David Morrell

{{Infobox writer

| name = David Morrell

| image = DavidMorrellByPhilKonstantin.jpg

| caption = Morrell in 2009

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1943|4|24}}

| birth_place = Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = Author

| citizenship = {{hlist|Canada|United States}}

| education =

| alma_mater = St. Jerome's University (University of Waterloo) {{small|(BA)}}
Pennsylvania State University {{small|(MA}}, {{small|PhD)}}

| period =

| genre =

| subject =

| movement =

| notableworks = First Blood

| spouse =

| partner =

| children = Daughter: Sarie
Son: Matthew (deceased)

| relatives =

| influences =

| influenced =

| awards =

| signature =

| signature_alt =

| website = {{URL|davidmorrell.net}}

| portaldisp =

}}

David Morrell (born April 24, 1943) is a Canadian-American author whose debut 1972 novel First Blood, later adapted as the 1982 film of the same name, went on to spawn the successful Rambo franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. He has written 28 novels, and his work has been translated into 30 languages.{{cite web |url=https://davidmorrell.net/bio/ |title=Biography }} He also wrote the 2007–2008 Captain America comic book miniseries The Chosen.

Early life

Morrell was born on April 24, 1943, in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, the son of Beatrice, an upholsterer, and George Morrell, a Royal Navy flier.{{cite web| url = https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/morrell-david-1943| title = Morrell, David 1943–|publisher=Encyclopedia.com}} He decided to become a writer at the age of 17, after being inspired by the writing in the classic television series Route 66.{{cite web |last1=Pullen |first1=Rick |title=My First Thriller: David Morrell |url=https://crimereads.com/my-first-thriller-david-morrell/ |website=CrimeReads |access-date=August 30, 2020 |date=August 13, 2020}} In 1966, Morrell received his B.A. in English from St. Jerome's University (affiliated with the University of Waterloo) and moved to the United States to study with Hemingway scholar Philip Young at Pennsylvania State University, where he would eventually receive his M.A. and Ph.D. in American literature.

Career

During his time at Penn State he met science fiction writer Philip Klass, better known by the pseudonym William Tenn, who taught the basics of writing fiction. Morrell began work as an English professor at the University of Iowa in 1970. In 1972, his novel First Blood was published; it would eventually be made into the 1982 film of the same name starring Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam veteran John Rambo. Morrell continued to write many other novels, including The Brotherhood of the Rose, the first in a trilogy of novels, which was adapted into a 1989 NBC miniseries starring Robert Mitchum. He gave up his tenure at the university in 1986 in order to write full-time. In 1988 he received the Horror Writers Association award for best novella; Orange Is for Anguish, Blue for Insanity.[https://books.google.com/books?id=y4MZBAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Horror+Writers+Association+award%22+best+novella+of+1988&pg=PT237 Black Evening: Tales of Dark Suspense]

Despite John Rambo being killed at the end of Morrell's source novel, Morrell wrote the novelization of Rambo: First Blood Part II, and explained in the preface that he was bringing the character back to life.

Morrell is the co-president of the International Thriller Writers organization.

Awards and accolades

Morrell was presented with the 2009 ThrillerMaster Award from the ITW.{{cite web |url=http://thrillerwriters.org/?s=thriller+master&x=0&y=0|title=The 2011 Thriller Awards|publisher=ITW|access-date=August 27, 2011}}

Personal life

Morrell's teenaged son Matthew died of Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in 1987. In 2009 his granddaughter died of the same form of cancer. The trauma of his loss influenced Morrell's work, in particular in his creative fiction memoir about Matthew, Fireflies. The protagonist of Morrell's novel Desperate Measures also experiences the loss of a son.

Morrell is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School for wilderness survival as well as the G. Gordon Liddy Academy of Corporate Security. He is also an honorary lifetime member of the Special Operations Association and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers.

According to his website, he has been trained to handle firearms, crisis negotiation, assuming identities, executive protection, and defensive driving, among numerous other action skills that he describes in his novels. He earned an FAA licence to pilot his own small plane as part of research for his 2009 novel, The Shimmer.

