Jessica Anthony Explained

Jessica Anthony
Occupation:Author
Education:Hamilton Central School
Bates College
University of Manchester (BA)
University of Manchester (MFA)
Nationality:American
Genre:Satire
Notableworks:Enter the Aardvark

Jessica Anthony is an American novelist, and author of The Convalescent (2009), Chopsticks (2012), and Enter the Aardvark (2020). In addition to writing, Anthony has held a series of diverse occupations across the globe ranging from butcher in Sitka, Alaska, unlicensed masseuse in Rytro, Poland, and secretary in San Francisco, California. In 2017, Anthony worked on Enter the Aardvark while stationed as a "Bridge Guard" during an art residency program, guarding the Mária Valéria Bridge between Štúrovo, Slovakia and Esztergom, Hungary. She resides in Maine and teaches at Bates College.[1]

Early life and education

Anthony was born in Oneida, New York. She attended Hamilton Central School, where her mother taught Latin. She attended Bates College[2] and the University of Manchester (UK), earning a B.A. in English literature. While at Manchester, she studied literature with Professor Michael Schmidt. In 2004, she received an MFA in fiction from George Mason University, where she studied with novelists Susan Shreve, Alan Cheuse, Richard Bausch, and Stephen Goodwin.

Anthony had several jobs before becoming a novelist. She worked at Sea Mart in Sitka, Alaska, where she was a butcher and rented videos. She taught English in the remote villages Rytro and Rygrot, Poland, and to Czech businessmen in Prague. She worked as a custodian, cleaning college dorms in upstate New York, and was a secretary in San Francisco and New York City.

Career

Anthony’s debut novel, The Convalescent, tells the story of Rovar Pliegman, a Hungarian-American who sells meat out of a bus. The novel is a farcical re-telling of the history of the Hungarian people and satirizes contemporary American suburbia.[3] The novel was published by McSweeneys in 2009 and won McSweeneys inaugural Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award.[4]

Her second novel, Chopsticks, coauthored with graphic designer Rodrigo Corral, was published by Penguin/Razorbill in 2012. Chopsticks is “a multimedia narrative about a piano prodigy told through words, pictures and memorabilia,”[5] published as both a traditional book and an app, was featured in The Wall Street Journal[6] and won Apps Magazine’s (UK) “App of the Year.”

Enter the Aardvark, published in March 2020, sold in a six-house auction to Little, Brown & Co. The novel follows a closeted Republican congressman and a Victorian taxidermied aardvark that ends up in his possession,[7] [8] and was called “an ingenious political satire” by The Guardian.[9] The novel was a finalist for the New England Book Award in Fiction,[10] a New York Times Editors’ Choice,[11] and was featured in Time Magazine.[12]

Anthony’s short stories have appeared in Best New American Voices, Best American Nonrequired Reading, McSweeney’s, New American Writing, among other places.[13]

Her next novel, The Most, is forthcoming from Little, Brown & Co. and Doubleday UK[14] in July 2024.

Bibliography

Awards and honors

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jessica L. Anthony . Bates.edu . en . 31 August 2015.
  2. Web site: Jessica Anthony. Bates College.
  3. Web site: Hammond . Dewey . 'The Convalescent,' by Jessica Anthony . San Francisco Chronicle . 9 August 2009.
  4. Web site: McSweeney's Issue 14. The McSweeney’s Store.
  5. Web site: CHOPSTICKS . Kirkus Reviews . en.
  6. Web site: Alter . Alexandra . Blowing Up the Book . Wall Street Journal . 20 January 2012.
  7. Web site: Greenman . Ben . Can Political Satire Outpace Reality? 3 Books Toss Their Hats in the Ring . The New York Times . 2 July 2020.
  8. Web site: In Jessica Anthony's New Novel, a Taxidermied Aardvark Leads to a Politician Getting Canceled. 2020-03-05. Creative Capital. 2020-11-24.
  9. Web site: Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony review – achingly funny farce. Jude. Cook. April 23, 2020. the Guardian.
  10. Web site: 2020 Finalists . New England Book Awards.
  11. Web site: 9 New Books We Recommend This Week . The New York Times . 9 July 2020.
  12. Political Satire 'Enter the Aardvark' Is Wonderfully Weird . Time. 18 March 2020 .
  13. Web site: Jessica Anthony. Penguin.co.uk. August 2024 .
  14. [Cite web|url=https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/jessica-anthony]
  15. Web site: Fiction Book Review: The Convalescent by Jessica Anthony, Author . McSweeney's $22 (243p) ISBN 978-1-934781-10-4 . PublishersWeekly.com . en.
  16. Web site: Children's Book Review: Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral. Razorbill, $19.99 paper (272p) ISBN 978-1-59514-435-5 . PublishersWeekly.com . en.
  17. Web site: Review: 'Chopsticks' by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral novel beyond words . Tampa Bay Times . en.
  18. Web site: Review: The aardvark stays in the picture. 2020-03-25. Los Angeles Times.
  19. Book: The Most . 978-0-316-57637-6 . 6 November 2023 . Anthony . Jessica . Little Brown .
  20. Web site: B&N Monthly Pick . Barnes & Noble . en.
  21. Web site: Westenfeld . Adrienne . The 47 Best Books of 2020 (So Far) . Esquire . 1 December 2020.
  22. 'Enter the Aardvark' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2020 . Time. 11 November 2020 .
  23. Web site: B&N Discover Great New Writers, Single People - Fiction, Love & Relationships - Fiction . Barnes & Noble . en.
  24. Web site: The Convalescent Awards & Grants . Ala.org.