APPLE, MAX

born Oct. 22, 1941, Grand Rapids, Mich., U.S. in full Max Isaac Apple American writer known for the comic intelligence of his stories, which chronicle pop culture and other aspects of American life. Apple's first language was Yiddish. Educated at the University of Michigan (B.A., 1963; Ph.D., 1970), Apple taught at Reed College, Portland, Ore., from 1970 to 1971 and at Rice University, Houston, Tex., from 1972. Apple's satire is distinguished by its gentle spoofing. His cast of characters often includes a mix of historical figures and fictional creations, as in The Oranging of America (1976), with its stories about materialism that feature such historical figures as cereal manufacturer C.W. Post, restaurant and motor-lodge entrepeneur Howard Johnson, and novelist Norman Mailer. In Zip: A Novel of the Left and the Right (1978), a Jewish man from Detroit manages the career of a middleweight Puerto Rican boxer named Jesus Goldstein, and brief appearances are made by J. Edgar Hoover, Fidel Castro, and Jane Fonda. His later works include Free Agents (1984), The Propheteers (1987), and Roommates: My Grandfather's Story (1994).