Morrell became an American citizen in 1993.{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/DavidMorrellAuthor/photos/a.260956370661696/1934777469946236/?type=3&theater |title=David Morrell - Posts |last=Morrell |first=David |date=November 3, 2018 |publisher=Facebook |access-date=November 3, 2018 |quote=I had an exciting day yesterday. Decided to vote early. Born in Canada, I became a U.S. citizen in 1993. Since then, I've never missed voting in any election--schoolboard, city, state, national. It truly excites me to be able to do so.}}{{cite tweet |user=_DavidMorrell |number=1058808312626536448 |date=November 3, 2018 |title=I'm a Canadian immigrant who became a U.S. citizen. Since 1993, I never failed to vote in an election of any kind. Yesterday I proudly did so again.}} He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.{{cite web |url=http://americanindian.net/kusi/davidmorrell/index.html |title=David Morrell |access-date=August 31, 2010}}

Bibliography

=''Rambo'' series=

First Blood (1972) {{ISBN|0-446-36440-1}}
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) - novelization of the film of the same name {{ISBN|0-515-08399-2}}
Rambo III (1988) - novelization of the film of the same name {{ISBN|0-515-09333-5}}

=''The Abelard Sanction'' series=

The Brotherhood of the Rose (1984) {{ISBN|0-449-20661-0}}
The Fraternity of the Stone (1985) {{ISBN|0-449-20973-3}}
The League of Night and Fog (1987) {{ISBN|0-449-21371-4}}
The Abelard Sanction (short story)
in Thriller: Stories To Keep You Up All Night (2006) ed. James Patterson {{ISBN|1-74116-335-8}}

=''Creepers'' series=

Creepers (2005) {{ISBN|1-59315-357-0}}
Scavenger (2007) {{ISBN|1-59315-483-6}}

=''Thomas De Quincey'' series=

Murder as a Fine Art (2013) {{ISBN|0-316-21678-X}}
The Opium Eater: A Thomas De Quincey Story (short story) (2015)
Inspector of the Dead (2015) {{ISBN|0-316-32393-4}}
Ruler of the Night (2016) {{ISBN|978-0-316-30790-1}}

=Other fiction=

Testament (1975) {{ISBN|0-446-69191-7}}
Last Reveille (1977) {{ISBN|0-446-36442-8}}
The Totem (1979) {{ISBN|0-446-36446-0}}
Blood Oath (1982) {{ISBN|0-312-95345-3}}
The Hundred-Year Christmas (1983) - illustrated by R. J. Krupowicz {{ISBN|0-937986-57-7}}
Fifth Profession (1990) {{ISBN|1-59737-769-4}}
The Covenant of the Flame (1991) {{ISBN|0-446-36292-1}}
Assumed Identity (1993) {{ISBN|0-446-60070-9}}
Desperate Measures (1994) {{ISBN|0-446-60239-6}}
The Totem (1994) - unabridged {{ISBN|0-446-36446-0}}
Extreme Denial (1996) {{ISBN|0-446-60396-1}}
Double Image (1998) {{ISBN|0-446-60696-0}}
Black Evening (short stories) (1999) {{ISBN|0-446-60864-5}}
Burnt Sienna (2000) {{ISBN|0-446-60960-9}}
Long Lost (2002) {{ISBN|0-446-61194-8}}
The Protector (2003) {{ISBN|0-446-61403-3}}
Nightscape (short stories) (2004) {{ISBN|0-7553-2174-X}}
The Spy Who Came for Christmas (2008) {{ISBN|1-59315-701-0}}
The Shimmer (2009) {{ISBN|1-59315-580-8}}
The Naked Edge (2010) {{ISBN|1-937760-22-7}}

=Non-fiction=

John Barth: An Introduction (1976) {{ISBN|0-271-01220-X}}
Fireflies (1988) {{ISBN|1-937760-29-4}}
Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing: A Novelist Looks at His Craft (2002) {{ISBN|1-58297-270-2}}
The Successful Novelist: A Lifetime of Lessons about Writing and Publishing (2008) {{ISBN|978-1-4022-1055-6}}

=Comics=

Captain America: The Chosen (2007–2008)
The Amazing Spider-Man #700.1 & 700.2 (2013–2014)
Savage Wolverine #23 (2014)

References

External links

{{official website|http://www.davidmorrell.net/}}
{{IMDb name|606251|section=bio}}
{{ISFDB name}}
[http://www.internationalthrillerwriters.com International Thriller Writers]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20140708074845/http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/the-story-behind-murder-as-a-fine-art-by-david-morrell The story behind Murder as a Fine Art - Online Essay by David Morrell] at Upcoming4.me
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sU0yDffqy0&t=4s Interview with David Morrell], A DISCUSSION WITH National Authors on Tour TV Series, Episode #113 (1994)