Police pull American Psycho from shelves in Australia



2015-07-21 09:36:22

Copies of Brett Easton Ellis's 'American Psycho' has been pulled from shelves by police in Australia after it was found to be falling foul of the country's 'classification law'.

The book was given a 'restricted classification' in Australia when it was released a quarter of a century ago, a move which meant that the novel could only be displayed and sold in a sealed plastic wrapper. 

When copies of the book were found to be missing this wrapper at the Imprints Booksellers in Adelaide, co owner Jason Lake said he recieved a phone call from an incensed woman who questioned why the book was being sold out of its wrapper. Lake explained that the latest edition of the book had been sent without a wrapper-but he was soon asked to remove the book from sale by the Adelaide police department. 

The book, which was also made into a hugely popular film starring Christian Bale, has divided opinion ever since its release in the early 1990's. Andrew Motion found the book “deeply and extremely disgusting” while Joan Smith in the Guardian called it “nasty, brutish and long”. Others questioned the quality of the writing.

Upon hearing of the books 'restricted classification' status, Ellis is reported to have said: ' I told my publisher I want all my books restricted and put in little bags. It’s like a little sandwich!’’

Write a response...

The bookmarklet lets you save things you find to your collections.

Note: Make sure your bookmarks are visible.



collect it