The Bonfire of the Vanities (1987)
The Bonfire of the Vanities is a 1987 fiction book written by Tom Wolfe.
Tom Wolfe drops a bomb into 1980s New York and watches the shrapnel fly. Sherman McCoy is a Park Avenue bond trader who calls himself a Master of the Universe, until one wrong turn off the highway with his mistress lands him in the wrong part of the Bronx at the wrong moment. From there the novel fans out across the whole city: an ambitious assistant DA, a boozy British tabloid reporter, street preachers, judges, and socialites. Wolfe writes it all in his high-octane style, greedy for status detail and merciless about everyone's vanity. A big, savage comedy of ambition and class.
Quick answers
What is The Bonfire of the Vanities about?
Tom Wolfe drops a bomb into 1980s New York and watches the shrapnel fly. Sherman McCoy is a Park Avenue bond trader who calls himself a Master of the Universe, until one wrong turn off the highway with his mistress lands him in the wrong part of the Bronx at the wrong moment. From there the novel fans out across the whole city: an ambitious assistant DA, a boozy British tabloid reporter, street preachers, judges, and socialites. Wolfe writes it all in his high-octane style, greedy for status detail and merciless about everyone's vanity. A big, savage comedy of ambition and class.
When was The Bonfire of the Vanities published?
The Bonfire of the Vanities was published in 1987.
Who made The Bonfire of the Vanities?
The Bonfire of the Vanities was written by Tom Wolfe.
Similar books
A few thoughts on The Bonfire of the Vanities
The 1990 film adaptation is a famous misfire, so reach past it. Oliver Stone's Wall Street captures the same 1980s money-hunger, with Gordon Gekko preaching that greed is good. American Psycho pushes the Master of the Universe type into satire and horror on the same trading floors. For a modern spin on the identical high of excess and its bill coming due, try The Wolf of Wall Street.