Kris Saknussemm
Encyclopedia
Kris Saknussemm is a cult novelist and multimedia artist
. Born and educated in America, he has lived most of his life abroad, primarily in Australia and the Pacific Islands
.
His science fiction themed novel Zanesville
, published by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House
in 2005, was hailed by critics as a revolutionary work of surreal black comedy.http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780812974164 It has attracted the devotion of outsider artists like the Legendary Stardust Cowboy and was the inspiration for Michael Jackson
to want to have a giant robot of himself constructed to roam the Las Vegas
desert.http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Jackobothttp://baltimoreathome.com/dct/62/id/106548/mid/1790/Michael-Jackson-Robot-Draws-Lawsuit-Threat.aspx
Another novel, an erotic supernatural
thriller Private Midnight is set in a noir
crime world of jazz
, junkies and shadows from out of time.
, reports began circulating around Hollywood that the actor Kevin Costner
was furious about being featured as the "voice" of Dooley Duck, one of several animated hologram characters in the story, who serve as advertising vehicles in the fictional world of the novel.http://www.mywire.com/a/PRNewswire/Saknussemm-Responds-to-Film-Studios/975851?&pbl=27 Under the magical influence of the protagonist, Elijah Clearfather, Dooley not only comes to life and breaks free of his commercial masters (a monolithic children's day care empire) he develops a penis and becomes an advocate for sexual enjoyment and the leader of a social and political reform called The Surprise Party
.
A second rumor that began making the rounds that Zanesville
had actually been written by the late David Foster Wallace
under a pseudonym, while another related and more detailed story had it that Kris Saknussemm is not an individual author at all, but rather a name taken by a collective of writers who wrote the book as a collaborative experiment, in something of the same spirit as the Nicholas Bourbaki phenomenon amongst mathematicians.
This latter view gained some extended support as Saknussemm had written about the "Bourbaki Conspiracy," and an earlier published story was based on the premise that the reclusive Thomas Pynchon
was just a composite entity—an on-going project and artistic prank which such writers as Vladimir Nabokov
, Kurt Vonnegut
and J.D. Salinger had participated in.
Appearing at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle in 2006, Saknussemm fielded questions about the rumor, remarking, "As Zanesville
has much to do with the idea of the Conspiracy Theory
as the folk religion
of our time, I'm somewhat amused. But I've heard something similar about Poppy Z. Brite
. I think we all just like hoaxes and rumors. They reassure us that we can actually participate in the manufacture of reality. But as one of my characters says, 'I'm real enough.'" A series of readings in New York and appearances on public radio and at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers
helped to dispel the rumor.
Multimedia artist
Multimedia artists are contemporary artists who use a wide range of media to communicate their art. Multimedia art includes, by definition, more than one medium, therefore multimedia artists use visual art in combination with sound art, moving images and other media...
. Born and educated in America, he has lived most of his life abroad, primarily in Australia and the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
.
His science fiction themed novel Zanesville
Zanesville (novel)
Zanesville is a science fiction novel written by Kris Saknussemm and published by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House in 2005.-Plot summary:...
, published by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
in 2005, was hailed by critics as a revolutionary work of surreal black comedy.http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780812974164 It has attracted the devotion of outsider artists like the Legendary Stardust Cowboy and was the inspiration for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
to want to have a giant robot of himself constructed to roam the Las Vegas
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
desert.http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Jackobothttp://baltimoreathome.com/dct/62/id/106548/mid/1790/Michael-Jackson-Robot-Draws-Lawsuit-Threat.aspx
Another novel, an erotic supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
thriller Private Midnight is set in a noir
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
crime world of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, junkies and shadows from out of time.
The Rumors
Soon after the publication of ZanesvilleZanesville (novel)
Zanesville is a science fiction novel written by Kris Saknussemm and published by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House in 2005.-Plot summary:...
, reports began circulating around Hollywood that the actor Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
was furious about being featured as the "voice" of Dooley Duck, one of several animated hologram characters in the story, who serve as advertising vehicles in the fictional world of the novel.http://www.mywire.com/a/PRNewswire/Saknussemm-Responds-to-Film-Studios/975851?&pbl=27 Under the magical influence of the protagonist, Elijah Clearfather, Dooley not only comes to life and breaks free of his commercial masters (a monolithic children's day care empire) he develops a penis and becomes an advocate for sexual enjoyment and the leader of a social and political reform called The Surprise Party
Zanesville (novel)
Zanesville is a science fiction novel written by Kris Saknussemm and published by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House in 2005.-Plot summary:...
