Chuck Palahniuk time while working for Freightliner. After initially publishing it as a short story (which became chapter 6 of the novel) in the 1995 compilation, "Pursuit of Happiness", Palahniuk expanded it into a full novel, which, contrary to his expectations, the publisher was willing to publish. While the original hardcover edition of the book received positive reviews and some awards, it had a short shelf life. Initially, Palahniuk struggled to find a literary agent and went without one until after the publication of "Fight Club". After he began receiving attention from 20th Century Fox, Palahniuk was signed by actor and literary
Chuck Palahniuk are mistakenly seen as nihilistic because they express ideas that others do not believe in. Laura Miller of "Salon" wrote a scathing review of "Diary", saying that Palahniuk's books "traffic in the half-baked nihilism of a stoned high school student who has just discovered Nietzsche and Nine Inch Nails" and that "everything even remotely clever in them has been done before and better by someone else." In response, Palahniuk (who previously never responded to a review) sent an angry e-mail to "Salon"'s "Letters" section. Palahniuk observed: "Until you can create something that captivates people, I'd invite you to just shut