Dennis Cooper is an American novelist, poet, critic, editor, and performance artist, born on January 10, 1953. He is best known for the George Miles Cycle, a series of five semi-autobiographical novels published between 1989 and 2000, described by Tony O'Neill as "as intense a dissection of human relationships and obsession that modern literature has ever attempted."

Cooper is the founder and editor of Little Caesar Magazine, a punk zine that ran between 1976 and 1982. His works often explore controversial themes such as violence, sex—especially homosexuality—human misery, and adolescence. This thematic focus led to a contentious dispute with Google when the company closed his personal blog, which contained an unpublished novel, for violating terms of service.

Dennis Cooper grew up in the Southern California cities of Covina and Arcadia. He wrote stories and poems from an early age but became serious about writing at 15 after reading Arthur Rimbaud and The Marquis de Sade. He attended public schools in LA county until the 8th grade, then transferred to Flintridge Preparatory School for Boys in La Canada, California, from which he was expelled in the 11th grade. While at Flintridge, he met his friend George Miles, who would become his muse and the subject of much of his future writing. He also attended Pasadena City College for two years, joining poetry writing workshops taught by poets Ronald Koertge and Jerene Hewitt.