Morris West (1916-1999)

Morris Langlo West was an Australian novelist and playwright, best known for his novels The Devil’s Advocate (1959), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1963), and The Clowns of God (1981). His books were published in 27 languages and sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. His works often were focused on international politics and the role of the Roman Catholic Church in international affairs. One of his most famous works, The Shoes of the Fisherman (1963), envisioned the election and career of a Slavic Pope, 15 years before the historic election of Karol Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II. Born in he Victoria, he studied with the Christian Brothers. He joined the community, but left after twelve years. During World War II he served in the Australian Air Force. After a career in radio, he got into writing, and he lived all over the world. For a while he worked as Vatican correspondent for the Daily Mail. Morris West died while working at his desk on the final chapters of his novel The Last Confession, about the trials and imprisonment of Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake for heresy in 1600. Although he was out of communion with the Roman Catholic Church for many years because of this marital situation, and while he had significant issues with the church’s teachings, he never saw himself as anything other than a deeply committed Catholic.
(From Wikipedia)