I’m always delighted to welcome today’s guest back into the London Real hotseat, a man who really needs no introduction thanks to his iconic breakthrough novel back in the 90s and a career that has seen him push boundaries and break with convention, earning a legion of devoted fans along the way.
Chuck Palahniuk is the author and journalist, best known for writing “Fight Club” and “Choke”, the first of which was reimagined on film by David Fincher and was described by the New York Times as the “defining cult movie of our time”. To this day, some 24 years later, it continues to find itself quoted and referenced in innumerable works of popular culture.
Growing up in a mobile home in Burbank, Washington, followed by a stint on his grandparents’ cattle farm, few might have expected such a feverish literary mind to emerge from such rudimentary beginnings.
Prior to penning his first literary masterpiece, Chuck Palahniuk found himself at something of a crossroads. Following time as a journalist working locally for a newspaper in Portland, Chuck left the desk job behind to become a diesel mechanic.
Chuck’s writing is characterised by its dark humour, raw honesty, and a willingness to tackle taboo subjects. His novels often delve into the underbelly of contemporary society, exposing the unsettling and often grotesque aspects of human existence.
He is known for crafting unreliable narrators, non-linear plots, and narratives that subvert conventional storytelling norms. Themes of identity, consumerism, alienation, and the pursuit of personal liberation are recurrent threads in his works.
“This is your life and it’s ending one moment at a time.”
Equally adept at writing thought provoking essays, short works of fiction or long form novels that take the reader on a relentless and unflinching journey, Chuck’s impact on literature extends further thanks to his writing style, notable for its sharp social commentary and comfort with the uncomfortable, that has influenced a generation of aspiring writers.
His resumé spans a wide range of themes and genres. Works like Choke, Lullaby, Invisible Monsters, and Survivor showcase his ability to explore different facets of human psychology and societal dynamics, while Choke like Fight Club found itself on the big screen and introduced his work to a broader audience.
With 24 top selling novels to his name, Chuck Palahniuk continues to push the boundaries while maintaining his unique sense of reverie, and with his latest instalment “Not Forever, But For Now”, a brilliant and hilarious horror satire set to make a similar Palahniuk style impact, his prolific career shows no signs of abating.
I can’t wait to sit down with Chuck once again, he’s such a fascinating character and I make no secret of my love for his first novel, Fight Club. His latest book is typically graphic, violent and exactly the kind of transgressive fiction he’s become known for.
Make sure you join us live and spread the word to bookworms far and wide, because as always when Chuck’s in the house, you won’t want to miss a word.
“I always go back to the reason why I started writing. At a certain point I couldn’t find the book I wanted to read anymore, there were no books that hooked me from the first page, so instead of stopping reading I thought that the only responsible thing I could do was write the book I wanted to read.”
Download clips
A number of clips from this exclusive interview are now available to download, share and repost. Spread the word: grab these clips today!
- The crazy has always been out there
- Fight Club was a movie made for men
- Fight Club is the most censored book in America
- Why you need to break the roadmap and do the things you’re told not to
- Every book and story is about making language my bitch
- It took 2-3 Vicodin to get the first draft out
- Why I started writing a cozy
- This is a book about addiction and for those who are addicted
- My books are fairytales for people who fucked up a lot
- We live in a world where no one wants tension or suspense
- Almost everything in my books are things people tell me
- My writing workshops are more than a community
- Nobody really wants to be Andrew Tate
- Is Chuck Palahniuk scared of A.I.?
- Writing is my armour
- I love to see these quiet people turn into demons
- Brian’s story about finding porn
