Chuck Palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk grew up in Burbank, Washington. His parents divorced when he was 14—an event that would greatly influence his writing. As a young man he held a number of odd jobs, including working as a diesel mechanic, and also volunteered at homeless shelters and hospitals. Palahniuk didn’t begin writing until he was 30. After publishers rejected his first novel, he set to work on his most famous book, Fight Club, which made him a minor literary celebrity after its publication in 1996, and a major literary celebrity after it was adapted by the director David Fincher into a cult movie starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. The novel and film were so popular and influential that copycat fight clubs arose across the country—including one on the Princeton University campus. Palahniuk’s more recent novels haven’t had the same impact cultural impact as Fight Club; nevertheless, he remains a highly popular novelist, and two of his other books, Choke (2001) and Rant (2007) have been adapted as films.