Morris West
Morris West: A Renowned Author of Mysteries and Moral Insights
Full Name and Common Aliases
Morris Llewellyn West was born on 18 October 1916, in New South Wales, Australia. He is commonly known by his pen name.
Birth and Death Dates
18 October 1916 – 9 September 1999
Nationality and Profession(s)
Australian writer and novelist, best known for crafting intriguing mysteries that often explored complex moral themes.
Early Life and Background
Morris West was born to a family of Welsh descent in rural New South Wales. He grew up with a love for reading and writing, encouraged by his parents who recognized the importance of literature in shaping young minds. West's early life was marked by hardship, as he faced poverty and struggle alongside his family during the Great Depression. However, this period also instilled in him a sense of resilience and determination that would serve him well throughout his career.
Major Accomplishments
West's writing career spanned over five decades, producing more than 50 novels and numerous short stories. His works often grappled with complex moral issues, exploring the human condition through suspenseful narratives. He was particularly renowned for his ability to craft intricate plots that kept readers engaged while also prompting them to reflect on deeper themes.
Notable Works or Actions
Some of Morris West's most notable works include:
The Shoes of the Fisherman (1963): This novel tells the story of a former priest who becomes Pope and must navigate the complexities of Vatican politics.
Landscape in the Mist (1956): A suspenseful tale about an American couple whose vacation is disrupted by a mysterious woman with a hidden agenda.
The Devil's Advocate (1981): This novel follows a lawyer who defends a high-profile client accused of murder, but soon finds himself entangled in a web of deceit and corruption.
These works not only showcased West's mastery of the mystery genre but also demonstrated his ability to tackle complex moral issues with sensitivity and nuance.
Impact and Legacy
Morris West's writing had a significant impact on readers worldwide. His novels often sparked debates about morality, ethics, and the human condition, leaving a lasting impression on those who encountered them. As an author, he played a crucial role in shaping the literary landscape of his time, inspiring countless others to explore the complexities of human nature through their work.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Morris West's enduring legacy can be attributed to several factors:
His unique ability to craft engaging stories that challenged readers' perspectives.
The depth and nuance he brought to complex moral themes, often leaving readers with more questions than answers.
His commitment to exploring the human condition through his writing, creating works that continue to resonate with audiences today.
Morris West's remarkable career serves as a testament to the power of literature in shaping our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Quotes by Morris West
Ever since the Greeks, we have been drunk with language! We have made a cage with words and shoved our God inside!
It costs so much to be a full human being that there are very few who have the Love and the courage to pay the price. One has to abandon altogether the search for security and reach out to the risks of living with both arms. One has to embrace life.
In a longish life as a professional writer, I have heard a thousand masterpieces talked out over bars, restaurant tables and love seats. I have never seen one of them in print. Books must be written, not talked.
There was no cure for the human condition because every man read the present and plotted the future in the light of his own past.
No man - prince, peasant, pope - has all the light, who says else is a mountebank. I claim no private lien on truth, only a liberty to seek it, prove it in debate, and to be wrong a thousand times to reach a single rightness. It is that liberty they fear. They want us to be driven to God like sheep, not running to him like lovers, shouting joy!
He had fallen into the error of all liberals: the belief that men are prepared to reform themselves, that good will attracts good will, that truth has leavening virtue of its own.
I look out this window and think this is a cosmos, this is a huge creation, this is one small corner of it. The trees and the birds and everything else and I am part of it. I didn't ask to be put here. I've been lucky finding myself here.
Well I travelled quite a lot in the east, and one of the things that impressed me greatly was the buddhist notion of the continuity of things, the wheel of life which is what we're talking about, the ever turning wheel.
You are also caught with the fact that man is a creature who walks in two worlds and traces upon the walls of his cave the wonders and the nightmare experiences of his spiritual pilgrimage.
You know one of the causes of modern despair is the fact that we have had proposed to us, from various quarters, an impossible perfection.