Jess Walter (born July 20, 1965) is an American author of seven novels, two collections of short stories, and a non-fiction book. He is the recipient of the
Edgar Allan Poe Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
, and was a finalist for the
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors.
The Nat ...
in 2006.
Career
Walter has published seven novels, ''Over Tumbled Graves'', ''Land of the Blind'', ''Citizen Vince'', ''The Zero'', ''The Financial Lives of the Poets'', ''
Beautiful Ruins
''Beautiful Ruins'' is a 2012 bestselling novel by Jess Walter. It is his sixth novel. The novel is a social satire critiquing Hollywood culture. Though not the explicit focus of the novel, receiving very little direct appearances in the novel, ...
'', and ''The Cold Millions''. In 2013, he published his first collection of short stories, ''We Live in Water,'' which President Barack Obama named one of his favorite books in 2019. In 2022, he published his second collection of short stories, ''The Angel of Rome.'' His essays and short stories have also appeared in ''Best American Short Stories'', ''Best American Nonrequired Reading'', ''McSweeny's'', ''Esquire'', ''Harper's'', ''Byliner'', ''Playboy'', ''ESPN the Magazine'', ''Details'', and other publications. His books have been published in thirty-two countries and translated into thirty-two languages.
Walter's novel ''Beautiful Ruins'' was a number one ''New York Times'' best seller. It was also named ''Esquire's'' Book of the Year, NPR Fresh Air's Best Novel of 2012, a ''New York Times'' Notable Book, and a ''Washington Post'' Notable Book. Maureen Corrigan of NPR's Fresh Air called this novel a "literary miracle" and Steve Almond of ''The Boston Globe'' described it as "a novel with pathos, piercing wit, and, most important, the generous soul of a literary classic".
Walter's 2009 novel ''
The Financial Lives of the Poets
''The Financial Lives of the Poets'' is the fifth novel by the American writer Jess Walter. It is a comedic novel first published in 2009. The novel explores the global financial crisis, through the eyes of a business reporter turned poet.
Recept ...
'' was named one of the best books of the year by ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'', ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', ''
The Believer'', NPR's Fresh Air, and several others. Walter also writes screenplays, and has written the screenplay for a possible film adaptation of ''The Financial Lives of the Poets.''
His 2006 novel ''The Zero'' was a finalist for the
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors.
The Nat ...
. In a 2006 ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' book review, John McNally writes that with ''The Zero'' Walter has "written a new thriller not only with a conscience but also full of dead-on insights into our culture ... and the often surreal post-9/11 world."
''Citizen Vince'', Walter's 2005 novel, earned him the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel in 2006.
Walter is also a career journalist, whose work has appeared in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' and ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
''. As a reporter he covered the
Randy Weaver
Randall Claude Weaver (January 3, 1948 – May 11, 2022) was an American survivalist, former Iowa factory worker, and self-proclaimed white separatist. He was a central actor in the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff at his cabin near Naples, Idaho, th ...
/
Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge was the site of an eleven-day siege in 1992 in Boundary County, Idaho, near Naples. It began on August 21, when deputies of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) initiated action to apprehend and arrest Randy Weaver under a bench ...
case for the Spokane ''
Spokesman-Review'' newspaper and authored a book about the case, ''Every Knee Shall Bow'' (revised edition titled ''Ruby Ridge'').
[Jess Walter, ''Every Knee Shall Bow'', HarperCollins ReganBooks, 1995, .] He also was the co-author with
Christopher Darden
Christopher Allen Darden (born April 7, 1956) is an American lawyer, author, actor, and lecturer. He worked for 15 years in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, where he gained national attention as a co-prosecutor in the O. J. Si ...
of the 1996 bestseller ''In Contempt''.
Family
Walter lives with his wife, Anne, and their children, Brooklyn, Ava and Alec, in his childhood hometown of
Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...
. He is an alumnus of
East Valley High School (Spokane, Washington)
East Valley High School (also known as EVHS) is a large State school, public high school located in Spokane Valley, Washington, Spokane Valley, Washington (state), Washington at the corner of Sullivan and Wellesley. East Valley provides educationa ...
and
Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University (EWU) is a public university in Cheney, Washington. It also offers programs at a campus in EWU Spokane at the Riverpoint Campus and other campus locations throughout the state.
