Anthony Marais
Anthony Marais (born 1966, Hollywood, California) is an American novelist, screenwriter and musician.
Personal life
In 1984 Marais co-founded the Orange County ska group The Squids and during the late eighties moved to Paris, France where he studied language and art history. He studied anthropology at UC Berkeley and archaeology at Simon Fraser University in Canada, where he did field work on various Pacific islands, in particular Tahiti, Guam and Tonga. In 1991, while on Guam, he played bass guitar for Chamorro artist Maria Yatar. He became a member of the Academy of Magical Arts in 1995, the same year he moved to Wiesbaden,Germany where he is a member of The Frankfurt Writers' Group. In 2008, he co-founded the corporate-punk group The Karmakazees. In 2009, his screenplay Plateau, co-written with Jarek Marszewski, was optioned by OPUS Film in Poland. He currently teaches English composition at the Anglo-American University in Prague.
Career
Books:
The Xenophobe’s Guide to the Californians is one of a popular series of books dealing with the beliefs and foibles of nations. In it, Marais argues that the defining element of Californians is a collective sense of delusion – that is, a false belief that they are rooted in this once remote corner of North America.
In his novel, The Cure, a Californian fleeing from problems in university finds himself in Wiesbaden, Germany, a picturesque spa town near the Rhine River. Here the protagonist develops an obsession with the town’s healing springs leading to a surreal journey into the occult.
Plateau, a screenplay co-written with Jarek Marszewski, is the story of a twelve-year-old girl who finds a dying man along the roadside near her small town. Her desire to nurture him grows into obsession and only the local drunk comes to her rescue.
Delusionism is a collection of essays which take an irreverent look at life philosophy – in particular, the nature/nurture debate and art theory. Marais emphasizes the importance of the group in survival, claims that culture is born of delusion, and advocates a return to romanticism in art.
Insured Risk is a novel about a Californian family dealing with the revealed homosexuality of the husband/father in conjunction with his diagnosis of a fatal disease. While swindling insurance companies the protagonist develops the delusion that he is recovering, inciting his agent to hire a contract killer.
Music:
The Squids’ song "Bottle Cap" is included as track #10 on the 1999 ska compilation, Skarmageddon vol.4.
The Squids are referenced in the movie "Goats" (2012) written by Mark Poirier, starring David Duchovny and Vera Farmiga when the protagonist, Ellis, appears holding an original 12-inch green-vinyl Squids record and says, “I’ve been looking for this album for a long time.”
Publications
Marais, Anthony (2000). The Xenophobe's Guide to the Californians. London: Oval Books. ISBN 1-902825-20-9.
Marais, Anthony (2006). The Cure. Newport Beach, California: Balneum Books. ISBN 0-9774792-0-X.
Marais, Anthony (2007). Plateau. Newport Beach, California: Balneum Books. ISBN 978-0-9774792-4-5.
Frankfurt Writers Group (2008). A Place Between Worlds. Schwalbach, Germany: Fairmount Publishing. ISBN 978-3-940280-04-6.
Marais, Anthony (2008). Delusionism. Newport Beach, California: Balneum Books. ISBN 978-0-9774792-1-4.
Frankfurt Writers Group (2012). Loose Change. Limerick, Ireland: RealTime Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84961-179-4.
Marais, Anthony (2012). Insured Risk. Newport Beach, California: Balneum Books. ASIN BOOATEQBL4.
Marais, Anthony (2013). People from Hollywood, Los Angeles. General Books LLC. ISBN 978-1-23080-680-8.