Hubert Selby, Jr.

Who was Hubert Selby, Jr.?

Hubert "Cubby" Selby, Jr. was a 20th-century American writer. His best-known novels are Last Exit to Brooklyn and Requiem for a Dream, exploring worlds in the New York area. Both novels were adapted later as films, and he appeared in small roles in each.

Selby wrote about a harsh underworld seldom portrayed in literature before then: his first novel was prosecuted for obscenity in Great Britain in 1967, and banned in Italy. His work was defended by leading writers. He has been considered highly influential to more than a generation of writers. In addition to his works, for 20 years, he taught creative writing at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he lived full-time since 1983.