Evan Mandery

Evan Mandery, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1967 is an author and law professor at New York City's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he is an expert on the death penalty. He lives in Manhasset, New York.

Works of Fiction

Dreaming of Gwen Stefani

Mandery's first novel Dreaming of Gwen Stefani was published in 2007 by [Ig Publishing] and was described by Jay McInerney as:

"a quirky and compelling riff on the nature of romantic obsession, celebrity worship, free will versus determinism and the joys of Papaya 'Queen' hot dogs."

The book deals with mathematical genius Mortimer Taylor Coleridge a New York City hot-dog vendor who obsesses about the minutiae of hot dog sales, but after discovering Gwen Stefani

on VH1, begins to believe that the pop-singer is his true love and that they are intended for one another. As this one-sided love affair unfolds, Coleridge's acts call into question the thin line between admiration and obsession in the fame-focused society of the contemporary USA. The book also draws heavily on concepts of evolutionary biology in questioning the nature and uniqueness of true love.

First Contact (Or It's Later Than You Think)

Mandery's second novel, First Contact, Or, It's Later Than You Think, was published by Harper Paperbacks in January, 2010..

Q

Q was published by Harper in August, 2011. It is a time-travel satire. Shortly before his wedding, the unnamed protagonist is visited by a man who claims to be his future self and ominously admonishes him that he must not marry the love of his life, Q. At first the hero doubts the stranger, but later becomes convinced of his authenticity and leaves his fiancée. Thereafter, other future selves arrive urging him to marry someone else, divorce, attend law school, leave law school, join a running club, stop running, and make myriad other decreasingly significant changes in his life.

The novel received generally positive reviews. The New York Times called it a "delightful New York-infused novel." Booklist called it "a remarkably refreshing work, full of energy and eminently absorbing." The Sacramento Book Reviewcharacterized it as a "poignant, often hilarious, consideration of our universal curse of second guessing." Some reviewers noted a heavy influence of Woody Allen, although this was not uniformly regarded as a positive. The Financial Times said Mandery had a "tendency to confuse smart for smartarse." Many reviewers praised the ending as poignant.

Q was published in the UK in July 2012 and thereafter translated into Italian (under the title Q una storia d'amore), Polish (as Q. Ponadczasowa historia miłosna), and Czech (as "My Eternal Q"). The book was a semi-finalist for the 2012 James Thurber Prize for American Humor.

In November, 2011, Columbia Pictures optioned the movie rights to Q. [Gordon Green] was hired to write the screenplay and direct.

Poker

Mandery is a successful amateur poker player. He won the first casino tournament he entered for $3,500. He took second place in a preliminary event of the 2005 U.S. Poker Championship, winning $21,280. He has career earnings of approximately $60,000.