Jon Hassler (March 30, 1933 – March 20, 2008) was an American writer and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

known for his

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s about small-town life in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. He held the positions of Regents professor emeritus and writer-in-residence at St. John's University in

Collegeville, Minnesota Collegeville is an unincorporated community in St. Wendel Township, Stearns County, Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitob ...

Biography

Hassler was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

on March 30, 1933. He spent his childhood and teen years in the Minnesota towns of Staples and Plainview, where he graduated from high school. He received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in English from St. John's University in 1955. While teaching English at three different Minnesota high schools, he received his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in English from the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

in 1960. He continued to teach high school until 1965, when he began his collegiate teaching career: first at

Bemidji State University Bemidji State University (BSU) is a public university in Bemidji, Minnesota, United States. Founded as a preparatory institution for teachers in 1919, it provides higher education to north-central Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Coll ...

, then Brainerd Community College, and finally at Saint John's, where he became the writer-in-residence in 1980. During his high-school teaching years, Hassler married and fathered three children. His first marriage lasted 25 years. He had two more marriages, the last to Gretchen Kresl Hassler. In 1994, Hassler was diagnosed with

progressive supranuclear palsy Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a late-onset neurodegenerative disease involving the gradual deterioration and death of specific volumes of the brain, linked to 4-repeat tau pathology. The condition leads to symptoms including Balance di ...

(PSP), a disease similar to

Parkinson's Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become more prevalen ...

. It caused vision and speech problems, as well as difficulty walking, but he was able to continue writing. He was reported to have finished a novel just days before his death. Hassler died in 2008, at the age of 74, at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The Jon Hassler Theater in Plainview is named for him. In 2021, his memoir ''Days Like Smoke'' was published posthumously.

Works

Much of Hassler's fiction involves characters struggling with transitions in their lives or searching for a central purpose. Many of his major characters are Catholic (or lapsed Catholics), and his novels frequently explore the role small-town life plays in shaping or limiting human potential. Hassler's novels have several recurring characters, including Miles Pruitt (the protagonist in ''Staggerford'', who is referred to in ''A Green Journey'', ''The Love Hunter'', and ''The New Woman''); Agatha McGee (in ''Staggerford'', ''A Green Journey'', ''Dear James'', ''The Staggerford Flood'', and ''The New Woman''); Larry Quinn (in ''The Love Hunter'' and ''Rookery Blues''); and Frank Healy (in ''North of Hope'' and ''The New Woman'').

Novels

*''Staggerford'' (1977) *''Simon's Night'' (1979) *''The Love Hunter'' (1981) *''A Green Journey'' (1985) *''Grand Opening'' (1987) *''North of Hope'' (1990) *''Dear James'' (1993) *''Rookery Blues'' (1995) *''The Dean's List (novel)'' (1998) *''The Staggerford Flood'' (2002) *''The Staggerford Murders'' (2004) *''The New Woman'' (2005)

Short story collections

*''Keepsakes and Other Stories'' (2000) *''Rufus at the Door and Other Stories'' (2000)

Nonfiction

*''Saint John's in Pictures'' - Introduction (1994) *''My Staggerford Journal'' (1999) *''Good People... from an Author's Life'' (2001) *''Stories Teachers Tell'' (2004) *''Days Like Smoke'' (2021)

Children's literature

*''Four Miles to Pinecone'' (1977) *''Jemmy (novel)'' (1980)

Anthologized stories

*''Inheriting the Land'', edited by Mark Vinz and Thom Tammaro ("The Undistinguished Poet", 1993) *''Imagining Home'', edited by Mark Vinz and Thom Tammaro ("Remembering Houses", 1995)

Adaptations

In 1990, Hassler's novel ''A Green Journey'' was adapted as a television movie, ''The Love She Sought'', starring

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American actress, producer, and singer. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles on stage and screen. Among her numerous accolades wer ...

and

Denholm Elliott Denholm Mitchell Elliott (31 May 1922 – 6 October 1992) was an English actor. He appeared in numerous productions on stage and screen, receiving BAFTA awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for ''Trading Places'' (1983), '' A Private Fu ...

References

External links

Jon Hassler's official website 2021Jon Hassler's writing room
*Th
Jon Hassler Theater 2013
which is a not for profit theater affiliated with the Rural America Arts Partnership, is located in

Plainview, Minnesota Plainview is a city in Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,483 at the 2020 census, up from 3,340 at the 2010 census. The author Jon Hassler was raised in Plainview and some of the places in his writing are based on ...

. Closed in 2014.
Collection of Jon Hassler books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassler, Jon 1933 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American children's writers University of North Dakota alumni Writers from Minneapolis People from Plainview, Minnesota College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University alumni American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Minnesota Neurological disease deaths in Minnesota Deaths from progressive supranuclear palsy