Nathanael West (born Nathan Weinstein) was an American writer and screenwriter. He is remembered for his darkly satirical novels, Miss Lonelyhearts (1933) and The Day of the Locust (1939), which are set in the newspaper and Hollywood film industries respectively.

Born to prosperous Jewish parents, West created his own legend from the start, part of which was anglicizing his name. At Brown University in Rhode Island, he befriended writer and humorist S. J. Perelman, who later married his sister. West began writing and drawing cartoons during his time at Brown. He had a tendency to borrow his cousin Nathan Wallenstein's work to present as his own. Despite nearly not graduating due to failing a crucial course in modern drama, West managed to convince a professor to upgrade his marks.

After spending a couple of years in Paris, he wrote his first novel. West was a part of the Lost Generation of writers and is known for his significant contributions to American literature.