Wright Morris
author · photographer
Wright Morris (1910–1998) was a prominent American novelist, essayist, and photographer known for his introspective exploration of the relationship between text and image. Born in Nebraska, he spent much of his life documenting the rural landscapes and artifacts of the American Midwest, particularly during the Great Depression. His literary work often explores themes of memory, time, and the tension between objective reality and personal experience. Morris was a recipient of multiple National Book Awards (1957, 1981) and won several Guggenheim Fellowships for his photography and writing. He is noted for his 'photo-text' works, which combine evocative photographs with brief prose to create a unique aesthetic of nostalgia and cultural critique. His archives are held at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona.[1,2]
- memory
- time
- Midwest landscape
- photo-text friction
- nostalgia
Books
Works by Wright Morris
- 1989 Time Pieces: Photographs, Writing, and Memory Part of the Writers and Artists on Photography series.
- 1956 The Field of Vision Won the National Book Award in 1957.
- 1980 Plains Song: For Female Voices Won the National Book Award in 1981.
- 1942 My Uncle Dudley First novel.
- 1948 The Home Place Photo-text.
Exhibitions
- 1992 Retrospective of Photographic Works
- 2019 Wright Morris: L'essence du visible
Awards
- 1957 National Book Award (Fiction)
- 1981 National Book Award
- 1942 Guggenheim Fellowship (Photography)
- 1985 O. Henry Award