Chuck Palahniuk

Hardtalk Extra caught up with Chuck Palahniuk at London's Barbican Centre

In a Hardtalk Extra programme broadcast on Friday 15th September, Gavin Esler spoke to American author Chuck Palahniuk.

Chuck Palahniuk came to world attention when his book Fight
Club, a dark satire on violence in American society, was turned into a Hollywood film starring Brad Pitt.

Drawing inspiration from writers like Edward Albee, Anthony Burgess, Bret Easton Ellis and Irvine Welsh, Palahniuk sees himself as an author of "transgressional novels".

As he sees it, these are books which use shock tactics to examine society's accepted norms.

He tells Gavin Esler why this aspect of popular culture "died on the vine" after September 11th.

HARDtalk Extra can be seen on BBC World at 0330 GMT, 0830 GMT, 1430 GMT, 1830 GMT, 2330 GMT.

It can also be seen on BBC News 24 at 04:30 and 23:30.