awareness.
When analysing 80s and 90s pop culture Ellis has a distinct and valuable perspective. The sections in the book exploring the origin of the male gaze from Herb Ritts to Tom Cruise via Richard Gere in American Gigolo are fascinating and can be traced through to Ellis's own work in American Psycho yet its the rants about social media, Charlie Sheen, and modern day reputation management that really dominate this story.
Ellis's world is divided into 'Empire' and 'Post Empire' to describe the two distinct periods in US society following WWI and then in the aftermath of 9/11 yet these themes are not explored enough in White to make any real sense.
Bret Easton Ellis has no trouble in sharing his opinions, see the section around political correctness, even when they seem so contrary to popular ideology but these provocative themes are far better articulated through his fiction. Ellis himself discusses his lack of pace as a writer and his inability to meet his publishers demand for new work. Perhaps a break from social media will do the trick?
Irritating but occasionally brilliant. 3
White by Bret Easton Ellis published by Picador 288 pages
Looking for reads inspired by Bret Easton Ellis? Check out My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Otessa Moshfegh and Consent by Leo Benedictus
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