Adam Ross (born February 15, 1967) is an American writer and editor best known for his 2010 novel ''

Mr. Peanut Mr. Peanut is the advertising logo and mascot of Planters, an American snack-food company owned by Hormel. He is depicted as an anthropomorphic peanut in its shell, wearing the formal clothing of an old-fashioned gentleman, with a top hat, mono ...

''.

Biography

Ross was born and raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. As a child actor, he appeared in the 1979 film ''

The Seduction of Joe Tynan ''The Seduction of Joe Tynan'' is a 1979 American political drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg, and produced by Martin Bregman. The screenplay was written by Alan Alda, who also played the title role. The film stars Alda, Barbara Harris ...

'', as well as numerous television shows, commercials, and radio dramas.Alter, Alexandra
"New Life for a 125-Year-Old Literary Journal"
, ''The New York Times'' 4 Jun. 2017. Ross attended the Trinity School, where he was a state champion wrestler. His early literary fixations included

Frank Herbert Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920February 11, 1986) was an American science fiction author best known for the 1965 novel ''Dune'' and its five sequels. Though he became famous for his novels, he also wrote short stories and worked a ...

's ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

'' and the comic books of John Byrne,

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...

, and

Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known f ...

, which he loved "with such a passion that I read them into a state of frayed worthlessness." After graduating from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely fol ...

in 1989, he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States ...

and earned a 1994

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts a ...

in creative writing at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University i ...

, where he was taught by

Stanley Elkin Stanley Lawrence Elkin (May 11, 1930 – May 31, 1995) was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. His extravagant, satirical fiction revolves around American consumerism, popular culture, and male-female relationships. Biograp ...

and

William H. Gass William Howard Gass (July 30, 1924 – December 6, 2017) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, critic, and philosophy professor. He wrote three novels, three collections of short stories, a collection of novellas, and seven vol ...

.Skwiot, Rick
"A Writer’s Life: Real, but Unlikely,"
''The Source'' 1 Dec. 2010. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ross worked as a feature writer and reviewer for the alternative weekly ''

Nashville Scene ''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...

''. He received a two-book deal from

Alfred A. Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...

in 2007; his debut novel, ''Mr. Peanut'', which Ross had been writing "on and off for 15 years," was published in 2010. A

Hitchcockian Hitchcockian films are those made by various filmmakers, with the styles and themes similar to those of Alfred Hitchcock. Characteristics Elements considered Hitchcockian include: *Climactic plot twist. *The cool platinum blonde. *The presence ...

true crime story about a video game designer whose wife is found dead with peanuts lodged in her throat, the novel is structured like a

Möbius strip In mathematics, a Möbius strip, Möbius band, or Möbius loop is a surface that can be formed by attaching the ends of a strip of paper together with a half-twist. As a mathematical object, it was discovered by Johann Benedict Listing and A ...

, forcing the reader to ascertain which events are real and which are guilty projections of its characters. ''Mr. Peanut'' was described by

Michiko Kakutani Michiko Kakutani (born January 9, 1955) is an American writer and retired literary critic, best known for reviewing books for ''The New York Times'' from 1983 to 2017. In that role, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1998. Early life ...

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 ...

'' as "a dark, dazzling and deeply flawed novel that announces the debut of an enormously talented writer," and was later named one of the best books of the year by ''The New Yorker'', ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', ''The New Republic'', and ''The Economist''. It has been translated into 16 languages. Ross's collection of short stories, ''

Ladies and Gentlemen Ladies and Gentlemen may refer to: * Ladies and gentlemen (salutation), a common introductory phrase Film and television * ''Ladies & Gentlemen'' (2015 film), a Telugu film * ''Ladies & Gentlemen'' (TV series), a 2021 Bangladeshi drama serie ...

'', was featured in ''Kirkus Reviews list of the best books of 2011. His nonfiction has appeared in ''The New York Times Book Review'', ''The Daily Beast'', and ''The Wall Street Journal''. His forthcoming novel '' Playworld'' is a semiautobiographical account of a year in the life of a child actor; Ross has said that "the book’s about the sometimes-fraught space that arises when adults and children find themselves consistently private." In 2016, Ross was appointed editor of the historic literary journal ''

The Sewanee Review ''The Sewanee Review'' is an American literary magazine established in 1892. It is the oldest continuously published quarterly in the United States. It publishes original fiction and poetry, essays, reviews, and literary criticism. History ''Th ...

''. Subscriptions have risen under his tenure, and ''The New York Times'' has credited him with "restor ngsome of the journal's cultural cachet." Ross lives in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

with his wife and their two daughters."About,"
Adam-Ross.com.

Bibliography

* ''

'' (2010) * ''

'' (2011) * '' Playworld'' (forthcoming)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Adam Living people 1967 births American male writers 21st-century American novelists Washington University in St. Louis alumni 21st-century American male writers Vassar College alumni Hollins University alumni