Tao Lin (born July 2, 1983) is an American novelist and poet. He is a leading author in the "Alt-Lit" literary scene and founded Muumuu House, an independent publishing house. His works are definitive of Generation-Y and focus on topics such as ennui, relationships, drug use, and depression. He has quickly become a controversial figure who is both loved and hated.
Notable works include:
- Bed (2007)
- Eeeee Eee Eeee (2007)
- Shoplifting From American Apparel (2009)
- Richard Yates (2010)
- Taipei (2013)
- Selected Tweets (2015): Co-authored with Mira Gonzalez
- Leave Society (2021)
Tropes present in Tao Lin's work:
- Intentionally Awkward Title - Eeeee Eee Eeee
- Minimalism - His writing style generally is tonally repetitive and devoid of descriptive terminology.
- No Budget - Lin released a film, Mumblecore, which is essentially just a video diary of himself and then-wife Megan Boyle, created using a Macbook webcam.
- Tuckerization: The two main characters of Richard Yates are named Haley Joel Osment and Dakota Fanning.
- Write What You Know: Almost everything written by Tao Lin is autobiographical, with few exceptions.
