Lee Earle Ellroy and the Avon Novels

Abstract

‘James Ellroy’ came into being with the publication of his first novel Brown’s Requiem in 1981. Before that, Ellroy was known by his name at birth, Lee Earle Ellroy. The name change marked a significant moment in his long transition from alcohol- and drug-addicted vagrant to author. Yet despite this remarkable metamorphosis, and Ellroy’s strong and powerful writing in his early novels, much of his early literary career was plagued by missed opportunities and messy compromises. Ellroy was able to find a publisher for his first novel remarkably quickly, bypassing the often long struggle aspiring writers face getting their work published. Yet he was unsatisfied in his ambitions: he had hoped he would achieve a new crime-fiction style with his early work.