Mervyn Wall (28 August 1908 – 19 May 1997) was an Irish writer and public servant, best known for two satirical fantasy novels about a monk named Fursey.
He worked in the public service from 1934 to 1975: as a civil servant from 1934 to 1948; for Radio Éireann from 1948 to 1957; and as Secretary of the Arts Council from 1957 to 1975.[3][4]
Wall died on 19 May 1997 in St. Michael's Hospital, Dún Laoghaire. His wife, music critic Fanny Feehan, died eight months previously.[5]
Career
Wall published novels, short stories and plays, and wrote for a short-lived literary magazine, Ireland Today.
He wrote two humorous fantasy novels, The Unfortunate Fursey and The Return of Fursey, about the misadventures of a monk in Ireland during the Dark Ages.[6] 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".[4] Darrell Schweitzer described Wall as "one of the finest comic fantasists ever, but also one of the most neglected."[4]Parke Godwin described both Fursey novels as "pure gold".[4]
He won an award, the Best European Novel award, for Leaves for the Burning.[1]
^ abcdDarrell Schweitzer, "Wall, Mervyn" in St. James Guide To Fantasy Writers, edited by David Pringle. London, St. James Press, 1996. ISBN1558622055 (pp. 585–6).
^Robert Hogan, "Mervyn Wall", in E. F. Bleiler, Supernatural Fiction Writers: Fantasy and Horror. New York: Scribner's, 1985. ISBN0-684-17808-7 (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.
