There have actually been two novels with the same title, but the one one which Cronenberg's film is based was published in 2003 and written by Don DeLillo.

DeLillo has written 15 novels so far, of which Cosmopolis was the 13th. He is a well known US author whose novels include Americana, White Noise and Underworld.

The film follows most of the novel quite closely, although the ending is different. The novel, like the film, is set largely in Eric Packer's luxury car, where he spends most of his time looking at computer screens to track the progress of the Japanese yen (in the film this is changed to the Chinese yuan, showing China's growing power in the last 8-1o years). The novel puts a lot of stress on the way Packer almost seems to want to destroy himself and his wealth, taking his wealthy friends and clients with him in the process.