Jan Morris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jan Morris
CBE FRSL
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| Born | James Humphry Morris 2 October 1926 Clevedon, Somerset, England |
| Died | 20 November 2020 (aged 94) Pwllheli, Wales |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Genre | Non-fiction, travel writing |
| Spouse |
Elizabeth Tuckniss
(m. 1949) |
| Children | 5 |
Jan Morris (born James Humphry Morris; 2 October 1926 – 20 November 2020) was a famous Welsh writer. She was known for her books about places and her travel stories. She also wrote a history of the British Empire, called the Pax Britannica series.
Jan Morris was part of the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition. This team made the first successful climb of Mount Everest. She was the only journalist with the team. She sent the news of their success using a secret code. This exciting news was shared in The Times newspaper on the day of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jan Morris was born in Clevedon, England. She was the youngest of three children. Her father was an engineer from Wales. Her mother was a talented church organist.
Jan Morris sang in the choir at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. She also went to Lancing College. Later, she studied at Christ Church, Oxford university. She edited the student magazine called Cherwell. Even though she grew up mostly in England, Jan Morris always felt strongly connected to Wales. During the end of World War II, she served in the army. She was an intelligence officer in Italy.
Writing Career
After the war, Jan Morris became a journalist. She wrote for The Times newspaper. In 1953, she joined the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition. This team included Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. They were the first people to reach the top of Mount Everest.
Morris sent a coded message to her newspaper about their success. The news was published on the same day as Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. It was a big achievement to get the news to London so quickly.
Morris also reported on other important events. She covered the Suez Crisis in 1956. She found proof that France and Israel worked together in the invasion of Egypt. She also reported on the trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961. Later in her life, she spoke out against the Falklands War.
Personal Life
In 1949, Jan Morris married Elizabeth Tuckniss. They had five children together. One of their children died when they were very young. They lived in Llanystumdwy, a village in North Wales, for over 50 years.
Jan Morris began living as a woman in 1964. In 1972, she had gender confirmation surgery in Morocco. This was because doctors in Britain would not do the procedure unless she and Elizabeth divorced. They did divorce later, but they stayed together. In 2008, they became legal partners again through a civil partnership. Jan Morris wrote about her journey in her book Conundrum (1974). This was one of the first books to share a personal story of gender transition.
Jan Morris passed away on 20 November 2020. She was 94 years old. She was survived by Elizabeth and their four children.
Awards and Recognition
Jan Morris received many awards for her writing. She earned special degrees from Welsh universities. She was also a member of the Royal Society of Literature. In 1992, she was chosen to be part of the Gorsedd Cymru. This is a group that celebrates Welsh culture.
She received the Glyndŵr Award in 1996 for her great contributions to the arts in Wales. In 1999, she accepted an award called Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). She did this out of politeness, even though she supported Wales being an independent republic.
In 2005, she won the Golden PEN Award. This award is for a lifetime of excellent writing. In 2008, The Times newspaper named her one of the greatest British writers since World War II. She also won the 2018 Edward Stanford Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing Award.
In an interview, Jan Morris said she didn't like to be called a "travel writer." She felt her books were more about places and people, not just about journeys.
Major Works
Jan Morris wrote many books. Her 1974 book Conundrum was a bestseller. It told the story of her gender transition. She also wrote other memoirs like Herstory. She published a collection of her diary entries called In My Mind's Eye in 2019.
She wrote many travel books, especially about cities like Venice and Trieste. Her Pax Britannica series was a history of the British Empire. It was highly praised. Her 1985 novel Last Letters from Hav was nominated for the Booker Prize.
In 1995, Morris finished a biography about John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher. He was a very important naval leader. She had been working on this book for decades.
Her writing about nature is included in the book "Women on Nature." This book features many famous writers.
Images for kids
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Jan Morris
See also
In Spanish: Jan Morris para niños
