Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 81 (2016) Winner
Mary Morris
メアリー・モリス
Mary Morris
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1947-05-14 （Chicago, Illinois, U.S.）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Highland Park, Illinois → Brooklyn, New York
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Professor
- Active Years
- 1979-2025
- Affiliations
- Sarah Lawrence College, Princeton University (fellow), New York University, University of California, Irvine, American Academy in Rome (Fellow)
- Memberships
- American P.E.N., American Academy in Rome (Fellow)
- Influenced By
- Willa Cather, Mark Twain, Doris Lessing
- Influenced
- Jodi Picoult, Jonathan Ames, Elissa Schappell
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts College | — | — | B.A. | 1965–1969 | United States |
| Harvard University (graduate studies, attended) | — | — | — | — | United States |
| Columbia University | — | — | — | — | United States |
Tufts College
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
1965–1969
Year of Graduation:
1969
Country:
United States
Junior year abroad in Paris (1968)
Harvard University (graduate studies, attended)
Country:
United States
Began graduate work then transferred to Columbia University
Columbia University
Country:
United States
Did the bulk of her graduate work and began writing stories here
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | National Endowment for the Arts | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 1980 | Rome Prize (Literature) | Vanishing Animals | — | American Academy in Rome | 受賞 |
| 1980 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1982 | George W. Perkins Junior Fellowship (Princeton University) | — | — | Princeton University | 受賞 |
| 1983 | American Council for the Arts First Prize in Literature | — | — | American Council for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 1985 | The New York Foundation for the Arts (Artists Fellowship) | — | — | The New York Foundation for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (Fiction) | The Jazz Palace | — | Anisfield-Wolf Book Award | 受賞 |
National Endowment for the Arts
1978
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
Rome Prize (Literature)
1980
Work:
Vanishing Animals
Organization:
American Academy in Rome
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1980
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
George W. Perkins Junior Fellowship (Princeton University)
1982
Organization:
Princeton University
Result:
受賞
American Council for the Arts First Prize in Literature
1983
Organization:
American Council for the Arts
Result:
受賞
The New York Foundation for the Arts (Artists Fellowship)
1985
Organization:
The New York Foundation for the Arts
Result:
受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (Fiction)
2016
Work:
The Jazz Palace
Organization:
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Vanishing Animals & Other Stories
1979 Short story collectionA debut collection of short stories drawing on childhood and adolescent memories, often set in Midwestern landscapes and concerned with coming-of-age themes.
Coming of ageMidwestMemory
Translations
- Translated into Italian, Spanish, German and other languages
The Bus of Dreams: Stories
1985 Short story collectionA collection of stories that often center on travel and the tension between home and away.
TravelFamilyMovement
The Lifeguard: Stories
1997 Short story collectionStories exploring boundaries of family and individual identity through a variety of characters.
FamilyIndividualityBoundaries
Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone
1988 Travel memoirA travel memoir recounting experiences of traveling alone as a woman, focusing on encounters and introspection.
TravelWomen's independenceSelf-exploration
Wall to Wall: From Beijing to Berlin by Rail
1991 Travel writingA travel account of a long rail journey from Beijing to Berlin, depicting geographic and cultural movement.
Rail travelCrossing bordersCultural exchange
The Jazz Palace
2015 NovelA historical novel set in early 20th-century America that explores jazz and intersections of race and culture.
JazzRaceCultural diversity
Bibliography
- Vanishing Animals & Other Stories (1979)
- The Bus of Dreams: Stories (1985)
- Crossroads (1984)
- The Waiting Room (1989)
- Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone (1988)
- Wall to Wall: From Beijing to Berlin by Rail (1991)
- The Night Sky (formerly published as A Mother's Love) (1993)
- House Arrest (1996)
- The Lifeguard: Stories (1997)
- Angels & Aliens: A Journey West (1999)
- Acts of God (2001)
- Revenge (2004)
- The River Queen (2007)
- The Jazz Palace (2015)
- Gateway to the Moon (2018)
- All The Way To The Tigers (2020)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realistic, finely detailed proseReflective, travel-tinged narrative voice
- Recurring Motifs
- TravelFamily ties and tensionsMidwestern landscapesMovement and belonging
Legacy
Mary Morris is recognized for work spanning short stories, novels and travel writing, particularly on themes of travel and family. As a teacher she mentored several successful writers and has been honored with awards such as the Rome Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Academic Societies
- American P.E.N.
- American Academy in Rome (Fellow)
Archives
- Sarah Lawrence College faculty archives (related materials)
Quotes
-
The Chicago Tribune called Morris "a marvelous storyteller — a budding Isaac Bashevis Singer, a young Doris Lessing, a talent to be watched and read."
Source: Chicago Tribune (review) (1979)
Trivia
- Related to Barney Rosset, the legendary publisher of Grove Press (cousin relationship noted).
- At sixteen she once rode a horse across Adlai Stevenson's front yard; Stevenson waved.
- Maintains a blog 'The Writer and the Wanderer' writing about travel and literature.