Jess Walter | |
|---|---|
 Walter in 2009 | |
| Born | (1965-07-20)July 20, 1965 (age 59) Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Website | |
| www | |
Jess Walter (born July 20, 1965[1]) is an American author of seven novels, two collections of short stories, and a non-fiction book. He is the recipient of theEdgar Allan Poe Award, and was a finalist for theNational Book Award in 2006.
Walter has published seven novels,Over Tumbled Graves,Land of the Blind,Citizen Vince,The Zero,The Financial Lives of the Poets,Beautiful Ruins, andThe 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.[2] In 2022, he published his second collection of short stories,The Angel of Rome. His essays and short stories have also appeared inBest American Short Stories,Best American Nonrequired Reading,McSweeny's,Esquire,Harper's,Byliner,Playboy,ESPN the Magazine,Details, and other publications.[3][independent source needed] His books have been published in thirty-two countries and translated into thirty-two languages.[4]
Walter's novelBeautiful Ruins was a number oneNew York Times best seller.[5] It was also namedEsquire's Book of the Year, NPR Fresh Air's Best Novel of 2012, aNew York Times Notable Book, and aWashington Post Notable Book.[6] Maureen Corrigan of NPR's Fresh Air called this novel a "literary miracle"[7] and Steve Almond ofThe Boston Globe described it as "a novel with pathos, piercing wit, and, most important, the generous soul of a literary classic".[8]
Walter's 2009 novelThe Financial Lives of the Poets was named one of the best books of the year byTime,The Washington Post,Los Angeles Times,The Believer, NPR's Fresh Air, and several others.[9] Walter also writes screenplays, and has written the screenplay for a possible film adaptation ofThe Financial Lives of the Poets.
His 2006 novelThe Zero was a finalist for theNational Book Award. In a 2006Washington Post book review, John McNally writes that withThe 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."[10]
Citizen Vince, Walter's 2005 novel, earned him the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel in 2006.[11]
Walter is also a career journalist, whose work has appeared inThe New York Times,The Washington Post andThe Boston Globe. As a reporter he covered theRandy Weaver/Ruby Ridge case for the SpokaneSpokesman-Review newspaper and authored a book about the case,Every Knee Shall Bow (revised edition titledRuby Ridge).[12] He also was the co-author withChristopher Darden of the 1996 bestsellerIn Contempt.
Walter lives with his wife, Anne, and their children, Brooklyn, Ava and Alec, in his childhood hometown ofSpokane, Washington. He is an alumnus ofEast Valley High School (Spokane, Washington) andEastern Washington University.
