Wright Morris Territory - (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Best known for his novels, including the National Book Award winners The Field of Vision and Plains Song, Nebraska-born author Wright Morris has long been regarded as one of America's most gifted writers. This volume, culling work from the photo-text books, criticism, and numerous short stories frequently overlooked among his oeuvre, reflects the true breadth of this quintessentially American artist's talents. As such, it offers a fascinating overview of Morris's inspiring accomplishments in multiple genres.
While embracing the prose for which Morris is justly famous, this treasury of work also highlights his photography and other literary genres, including hard-to-find stories first published in magazines, some of which were early drafts of future novels.
Edited by Morris's long-time friend David Madden, this one-of-a-kind collection captures a man of multifarious genius. Replete with interviews, photography, a biographical sketch, suggestions for further reading, and Morris's inimitable writing, this compendium is an indispensable resource for those who wish to understand and appreciate the brilliance and virtuosity of one of America's true talents.

Review Quotes

"Prefaced with a fine biographical sketch by Joseph Wydeven as well as Madden's introduction, and supplemented with Morris's photographs, this reader will cultivate a much-deserved wider audience for Morris."--K.L. Cole, Choice

"This anthology, which includes a biographical sketch by Joseph J. Wydeven, is indeed a treasury. I hope it will fall into the hands of young readers who have never even heard of Morris, sending them on a voyage of discovery."--Christianity Today

"[Morris] is a writer of truly astonishing beauty and power. . . . Not to know Wright Morris is not to know the silent, often lovely, stretches of ourselves. In these trackless, silent landscapes of the mind, we could have no better guide than Wright Morris."--Chicago Tribune Book World -- (2/22/2011 12:00:00 AM)

"Here is the maestro, a national treasure, a noble prize, cause for wonder."--Alan Cheuse, National Public Radio-- (2/22/2011 12:00:00 AM)

"It would in fact be hard to call to mind another novelist of Mr. Morris's generation who has been able to sustain through such a large body of work so clear a vision of the essence of the American experience."--New York Times-- (2/22/2011 12:00:00 AM)

"Through writing he strives to make sense of his own life and of American lives in general, and to save and recapture what might otherwise be forgotten."--Edward Abbey, New York Times -- (2/22/2011 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Wright Morris (1910-98) was a photographer, essayist, literary critic, and author of thirty-three books including The Field of Vision, The Home Place, and Plains Song: For Female Voices, all available in Bison Books editions. David Madden is the Robert Penn Warren Professor of Creative Writing emeritus at Louisiana State University and the author of fifty books, eleven of which are novels. Alicia Christensen is Bison Books editor at the University of Nebraska Press. Joseph J. Wydeven is professor emeritus of English and humanities at Bellevue University and the author of Wright Morris Revisited.