American Psycho
American Psycho is a novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, vain Manhattan investment banker who supposedly lives a double life as a serial killer. Alison Kelly of The Observer notes that while "some countries [deem it] so potentially disturbing that it can only be sold shrink-wrapped", "critics rave about it" and "academics revel in its transgressive and postmodern qualities".
First American paperback edition (1991) | |
| Author | Bret Easton Ellis |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Marshall Arisman |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Transgressive fiction, postmodern novel, satire, black comedy, horror |
| Publisher | Vintage |
Publication date | 1991 |
| Pages | 399 |
| ISBN | 978-0-679-73577-9 |
| OCLC | 22308330 |
| 813/.54 20 | |
| LC Class | PS3555.L5937 A8 1991 |
A film adaptation starring Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman was released in 2000 to generally favorable reviews. Producers David Johnson and Jesse Singer developed a musical adaptation for Broadway. The musical premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London in December 2013.
The book has garnered notoriety for its graphic violence and has led to it being censored in multiple countries.