Morris West

1916–1999

13 standalone books

Morris Langlo West AO was an Australian novelist and playwright, best known for his novels The Devil's Advocate (1959), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1963), and The Clowns of God (1981). His books were published in 27 languages and sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. Each new book he wrote after becoming an established writer sold more than one million copies. His works often focused on international politics and the role of the Roman Catholic Church in global affairs. The Shoes of the Fisherman described the election and career of a Slav as Pope, 15 years before the election of Karol Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II. The sequel, The Clowns of God, described a successor Pope who resigned the papacy to live in seclusion. West was awarded the 1959 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Devil's Advocate. In the early 1960s, he helped found the Australian Society of Authors. He presented the 1986 Playford Lecture. In 1993, West announced he had written his last book, and a formal valedictory dinner was held in his honour. However, he wrote three additional novels and two non-fiction books. West died while working on the final chapters of his novel The Last Confession, about the trials and imprisonment of Giordano Bruno. He was born in 1916 and died in 1999.

Born

1916