Mervyn Wall
Wall in 1990
Wall in 1990
Born(1908-08-28)August 28, 1908
Dublin
DiedMay 19, 1997(1997-05-19) (aged 88)
Dun Laoghaire
Occupationcivil servant, writer
EducationBelvedere College
Alma materUniversity College Dublin
Notable worksThe Unfortunately Fursey

Mervyn Wall (1908–1997) was an Irish writer who was born in Dublin. Wall attended Belvedere College and worked as a civil servant 1934–48, for Radio Éireann from 1948 to 1957, and as Secretary of the Arts Council for 1957–75.[1][2] His wife, Frances Feehan, was a theatre and music critic.

Career

Wall published novels, short stories and plays, and wrote for a short-lived literary magazine, Ireland Today.

Wall wrote two humorous fantasy novels, The Unfortunate Fursey and The Return of Fursey, about the misadventures of a monk in Dark Ages Ireland.[3] The Fursey novels have been highly praised in North America. E. F. Bleiler in The Guide to Supernatural Fiction described The Unfortunate Fursey as "a landmark book in the history of fantasy".[2] Darrell Schweitzer described Wall as "one of the finest comic fantasists ever, but also one of the most neglected." [2] Parke Godwin described both Fursey novels as "pure gold".[2]

Writings

Novels

  • The Unfortunate Fursey, 1946
  • The Return of Fursey, 1948
  • Leaves for Burning, 1952
  • No Trophies Raise, 1956
  • Hermitage, 1982
  • The Garden of Echoes, 1982

Plays

  • Alarm among the Clerks, 1940
  • The Lady in the Twilight, 1971

Other publications

  • A Flutter of Wings, 1974, short stories
  • Forty Foot Gentlemen Only, 1963, history

References

  1. ↑ "Former members: Mervyn Wall". Aosdána. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Darrell Schweitzer, "Wall, Mervyn" in St. James Guide To Fantasy Writers, edited by David Pringle. London, St. James Press, 1996. ISBN 1558622055 (pp. 585–6).
  3. ↑ Robert Hogan, "Mervyn Wall", in E. F. Bleiler, Supernatural Fiction Writers: Fantasy and Horror. New York: Scribner's, 1985. ISBN 0-684-17808-7 (pp. 645–650).
  • Darrell Schweitzer. "Mervyn Wall and the Comedy of Despair" in Schweitzer (ed). Discovering Classic Fantasy Fiction, Gillette BJ: Wildside Press, 1986, pp. 56–67.
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