David Morrell: Master Writer Quiz | People

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. David Morrell's most famous creation was first seen in written form in 1972, followed ten years later by the movie starring Sylvester Stallone in 1982. Which eponymous character did he create?

Answer: John J. Rambo

Rambo appears in "First Blood", a story about the effect of war on the returning servicemen from Vietnam and their isolation by the country for which they fought. The other names are characters in Stallone's other movies.

2. Which comic book series is Morrell associated with?

Answer: Captain America: The Chosen

He has published six issues of "Captain America: The Chosen". He has no connection to any other comic book series that I know of. Morrell is a self-confessed comic book addict, going back to his childhood. The six part series took two years to produce and delves into the burden of being a superheroes in todays troubled world; especially with his name being Captain America.

3. When Morrell wrote his first novel he was Professor in the English Department of which university?

Answer: University of Iowa

He taught at the University of Iowa from 1970 until 1986 while continuing his literary works. The information is from David Morrell's own web site www.davidmorrell.net although I have seen on other web sites that he taught American Literature at the University of Iowa.

4. One person had a major influence on Morrell's writing. His name was Stirling Silliphant. For which classic television show did Silliphant write scripts for?

Answer: Route 66

It was the scripts by Silliphant that so inspired a seventeen year old Morrell that he wished to become a writer. The stories about two young men in a corvette travelling through the United States trying to find America and themselves captivated this young aspirant.

5. This writer met Morrell at Penn State University and taught him how to become a fiction writer. Which distinguished fiction writer is it? Please give the name of this person's nom-de-plume.

Answer: William Tenn

It is thanks to William Tenn that Morrell wrote First Blood. It was Tenn who taught Morrell the basics of fiction writing while Morrell was studying for his M.A and Ph.D in American Literature. The other names are, of course, famous in their own right as fiction writers.

In 1966 Morrell moved to the U.S.A. to learn under the Hemingway scholar Philip Young at Penn State, eventually becoming a professor in the English Department from 1970 until 1986.

6. What tragic event, in 1987, haunts Morrell both in his personal life and his writings since?

Answer: his son died of bone cancer

Not a very nice question this time. Morrell's son Matthew contracted bone cancer at the age of 15 and died in 1987. His sad loss was the inspiration for two books by David; "Fireflies" which was a memoir about his son Matthew, and "Desperate Measures" where the main character loses his son.

7. What profession did Morrell have when he published his first novel?

Answer: Professor

Morrell was a professor in the English Department at Penn State when he wrote First Blood. Since then he has written many great novels including: The Brotherhood of the Rose(1984), The Fifth Profession(1990), Burnt Sienna(2000) and his latest Scavenger(2007).

8. He is a member of a number of associations and organisations but which one of these is he Co-President of?

Answer: International Thriller Writers Organisation

Except for the Liddy Academy, Morrell is a member of each of the associations and organisations mentioned. Morrell is a graduate of the Liddy Academy. As part of investigating techniques and tactics used by Special Forces, Morrell has become proficient in Hostage Negotiation, Firearms and Anti-Terrorist Driving amongst other essential practices for a fiction writer.

9. In what year was Morrell born?

Answer: 1943

His father died overseas during WW2 and Morrell was brought up by his mother. There is a story that Morrell was placed in an orphanage by his mother but this has not appeared in his official web site and I have therefore not been able to verify it.

10. In which country was Morrell born?

Answer: Canada

He was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada in 1943. An avid reader of comic books as a child his imagination was further captivated by the emerging television adventures; especially Route 66 and the scripts of Stirling Silliphant. The work of Philip Young prompted Morrell to move to the U.S.A. in 1966.He studied under Young at Penn State until he got a professorship in the English Department in 1970.

At that time he met William Tenn (real name Philip Klass) who gave him the fundamental rules in fiction writing.

In 1972 Morrell had his first novel published, First Blood. The book was a success and he has written many since. By 1986 he was tired of having two jobs and so he decided to concentrate on writing novels only. In 1987 his son, Matthew, died of a rare form of bone cancer at the age of fifteen and Morrell wrote two books about the effects of losing a child, one Fireflies is about Matthew; while the other, Desperate Measures has the main character losing his son.

He now lives in Santa Fe, with his wife Donna, continuing to write excellent novels to keep us glued to the page.

Source: Author martinjudo

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

David Morrell: Master Writer Trivia Quiz

I am a big fan of this writer. A rare man who rose from adversity in his childhood to become someone who has been lauded by people like Stephen King.

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