John Morressy
John Morressy was an American author born on December 8, 1930, in Brooklyn, New York. He earned a bachelor's degree in English from St. John's University and a master's degree from New York University, later serving as a corporal in the U.S. Army. Morressy was a prolific writer and educator, teaching English at various institutions, including Franklin Pierce College, where he held the position of full professor and writer-in-residence until his retirement in 1995. He is known for his contributions to science fiction and fantasy literature, notably his Del Whitby series and two Sword and Sorcery series featuring characters like Kedrigen the Wizard and the royal brothers of the Iron Angels series. His young adult fantasy, *The Juggler*, presents a twist on the Faust legend. Throughout his career, Morressy's works were featured in prominent publications, and he received several accolades, including the Balrog Award for best short fantasy. He passed away on March 20, 2006, in Sullivan, New Hampshire.
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John Morressy
Writer
- Born: December 8, 1930
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: March 20, 2006
- Place of death: Sullivan, New Hampshire
Biography
John Morressy was born on December 8, 1930, in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Emmett and Jeanette Agnes Geraghty Morressy. He received a bachelor’s degree in English in 1953 from St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York, and a master’s from New York University in 1961. From 1953 to 1955, he served as a corporal in the U.S. Army in Germany. Morressy married Barbara Ann Turner in 1956.
From 1957 to 1959, Morressy was a writer and reviewer for Equitable Life; from 1962 to 1966, an instructor in English at St. John’s; and from 1966 to 1967, an assistant professor of English at Monmouth College in West Long Branch, New Jersey. From 1968 until his retirement in 1995, he taught at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire. He was first an associate professor of English, teaching medieval literature, and later a full professor and writer-in-residence. He had also been a visiting writer at Worchester Consortium in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1977, the University of Maine at Orono from 1977 to 1978, and Lynchburg College in Virginia in 1987.
Morressy’s Del Whitby series of six science-fiction novels, named for the main character in Starbrat, is set in the far future when humans travel between the stars. An example is Frostworld and Dreamfire, in which the main character is Hult, the last of a humanoid species who is searching for others of his kind. Morressy is better known, however, for two Sword and Sorcery fantasy series. Kedrigen the Wizard is the main character in one series of novels, which are meant to be funny, and three brothers of royal blood are the main characters in the Iron Angels series, which is meant to be more dramatic. His young adult fantasy The Juggler is not a part of either series and is a variation of the Faust story. The main character is a young man who sells his soul in return for becoming the world’s greatest juggler.
Morressy’s stories and articles have appeared in magazines such as Harper’s, Esquire, Omni, and Playboy. “Final Version,” originally published in Twilight Zone in January, 1982, was selected for 100 Great Fantasy Short Short Stories; “A Rarebit of Magic” for The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: A Fortieth Anniversary Anthology; “Stoneskins” (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, June, 1984) for the following year’s The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories; “Timekeeper” (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January, 1990) for the following year’s The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror; “The Empath and the Savages” for Best of Omni Science Fiction 3; and “No More Pencils, No More Books” for The Best Science Fiction of the Year 9. He was a winner of the Balrog Award for best short fantasy in 1984 and was awarded a fellowship by the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference in 1968 and one from the University of Colorado Writer’s Conference in 1970. Morressy was living in Sullivan, New Hampshire, when he died on March 20, 2006.