American · 1903–1940
Nathanael West wrote four short novels before dying in a car crash at thirty-seven. "Miss Lonelyhearts" (1933) and "The Day of the Locust" (1939) are American classics—savage comedies about desperation, violence, and the American dream turned nightmare. "The Day of the Locust" climaxes in a Hollywood riot; its violence was prophetic. West worked as a hotel manager and screenwriter. His influence runs through Flannery O'Connor, Thomas Pynchon, and everyone who writes about American madness.