Peter Manso, 80, of Truro died Wednesday, April 7th at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis. He was the husband of Anna Avellar.
Born in New York City, son of the late Leo and Blanche Manso, he graduated from Antioch College, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of California in Berkley, where he received a Ph.D. in English. He taught at UC Berkeley and Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Peter was well known as an author, writer and prolific researcher. He was opinionated and was proud that he didn’t shy away from controversy. He authored biographies of Norman Mailer and Marlon Brando, an account of the Christa Worthington Truro murder case which occurred in 2002 and a salacious book on life on the outer Cape entitled Ptown: Art, Sex, and Money on the Outer Cape.
Peter also wrote for several national publications including Playboy, Vanity Fair, Politico and the New York Times.
Besides his wife, Peter is survived by his brother, Victor Manso; two stepsons, Chad and Anson Avellar; and his grandchildren, Kupala and Aaron Avellar.
A Memorial will be held this summer in Provincetown at a date and time to be announced.