Jeff Hobbs Recalls Bret Easton Ellis's Mentorship and Literary Influence

In a personal essay for Vogue, author Jeff Hobbs recounts his mentorship under Bret Easton Ellis, which began in 2003 when Hobbs was a 22-year-old recent college graduate in New York. Hobbs, then a grant writer, met Ellis at a fundraising event through his boss, who knew Ellis socially. Despite initial awkwardness, Ellis agreed to read Hobbs's unpublished manuscript, a love quadrangle based on college classmates. Over the following year, Ellis provided extensive editorial feedback, often harsh, pushing Hobbs to improve his writing style and ground his story in reality. They met regularly for meals at venues like The Harrison in Tribeca and Pete's Tavern in Gramercy Park, where Ellis discussed literature, including his admiration for Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections and James Joyce's Dubliners. Ellis also suggested the title for Hobbs's first novel, The Tourists. Hobbs later moved to Los Angeles, as did Ellis, and they maintained occasional contact. Hobbs reflects on reading Ellis's works, including Less Than Zero and American Psycho, and notes the contrast between Ellis's public persona and his private warmth. Years later, Hobbs discovered Ellis's novel The Shards at an airport bookstore, which features Ellis's face on the cover and a narrator named Bret Easton Ellis, resonating with Hobbs's memories of his mentor.