Dennis Cooper is an American novelist, poet, critic, editor, and performance artist.
He was born on January 10, 1953, and is best known for the George Miles Cycle, a series of five semi-autobiographical novels published between 1989 and 2000. The series has been described by Tony O'Neill as "as intense a dissection of human relationships and obsession that modern literature has ever attempted."
Cooper is also the founder and editor of Little Caesar Magazine, a punk zine that ran from 1976 to 1982.
He grew up in the Southern California cities of Covina and Arcadia, and wrote stories and poems from an early age. Cooper became serious about writing at 15 after reading Arthur Rimbaud and The Marquis de Sade. He attended LA county public schools until the 8th grade, then transferred to a private school, 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 attended Pasadena City College for two years, participating in poetry writing workshops taught by the poets Ronald Koertge and Jerene Hewitt.