Wright Marion Morris (January 6, 1910 – April 25, 1998) was an American novelist, photographer, and essayist. He is known for his portrayals of the people and artifacts of the
Great Plains in words and pictures, as well as for experimenting with narrative forms.
Early life
Morris was born in
Central City, Nebraska
Central City is a city and the county seat of Merrick County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,934 at the 2010 census.
History
Early inhabitants
The inhabitan ...
; his
boyhood home is on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. His mother, Grace Osborn Morris, died six days after he was born. His father, William Henry Morris, worked for the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
. After Grace's death, Wright was cared for by a nanny, until his father made a trip to
Omaha and returned with a young wife, Gertrude. In ''Will's Boy'', Morris states, "Gertrude was closer to my age than to my father's".
Gertrude hated small-town life, but got along famously with Wright, as they shared many of the same childish tastes (both loved games, movies, and ice cream). In 1919, the family moved to Omaha, where they resided until 1924.
During that interlude, Morris spent two summers on his uncle's farm near
Norfolk, Nebraska
Norfolk ( or ) is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,210 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth ...
.
Photographs of the farm, as well as the real-life characters of Uncle Harry and Aunt Clara, appear in Morris's books.
Career
Morris moved to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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in 1924. Later that year, he accompanied his father on a road trip to the west coast that formed the basis for his first novel, ''My Uncle Dudley''. He also lived briefly with his uncle in Texas before enrolling in
Pacific Union College
Pacific Union College (PUC) is a private liberal arts college in Angwin, California. It is the only four-year college in Napa County. It is a coeducational residential college with an almost exclusively undergraduate student body.
PUC is accre ...
in California. He graduated from
Pomona College
Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...
in 1933.
[Howard, Leon. Wright Morris. Pamphlets on American Writers 69. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1968.] He married Mary Ellen Finfrock in 1934;
the couple divorced in 1959. He later married Josephine Mary Kantor.
Following college, Morris traveled through Europe on a "wanderjahr," which he later fictionalized in ''Cause for Wonder''.
[Knoll, Robert E. Conversations with Wright Morris: Critical Views and Responses. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1977.]
From 1944 to 1954, Morris lived in Philadelphia.
From 1954–1962, he divided his time between California and Mexico.
[Crump, G. B. "Wright Morris." In A Literary History of the American West, edited by Thomas J. Lyon. Western Literary Association. Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 1987.] In 1963, he accepted a teaching position at
San Francisco State College
San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
. He retired from teaching in 1975.
Morris won the
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors.
The Nat ...
for The ''Field of Vision'' in 1956.
His final novel, ''Plains Song'' won the American Book Award in 1981.
Morris developed close friendships with several other American authors, most notably
John O'Hara and
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' — ...
, and was a pall bearer at O'Hara's funeral in 1970.
He also conducted a weekly correspondence with Scottish author
Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Sarah Spark (née Camberg; 1 February 1918 – 13 April 2006). was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist.
Life
Muriel Camberg was born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, the daughter of Bernard Camberg, an ...
from 1962 until his death.
Morris died of
esophageal cancer in
Mill Valley, California in 1998. He is buried in the Chapman Cemetery.
Selected works
* ''
My Uncle Dudley'' (1942)
* ''
The Man Who Was There'' (1945)
* ''
The Inhabitants'' (photo-text) (1946)
* ''
The Home Place'' (photo-text) (1948)
* ''
The World in the Attic'' (1949)
* ''
Man and Boy'' (1951)
* ''
The Works of Love'' (1952)
* ''
The Deep Sleep'' (1953)
* ''
The Huge Season'' (1954) — finalist for the National Book Award
["National Book Awards – 1955"]
NBF. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
* ''
The Field of Vision'' (1956) —
National Book Award for Fiction
The National Book Award for Fiction is one of five annual National Book Awards, which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987 the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, but ...
["National Book Awards - 1957"]
National Book Foundation
The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established, "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: 'The Joy Luc ...
. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
(With essay by Harold Augenbraum from the Awards 60-year anniversary blog.)
* ''
Love Among the Cannibals'' (1957) — finalist for the National Book Award
["National Book Awards – 1958"]
NBF. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
* ''
Ceremony in Lone Tree'' (1960) — finalist for National Book Award
["National Book Awards – 1961"]
NBF. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
* ''
Cause for Wonder'' (1963)
* ''
One Day'' (1965)
* ''
In Orbit'' (1967)
* ''
A Bill of Rites, a Bill of Wrongs, a Bill of Goods'' (essays) (1968)
* ''
God's Country and My People'' (photo-text) (1968)
* ''
Fire Sermon'' (1971)
* ''
A Life'' (1973)
* ''
Real Losses, Imaginary Gains'' (Short Stories) (1976)
* ''
The Fork River Space Project'' (1977)
* ''
Plains Song: For Female Voices'' (1980) — National Book Award for Fiction
["National Book Awards - 1981"]
National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
(With essay by Patricia Smith from the Awards 60-year anniversary blog.)[
''Plains Song'' won the 1981 award for hardcover Fiction. ]
From 1980 to 1983 in National Book Awards history there were dual hardcover and paperback awards in most categories. Most of the paperback award-winners were reprints, including the 1981 Fiction.
* ''
Will's Boy'' (1981)
* "
Victrola
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...
" (1982) (short story in ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'';
O. Henry Award
The O. Henry Award is an annual American award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American short-story writer O. Henry.
The ''PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories'' is an annual collection of the year's twenty best ...
third prize)
* ''
Solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Comics
* ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series
* Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics
Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
'' (1983)
* ''
A Cloak of Light'' (1985)
* "
Glimpse Into Another Country" (1985) (short story in ''The New Yorker''; O. Henry Award)
* ''
Time Pieces: Photographs, Writing, and Memory'' (1989)
Awards and honors
Morris received numerous honors in addition to the National Book Awards for ''The Field of Vision''
[ and ''Plains Song''.][
He was granted Guggenheim Fellowships in 1942, 1946, and 1954. In 1975, he won the ]Mari Sandoz
Mari Susette Sandoz (May 11, 1896 – March 10, 1966) was a Nebraska novelist, biographer, lecturer, and teacher. She became one of the West's foremost writers, and wrote extensively about pioneer life and the Plains Indians.Bristow, Dav ...
Award recognizing "significant, enduring contribution to the Nebraska book world". In 1979, he received the Western Literature Association's Distinguished Achievement Award. In 1981, he won the Los Angeles Times' Book Prize Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement. In 1982, a jury of Modern Language Association members selected him for the Common Wealth Award for distinguished service in literature. In 1985, he was one of the inaugural recipients of the Whiting Award. In 1986, he was honored with a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
.
Archives
The full archive of Wright Morris photographs is located at the Center for Creative Photography (CCP) at the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
in Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
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, which also manages the copyright of these photographs.
The Lincoln City Libraries of Lincoln, NE, houses some Morris correspondence and taped interviews i
The Gale E. Christianson Collection of Eiseley Research Materials
an
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
Libraries houses a collection o
Wright Morris papers
including material donated by Josephine Morris (1927-2002), widow of Wright Morris.
Historical places in the life of Wright Morris
Wright Morris wrote about the places and lives he knew. Here are a few of the most historic.
* Cahow Barber Shop
* Patterson Law Office
* Wright Morris Boyhood House
Notes
References
External links
* Official sites
*
Wright Morris (Lone Tree Literary Society) Website
*
Western American Literature Journal: Wright Morris
Guide to the Wright Morris Papers
at The Bancroft Library
The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...
*
Profile at The Whiting Foundation
Stuart Wright Collection: Wright Morris Papers, 1950–1985 (#1169-008), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University
Further reading
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Wright
1910 births
1998 deaths
People from Central City, Nebraska
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
National Book Award winners
Photographers from Nebraska
20th-century American male writers
San Francisco State University faculty
Pomona College alumni
Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters