Michael J T Morrissey
Encyclopedia
Michael James Terence Morrissey (Michael Morrissey) is a New Zealand
poet
, short story
writer, novelist, editor
, feature article
writer, book reviewer and columnist
. He is the author of ten volumes of poetry
, two collections of short stories, a memoir
and two short novel
s and he has edited five other books.
and studied law
and English literature
at the University of Auckland
. In 1967, he was the editor of Craccum
, the University of Auckland student newspaper
. In the 1970s, he began publishing short stories in Islands and Mate and later contributed stories and poems to literary journals such as Landfall
, Morepork, Climate, Poetry New Zealand, Listener, Pilgrims, Rambling Jack, Printout, Brief, Magazine, Bravado, Comment, Echoes, Tango, Cornucopia, Takahe (New Zealand); Ocarina, Literary Half Yearly, (India
); New Poetry, Poetry Australia, Mattoid, Inprint, (Australia
); Gargoyle, Fiction International
, Chelsea
(USA).
In 1979, he was the first Writer-in-Residence at the University of Canterbury
and in 1985 the first New Zealand participant in the International Writing Program
me at the University of Iowa
from which he earned an Honorary Fellowship in Writing. In 1986, he was the New Zealand delegate at the 48th World Congress of International PEN
.
A Fulbright Cultural Travel Award in 1981 enabled him to visit several leading American universities
where he studied the teaching of creative writing
. On his return to New Zealand, he founded the Waiheke Summer Writing School which ran from 1983 to 1991. He has taught creative writing through several Community Education Centres
, and Continuing Education, University of Auckland, and is currently a tutor at the New Zealand Institute of Business Studies, Auckland
.
His anthology
The New Fiction (1985) was the first anthology of New Zealand postmodern fiction
. His 80 plus published short stories vary from neo-social realism to surreal and postmodern styles and also deploy the introduction of famous personalities into the New Zealand landscape such as Jack Kerouac
, Charles Fort
, Andy Warhol
and Franz Kafka
.
Morrissey's short stories have been widely anthologised, including in All the Dangerous Animals Are in Zoos (1981), New Zealand Writing Since 1945 (1983), I Have Seen the Future (1986), Metro Fiction (1987), Antipodes New Writing (1987), Short Story International (1987), Penguin Book of Contemporary New Zealand Short Stories (1989), The Oxford Book of New Zealand Short Stories (1992), The Faber Book of Contemporary South Pacific Stories (1994), Rutherford's Dreams (1995), Essential New Zealand Short Stories (2002 and 2009).
A short film by Costa Botes
of one of Morrissey's stories, Stalin's Sickle, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, in France, in 1988.
Morrissey's memoir, Taming the Tiger (2011) documents his experiences with manic depression, graphically describing two serious bipolar episodes and his forced hospitalisation. These episodes and Morrissey's mania were the subject of a feature-length documentary, Daytime Tiger, directed by Costa Botes
, which premiered at the New Zealand international film festival in 2011.
Michael Morrissey has contributed a monthly book review
column to Investigate magazine since 2000 and also has reviewed books for the Listener, Landfall, Islands, the Sunday Star-Times, the New Zealand Herald, The Press, Printout, and Quote Unquote.
Morrissey was also awarded major project grants by Creative New Zealand in 1993 and 1998.
on Radio New Zealand
about his memoir Taming the Tiger on 28 May 2011.
Also consult:
Among reviews of Morrissey’s works are:
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer, novelist, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, feature article
Feature article
* For general information "articles", see Article * For the term used in specific, see Article * For the concept of "feature stories," made the primary focus of a issue for in-depth investigation, see feature story...
writer, book reviewer and columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
. He is the author of ten volumes of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, two collections of short stories, a memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
and two short novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s and he has edited five other books.
Life and achievements
Born in 1942, Michael Morrissey was educated at St Peter's College, AucklandSt Peter's College, Auckland
St Peter's College is a Catholic college for year 7 to 13 boys . The school, located in Auckland, is one of the largest Catholic schools in New Zealand and is an integrated school under an integration agreement entered into by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland and the Government of New Zealand in...
and studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
. In 1967, he was the editor of Craccum
Craccum
Craccum is the weekly magazine produced by the Auckland University Students' Association of the University of Auckland, New Zealand. It was founded in 1927...
, the University of Auckland student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
. In the 1970s, he began publishing short stories in Islands and Mate and later contributed stories and poems to literary journals such as Landfall
Landfall (journal)
Landfall is New Zealand's oldest extant literary journal. First published in 1947 by Caxton Press, under the editorship of Charles Brasch, it features new fiction and poetry, biographical and critical essays, cultural commentary, and reviews of books, art, film, drama and dance.Additionally, the...
, Morepork, Climate, Poetry New Zealand, Listener, Pilgrims, Rambling Jack, Printout, Brief, Magazine, Bravado, Comment, Echoes, Tango, Cornucopia, Takahe (New Zealand); Ocarina, Literary Half Yearly, (India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
); New Poetry, Poetry Australia, Mattoid, Inprint, (Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
); Gargoyle, Fiction International
Fiction International
Fiction International is a literary magazine devoted to innovative forms of fiction and non-fiction which addresses progressive political ideals. Founded in New York by Joe David Bellamyin 1973, the magazine moved to San Diego State University in 1983, where it has been "edited by Harold Jaffe and...
, Chelsea
Chelsea (magazine)
Chelsea was a small American, twice-a-year literary magazine based in New York City. The influential journal, edited for many years by Sonia Raiziss, published poetry, prose, book reviews and translations with an emphasis on translations, art, and cross-cultural exchange.-History:In 1958, The...
(USA).
In 1979, he was the first Writer-in-Residence at the University of Canterbury
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
and in 1985 the first New Zealand participant in the International Writing Program
International Writing Program
The International Writing Program is a writing residency for international artists in Iowa City, Iowa. Since its inception in 1967, the IWP has hosted over 1,100 emerging and established poets, novelists, dramatists, essayists, and journalists from more than 120 countries...
me at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
from which he earned an Honorary Fellowship in Writing. In 1986, he was the New Zealand delegate at the 48th World Congress of International PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
.
A Fulbright Cultural Travel Award in 1981 enabled him to visit several leading American universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
where he studied the teaching of creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
. On his return to New Zealand, he founded the Waiheke Summer Writing School which ran from 1983 to 1991. He has taught creative writing through several Community Education Centres
Community education
Community education, also known as Community-based education or Community learning & development, is defined by the Scottish Government as learning and social development work with individuals and groups in their communities using a range of formal and informal methods...
, and Continuing Education, University of Auckland, and is currently a tutor at the New Zealand Institute of Business Studies, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
.
His anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
The New Fiction (1985) was the first anthology of New Zealand postmodern fiction
Postmodern literature
The term Postmodern literature is used to describe certain characteristics of post–World War II literature and a reaction against Enlightenment ideas implicit in Modernist literature.Postmodern literature, like postmodernism as a whole, is hard to define and there is little agreement on the exact...
. His 80 plus published short stories vary from neo-social realism to surreal and postmodern styles and also deploy the introduction of famous personalities into the New Zealand landscape such as Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
, Charles Fort
Charles Fort
Charles Hoy Fort was an American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena. Today, the terms Fortean and Forteana are used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold well and are still in print today.-Biography:Charles Hoy Fort was born in 1874 in Albany, New York, of Dutch...
, Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
and Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
.
