West, Nathanael (1903-1940), was an American novelist noted for a brilliant but bitter view of modern American life. He published only four short novels before he was killed in an automobile accident on Dec. 22, 1940. All of West’s fiction should be considered “experimental.” Miss Lonelyhearts (1933) is a grim satire about a newspaperman who is assigned to write a column advising people on their problems. The Day of the Locust (1939) is a fantastic and sometimes nightmarish satire of life in Hollywood, where West wrote screenplays.
West was born on Oct. 17, 1903, in New York City. His real name was Nathan Wallenstein Weinstein. He wrote his first novel, The Dream Life of Balso Snell, in the mid-1920’s. It was published in 1931. West also wrote A Cool Million (1934), a parody of a “rags to riches” story. West’s reputation developed only after his death.
