Kris Saknussemm (born June 28, 1961) is a cult novelist and

multimedia artist Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to traditio ...

. Born and educated in America, he has lived most of his life abroad, primarily in Australia and the

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. He has published ten books that have been translated into 22 languages. His science fiction themed novel '' Zanesville'', published by

Villard Books Villard, also known as Villard Books, is a publishing imprint of Random House, one of the largest publishing companies in the world, owned by Bertelsmann since 1998 and grouped in Penguin Random House since 2013. It was founded in 1983. Villard beg ...

, an imprint of Random House in 2005, was hailed by critics as a revolutionary work of surreal black comedy. It has attracted the devotion of outsider artists like the

Legendary Stardust Cowboy Norman Carl Odam (born September 5, 1947, in Lubbock, Texas), known professionally as the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, is an outsider performer who is considered one of the pioneers of the genre that came to be known as psychobilly in the 1960s. ...

and, according to Saknussemm, was the inspiration for Michael Jackson to want to have a giant robot of himself constructed to roam the Las Vegas desert. Another key novel, the erotic

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

thriller '' Private Midnight'' is set in a noir crime world of jazz, junkies and shadows from out of time.

The Rumors

Soon after the publication of '' Zanesville'', 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. 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 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

Nicolas Bourbaki Nicolas Bourbaki () is the collective pseudonym of a group of mathematicians, predominantly French alumni of the École normale supérieure (Paris), École normale supérieure - PSL (ENS). Founded in 1934–1935, the Bourbaki group originally in ...

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 ongoing 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 A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

as the folk religion of our time, I'm somewhat amused. But I've heard something similar about

Poppy Z. Brite Billy Martin (born May 25, 1967), formerly Poppy Z. Brite, is an American author. He initially achieved fame in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s by publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections. He i ...

. 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.

Published works

* ''

In the Name of the Father (poetry) In the Name of the Father are the first words of the trinitarian formula. In the Name of the Father may also refer to: * ''In the Name of the Father'' (film), a 1993 film directed by Jim Sheridan about the Guildford Four * ''In the Name of the ...

'' (1988,

The False Frontier Press ''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 ...

) * '' Zanesville'' (2005,

) * '' Private Midnight'' (2009, The Overlook Press) * ''

Enigmatic Pilot Enigmatic is an adjective meaning "mysterious" or "puzzling". It may also refer to: * ''Enigmatic'', a 1970 album by Czesław Niemen * '' Enigmatic: Calling'', a 2005 album by Norwegian progressive metal band Pagan's Mind * Enigmatic scale, music ...

'' (2011, Del Rey Ballantine Books) * '' Sinister Miniatures'' (2011,

Lazy Fascist Press Lazy is the adjective for laziness, a lack of desire to expend effort. It may also refer to: Music Groups and musicians * Lazy (band), a Japanese rock band * Lazy Lester, American blues harmonica player Leslie Johnson (1933–2018) * Lazy Bill L ...

) * '' The Colors of Compulsion'' (2012, Les Editions du Zaporogue) * '' Reverend America'' (2012, Dark Coast Press) * '' Eat Jellied Eels and Think Distant Thoughts'' (2012, PS Publishing) * '' Sea Monkeys (memoir)'' (2012, Soft Skull Press) * '' The Humble Assessment'' (2013,

)

References

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

SF Signal Review

BlogCritics Magazine Review

Internet Review of Science Fiction Review

External links

*
Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saknussemm, Kris 1961 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American crime fiction writers American male novelists American science fiction writers Writers from California 21st-century American male writers