Morrissey's short stories have been widely anthologised, including in All the Dangerous Animals Are in Zoos (1981), New Zealand Writing Since 1945 (1983), I Have Seen the Future (1986), Metro Fiction (1987), Antipodes New Writing (1987), Short Story International (1987), Penguin Book of Contemporary New Zealand Short Stories (1989), The Oxford Book of New Zealand Short Stories (1992), The Faber Book of Contemporary South Pacific Stories (1994), Rutherford's Dreams (1995), Essential New Zealand Short Stories (2002 and 2009).
A short film by Costa Botes
Costa Botes
Costa Botes is a New Zealand writer, director and cinematographer.-Movie-making career:Botes is best known in New Zealand for Forgotten Silver , a documentary he co-wrote and co-directed with Peter Jackson...
of one of Morrissey's stories, Stalin's Sickle, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, in France, in 1988.
Morrissey's memoir, Taming the Tiger (2011) documents his experiences with manic depression, graphically describing two serious bipolar episodes and his forced hospitalisation. These episodes and Morrissey's mania were the subject of a feature-length documentary, Daytime Tiger, directed by Costa Botes
Costa Botes
Costa Botes is a New Zealand writer, director and cinematographer.-Movie-making career:Botes is best known in New Zealand for Forgotten Silver , a documentary he co-wrote and co-directed with Peter Jackson...
, which premiered at the New Zealand international film festival in 2011.
Michael Morrissey has contributed a monthly book review
Book review
A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review could be a primary source opinion piece, summary review or scholarly review. It is often carried out in periodicals, as school work, or on the internet. Reviews are also often...
column to Investigate magazine since 2000 and also has reviewed books for the Listener, Landfall, Islands, the Sunday Star-Times, the New Zealand Herald, The Press, Printout, and Quote Unquote.
Poetry
- Make Love in All the Rooms (1978), Caveman Press, Dunedin. ISBN 0 908562 75 6
- Closer to the Bone (1981), Sword Press, Christchurch. ISBN 0 9597596 0 3
- She's Not the Child Of Sylvia Plath (1981), Sword Press, Christchurch. ISBN 0 9597596 1 1
- Dreams, (1981), Sword Press, Christchurch. ISBN 0 9597596 3 8
- Taking In the View (1986), Auckland University Press. ISBN 1 86940 004 6
- New Zealand - What Went Wrong? (1988), Van Guard Xpress, ISBN 0 9088836 02 3
- Dr Strangelove's Prescription (1988), Van Guard Xpress, Auckland. ISBN 0 908836 03 1
- A Case of Briefs (1989), Van Guard Xpress, Auckland. ISBN 0 908836 01 5
- The American Hero Loses His Tie (1989), Van Guard Xpress, Auckland. ISBN 0 908836 04 X
- From the Swimming Pool Question (2006), Zenith Publishing, ISBN 1 877365 36 X
Short fiction
- The Fat Lady & The Astronomer (1981) Sword Press, Christchurch. ISBN 0 9597596 2 X
- Octavio's Last Invention (1991), Brick Row Publishing, Auckland. ISBN 0 908595 52 2
Short novels
- Paradise to Come (1997), Flamingo, Auckland. ISBN 1 86950 252 3 - containing: Terra Incognita 1526 and Captain Nemo's Child
- Heart of the Volcano (2000), BookCaster Press, Auckland, ISBN 0 473 06844 3
Full Length Novel
Tropic of Skorpeo, a sci-fi fantasy in satiric-thriller mode, has been accepted by Steam Press and will be published in September/October 2012.Edited
- The New Fiction (1985), Lindon Publishing, Auckland. ISBN 0 86470 016 4
- The Globe Tapes (1985) (with Mike Johnson and Rosemary Menzies), Hard Echo Press, Auckland. ISBN 0 908715 15 3
- New Zealand's Top 10 (1993), Moa Beckett, ISBN 1 86958 013 3
- The Flamingo Anthology of New Zealand Short Stories (2000), Flamingo, Auckland. ISBN 1 86950 335 X
- The Flamingo Anthology of New Zealand Short Stories - Extended Edition, (2004), Flamingo, Auckland. ISBN 1 86950 496 8
Stage plays
- Come Here Beethoven (1979). Performed at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch and the University of Otago, Dunedin.
- Exorcisms (1979). Performed at Theatre Corporate, Auckland.
Representation in anthologies
- All The Dangerous Animals Are in Zoos (1981)
- New Zealand Writing Since 1945 (1983)
- New Zealand Short Stories (4th Series) (1984)
- Listener Short Stories 3 (1984)
- The New Fiction (1985)
- I Have Seen the Future (1986)
- Metro Fiction (1987)
- Antipodes New Writing (1987)
- Short Story International (1987)
- Penguin Book of Contemporary New Zealand Short Stories (1989)
- Tabasco Sauce and Ice Cream (1990)
- The Oxford Book of New Zealand Short Stories (1992)
- Faber Book of Contemporary South Pacific Stories (1994)
- Rutherford's Dreams (1995)
- Beethoven's Ears (1995)
- 100 NZ Short Stories (1997)
- Flamingo Anthology of New Zealand Short Stories (2000)
- Author's Choice (2001)
- Essential New Zealand Short Stories (2002)
- Flamingo Anthology of New Zealand Short Stories Extended edition (2004)
- Sunday 22 (2006)
- Essential New Zealand Short Stories Second Edition (2009)
- 46 by 44 (2009)
Awards
- MacMillan Brown Prize (1977)
- Writer's Bursary (1977)
- Writer-in-Residence - University of Canterbury (1979)
- Tom-Gallon Trust Award (1979)
- Fulbright Cultural Travel Award (1981)
- PEN Best First Book of Prose Award (1982)
- Sunday Star Times Short Story Competition (1984)
- Lilian Ida Smith Poetry Award (1986)
Morrissey was also awarded major project grants by Creative New Zealand in 1993 and 1998.
Further reading
An extended interview with Michael Morrissey can be found in Landfall 146. There is an account of Morrissey's career in the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature. Poetry New Zealand 37 includes a critical study by John Horrocks of his work, while Morrissey’s fiction is the subject of an extended essay by Lawrence Jones in his book Barbed Wire & Mirrors Essays on New Zealand Prose. Morrissey was interviewed by Kim HillKim Hill
Kim Hill is a Contemporary Christian Music singer. Aside from her career as a solo artist, Hill has also sung background vocals on projects by artists like Rich Mullins and others...
on Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand is a New Zealand public service radio broadcaster and Crown entity formed by the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news, current affairs and arts network Radio New Zealand National and classical music and jazz network Radio New Zealand Concert with full government funding...
about his memoir Taming the Tiger on 28 May 2011.
Also consult:
- The New Zealand Book Council http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/Writers/Profiles/Morrissey,%20Michael
- The University of Auckland's New Zealand Literature File http://www.nzlf.auckland.ac.nz/author/?a_id=118
- The University of Waikato's New Zealand Short Stories Website http://www.waikato.ac.nz/library/resources/nzc/stories/index.shtml
- Simpson, Peter, (1983) Recent Fiction and the Sargeson Tradition Journal of New Zealand Literature, No 1
- The Martyrdom of Michael Morrissey, Metro May 1990
Among reviews of Morrissey’s works are:
- Make Love in All the Rooms Peter Simpson, Islands 24, 1978,
- Exorcisms Michael Neill, Islands 26, 1979
- She's Not the Child of Sylvia Plath and Closer to the Bone Patrick Morrow, Landfall 139, 1981
- The Fat Lady & the Astronomer Suzanne Olsson, Landfall 144, 1982 and Peter Goldsworthy, the CRNLE Reviews Journal
- Paradise to Come Iain Sharp, New Zealand Books 30, 1997 and Charles Ferrall, Landfall 195, 1998
- From the Swimming Pool Question by Raewyn Alexander, Poetry New Zealand 34, 2007