Paradox of an artist in the novel "Diary" by Chuck Palahniuk

In the article the novel "Diary" (2003) by the American contemporary writer Chuck Palahniuk is analyzed in the context of Künstlerroman (a novel about an artist) evolution from Romanticism to Postmodernism. Spiritual and artistic crisis on the verge of the XX-XXI centuries is researched. Several theories of creative process parodied in the novel are compared. Ekphrasis of imagine works by the main character, describing of their creation process, interpretation, perception and influence are analyzed. The conflicts between a man and an artist, life and art, classical and contemporary arts, etc. which discover different sides of "paradox of an artist" are accented. Palahniuk transforms Künstlerroman into antiutopia novel.