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 The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

in words and pictures, as well as for experimenting with narrative forms.

Early life

Morris was born in Central City, Nebraska; his boyhood home is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. 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 is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

. After Grace's death, Wright was cared for by a nanny, until his father made a trip to

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

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 76 miles southwest of Sioux City, Iowa, at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,955 at the 2020 census, mak ...

. 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

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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 in California. He graduated from

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...

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. He retired from teaching in 1975. Morris won the

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) 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. ...

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 John Henry O'Hara (January 31, 1905 – April 11, 1970) was an American writer. He was one of America's most prolific writers of Short story, short stories, credited with helping to invent ''The New Yorker'' magazine short story style.John O'H ...

and Thornton Wilder, 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 (; 1 February 1918 – 13 April 2006). was a List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist. Life Muriel Camberg was born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, the daughter of Bernar ...

from 1962 until his death. Morris died of

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

Mill Valley, California Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mill Valley is lo ...

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 * '' 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" (1982) (short story in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

''; O. Henry Award third prize) * ''

Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...

'' (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 Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

s in 1942, 1946, and 1954. In 1975, he won the Mari Sandoz 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 The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "str ...

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 feder ...

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) WebsiteWestern American Literature Journal: Wright Morris

Guide to the Wright Morris Papers
at The Bancroft Library *
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