Founded in 1882, the university is ...
.
Bibliography
Novels
*''
Over Tumbled Graves
Over may refer to:
Places
*Over, Cambridgeshire, England
*Over, Cheshire, England
*Over, South Gloucestershire, England
*Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England
**Over Bridge
*Over, Seevetal, Germany
Music
Albums
* ''Over'' (album), by Pete ...
'' (2001)
*''
The Land of the Blind
''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
'' (2003)
*''
Citizen Vince
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
'' (2005)
*''
The Zero
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (2006)
*''
The Financial Lives of the Poets
''The Financial Lives of the Poets'' is the fifth novel by the American writer Jess Walter. It is a comedic novel first published in 2009. The novel explores the global financial crisis, through the eyes of a business reporter turned poet.
Recept ...
'' (2009)
*''
Beautiful Ruins
''Beautiful Ruins'' is a 2012 bestselling novel by Jess Walter. It is his sixth novel. The novel is a social satire critiquing Hollywood culture. Though not the explicit focus of the novel, receiving very little direct appearances in the novel, ...
'' (2012)
*''
The Cold Millions
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2020)
Short story collections
*''We Live in Water: Stories'' (2013)
*''The Angel of Rome: And Other Stories'' (2022)
Non-fiction
*''Every Knee Shall Bow'' (1995) (re-released as ''
Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge was the site of an eleven-day siege in 1992 in Boundary County, Idaho, near Naples. It began on August 21, when deputies of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) initiated action to apprehend and arrest Randy Weaver under a bench ...
: The Truth and Tragedy of the
Randy Weaver
Randall Claude Weaver (January 3, 1948 – May 11, 2022) was an American survivalist, former Iowa factory worker, and self-proclaimed white separatist. He was a central actor in the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff at his cabin near Naples, Idaho, th ...
Family'' in 2002)
*''In Contempt'' (co-authored with
Christopher Darden
Christopher Allen Darden (born April 7, 1956) is an American lawyer, author, actor, and lecturer. He worked for 15 years in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, where he gained national attention as a co-prosecutor in the O. J. Si ...
) (1996)
Awards
* 2006 : ''
Edgar Allan Poe Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
'' for best novel ''Citizen Vince''
* 2006 : ''
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors.
The Nat ...
Finalist'' for best novel ''The Zero''
* 2006 : Finalist for
Washington State Book Award
The Washington State Book Awards is a literary awards program presented annually in recognition of notable books written by Washington authors in the previous year. The program was established in 1967 as the Governor's Writers Awards. Each year, u ...
in Fiction for ''The Zero''
* 2007 : Finalist for
Washington State Book Award
The Washington State Book Awards is a literary awards program presented annually in recognition of notable books written by Washington authors in the previous year. The program was established in 1967 as the Governor's Writers Awards. Each year, u ...
in Fiction for ''Citizen Vince''
* 2007 : ''
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
'' for ''The Zero''
* 2007 :
LA Times Book Prize
Since 1980, the ''Los Angeles Times'' has awarded a set of annual book prizes. The Prizes currently have nine categories: Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography, biography, Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest, current interest, ...
for ''The Zero''
* 2011 : Finalist for
Washington State Book Award
The Washington State Book Awards is a literary awards program presented annually in recognition of notable books written by Washington authors in the previous year. The program was established in 1967 as the Governor's Writers Awards. Each year, u ...
in Fiction for ''The Financial Lives of the Poets''
* 2012 : ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' 100 Notable Books of 2012 list for ''Beautiful Ruins''
*2021
Washington State Book Award for Fictionfor ''The Cold Millions.''
References
External links
Official Jess Walter websiteFantastic Fiction - Jess Walter*
The Bat Segundo Show
''The Bat Segundo Show'' was a podcast based in New York City run by writer and literary critic Edward Champion between 2004 and 2012. It was revived in mid-2013.
The program features comprehensive interviews with prominent figures in arts and ...
(radio interviews)
2007 (40 minutes)an
2012 (50 minutes)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, Jess
1965 births
Living people
21st-century American novelists
American male novelists
Edgar Award winners
Writers from Spokane, Washington
Place of birth missing (living people)
Eastern Washington University alumni
21st-century American male writers
Novelists from Washington (state)