American Psycho

American Psycho
Cover of the first American paperback edition
AuthorBret Easton Ellis
Cover artistMarshall Arisman
LanguageEnglish
Genre
PublisherVintage
Publication date
March 6, 1991
Pages399
ISBN978-0-679-73577-9
OCLC22308330
813/.54 20
LC ClassPS3555.L5937 A8 1991

American Psycho is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investment banker who 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".

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.