.
A second rumor that began making the rounds that Zanesville
Zanesville (novel)
Zanesville is a science fiction novel written by Kris Saknussemm and published by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House in 2005.-Plot summary:...
had actually been written by the late David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace was an American author of novels, essays, and short stories, and a professor at Pomona College in Claremont, California...
under a pseudonym, while another related and more detailed story had it that Kris Saknussemm is not an individual author at all, but rather a name taken by a collective of writers who wrote the book as a collaborative experiment, in something of the same spirit as the Nicholas Bourbaki phenomenon amongst mathematicians.
This latter view gained some extended support as Saknussemm had written about the "Bourbaki Conspiracy," and an earlier published story was based on the premise that the reclusive Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
was just a composite entity—an on-going project and artistic prank which such writers as Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
, Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
and J.D. Salinger had participated in.
Appearing at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle in 2006, Saknussemm fielded questions about the rumor, remarking, "As Zanesville
Zanesville (novel)
Zanesville is a science fiction novel written by Kris Saknussemm and published by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House in 2005.-Plot summary:...
has much to do with the idea of the Conspiracy Theory
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
as the folk religion
Folk religion
Folk religion consists of ethnic or regional religious customs under the umbrella of an organized religion, but outside of official doctrine and practices...
of our time, I'm somewhat amused. But I've heard something similar about Poppy Z. Brite
Poppy Z. Brite
Poppy Z. Brite is an American author. Brite initially achieved notoriety in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s after publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections...
. I think we all just like hoaxes and rumors. They reassure us that we can actually participate in the manufacture of reality. But as one of my characters says, 'I'm real enough.'" A series of readings in New York and appearances on public radio and at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers
Squaw Valley Writer's Conference
The Squaw Valley Writer's Conference is an annual writer's conference organized by the "Squaw Valley Community of Writers." Founded by novelist Oakley Hall and writer Blair Fuller, it is held each summer in Olympic Valley, California...
helped to dispel the rumor.
The Novels
- ZanesvilleZanesville (novel)Zanesville is a science fiction novel written by Kris Saknussemm and published by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House in 2005.-Plot summary:...
(2005, Villard Books) - Private Midnight (2009, The Overlook PressThe Overlook PressThe Overlook Press is an American independent publishing house based in New York. It was formed in 1971 by Peter Mayer, who had previously worked at Avon and Penguin Books, where he was CEO from 1978 to 1998. A general-interest publisher, Overlook has over one thousand titles in print, including...
)
Quotes
- "Make a mistake with the sacred and you get scared."
- "Because you can’t fool all the people all the time, you need to be very clear on which people you are trying to fool at any given time."
- "Sex is a special kind of violence."
- "There is nothing so quaint as a future beyond your wildest imagination."
- "God is a question."
- "The best place to hide an elephant is in a herd of elephants."
- "Camouflage is the most interesting of all the arts."
- "I favor the eternal conflicts: the individual vs. society...cowboys vs. dinosaurs."
The Author & The Novels
- Saknussemm.com - Deviance with a difference (The Zanesville Website)
- Saknussemm On MySpace
- Gag Rule - The Saknussemm Blog
- Saknussemm On Facebook
- The Private Midnight Website
- Private Midnight On MySpace
Articles, Interviews & Reviews
- Saknussemm Responds to Film Studio's Pressure
- Zanesville Author Kris Saknussemm's Terrorist Conspiracy
- Zanesville's Dong Rings Plenty of Bells
- Michael Jackson Robot Draws Lawsuit Threat
- ShatterColors Literary Review Interview
- Largehearted Boy Book Notes for Zanesville
- About.com Interview
- Drinks With Tony Interview
- Zanesville, Journey to the Center of the Mirth
- Five Tips to Avoiding Total Disaster as a Novelist
- Retort Magazine Interview
- Mostly Fiction Review
- SF Signal Review
- BlogCritics Magazine Review
- SF Site Review
- SciFi Dimensions Review
- Internet Review of Science Fiction Review