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| Evan Mandery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1967 (age 56–57) Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Harvard College Harvard Law School |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | John Jay College of Criminal Justice |
| Website | http://evanmandery.com |
Evan Mandery, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1967 is an author and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He lives in Manhasset, New York.
Works of Fiction
Dreaming of Gwen Stefani
Mandery's first novel Dreaming of Gwen Stefani was published in 2007 by Ig. Jay McInerney described it as "a quirky and compelling riff on the nature of romantic obsession, celebrity worship, free will versus determinism and the joys of Papaya 'Queen' hot dogs." The satirical novel deals with mathematical genius Mortimer Taylor Coleridge a New York City hot-dog vendor who obsesses about the minutiae of hot dog sales, but after discovering Gwen Stefani on VH1 begins to believe that the pop-singer is his true love and that they are intended for one another. As this one-sided love affair unfolds, Coleridge's acts call into question the thin line between admiration and obsession in the fame-focused society of the contemporary USA. The book draws heavily on concepts of evolutionary biology in questioning the nature and uniqueness of true love.
First Contact (Or It's Later Than You Think)
Mandery's second novel, First Contact, Or, It's Later Than You Think, was published by HarperCollins in January, 2010. It is a satire built around first contact by a hyper-intelligent, Woody-Allen loving alien species and a dim-witted President, who is mistrustful of the aliens without basis. The book was generally well received. Publisher's Weekly said, "Mandery's sharp sense of humor and habit of addressing the reader make for a stimulating and intelligent read that's never short on laughs." Booklist called it "a Douglas Adams–style political farce about first contact with aliens from the planet Rigel-Rigel who, at first glance, bear a striking resemblance to Orthodox Jews." The Sacramento Book Review said the novel "plainly" owed "much to Kurt Vonnegut and Douglass Adams" and that "for fans of Douglas Adams and Christopher Moore, First Contact will leave you in stitches." The Winnipeg Free Press said, "Multiply Kurt Vonnegut by a factor of 10, and toss in some Douglas Adams, some Woody Allen, some Joseph Heller and a bit of Monty Python."
The book was an IndieBound Next list selection in July, 2010 and a semi-finalist for the 2011 James Thurber Prize for American Humor.
Q
Q was published by Harper in August, 2011. It is a time-travel satire. Shortly before his wedding, the unnamed protagonist is visited by a man who claims to be his future self and ominously admonishes him that he must not marry the love of his life, Q. At first the hero doubts the stranger, but later becomes convinced of his authenticity and leaves his fiancée. Thereafter, other future selves arrive urging him to marry someone else, divorce, attend law school, leave law school, join a running club, stop running, and make myriad other decreasingly significant changes in his life.
The novel received generally positive reviews. The New York Times called it a "delightful New York-infused novel." Booklist called it "a remarkably refreshing work, full of energy and eminently absorbing." The Sacramento Book Review characterized it as a "poignant, often hilarious, consideration of our universal curse of second guessing." Some reviewers noted a heavy influence of Woody Allen, although this was not uniformly regarded as a positive. The Financial Times said Mandery had a "tendency to confuse smart for smartarse." Many reviewers praised the ending as poignant.
Q was published in the UK in July 2012 and thereafter translated into Italian (under the title Q una storia d'amore),
Polish (as Q. Ponadczasowa historia miłosna), and Czech (as "My Eternal Q"). The book was a semi-finalist for the 2012 James Thurber Prize for American Humor.
In November, 2011, Columbia Pictures optioned the movie rights to Q. David Gordon Green was hired to write the screenplay and direct.
Works of Non-Fiction
Mandery began as a non-fiction writer. His first book, The Campaign (Rudy Giuliani, Ruth Messinger, Al Sharpton and the Race to be Mayor of New York) was a memoir of his tenure as research director on Messinger's 1997 mayoral campaign. It was published in 1999 by Westview Press.
Mandery's academic writing focuses on capital punishment and he has published a textbook on the subject. In August 2013, W.W. Norton & Company will publish A Wild Justice. The book tells the behind-the scenes story of how the seminal Supreme Court cases of Furman v. Georgia and Gregg v. Georgia were won and lost.
Poker
Mandery is a successful amateur poker player. He won the first casino tournament he entered for $3,500. He took second place in a preliminary event of the 2005 U.S. Poker Championship, winning $21,280. He has career earnings of approximately $60,000.
References
- Ig Publishing website
- HarperCollins website
- Jordan Magill, Sacramento Book Review, November 2011.
- See Susannah Meadows, "New Released Books," The New York Times, August 17, 2011. (A word to the tear prone: don’t attempt to read the ending in public.)
- http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&langpair=cs%7Cen&u=http://www.bookfan.eu/clanek/Recenze/324/RECENZE-Ma-vecna-Q-Evan-Mandery
- Poker History
- http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-players/21894-evan-mandery