The Day of the Locust Author:Nathaniel West This scorching, ferocious, altogether unforgettable book, first published in teh late '30s, is now recognized as one of the finest novels ever to come out of Hollywood, an authentic American masterpiece. — It reflects the follies, the scandals, the lunacies of an entire nation - Hollywood, U.S.A. — It tells the story of Tod Hackett, young painter,... more » movie set designer, who is fascinated - not by the big stars and producers - but by the people of Hollywood tyrannized by futile dreams, lured by the promise of excitement and yearning for beauty that will elude them forever.