Selby, Hubert, Jr (1928–2004)

US writer. His acclaimed first novel, Last Exit to Brooklyn (1964), vividly depicted urban vice and violence; it became the subject of obscenity trials in the UK in 1966 and 1967. Similar portrayals followed in his later novels The Room (1971), The Demon (1976), Requiem for a Dream (1978) – considered by many to be his masterpiece – and The Willow Tree (1998).

Last Exit to Brooklyn and Requiem for a Dream were adapted into full-length films in 1989 and 2000 respectively. Selby appeared in cameos in both films. He wrote the screenplay for Fear X (2003). He also published a collection of stories, Song of the Silent Snow (1986), and the novel Waiting Period (2002).