John Morrison was born in England. He left primary school at the age of fourteen to begin work, initially at the Sunderland Museum and later as a learner gardener on a private estate. Morrison came to Australia in 1923 as a government-assisted migrant. He was a bush worker for several years before settling in Melbourne where, except for ten years as a wharfie in the 1930s and 1940s, he worked as a gardener. Morrison was twice married; with his first wife, who died in 1928, he had one son and one daughter.
Morrison's short stories were first published in the 1940s and many were collected in Sailors Belong to Ships (1947). Supported by a grant from the Commonwealth Literary Fund, he published novels in 1949 and 1950, but later concentrated on the short story, publishing several collections in the 1950s and 1960s. He also published two collections of memoirs and reflective essays in 1973 and 1987. In the 1980s, most of his stories were collected in three volumes. Morrison's work has been translated in a number of languages including Russian, Chinese, Polish, Czech and Italian.
Morrison was a member of the Realist Writers Group and often published his stories in trade union magazines, demonstrating his artistic and social concerns. His stories express his socialist convictions, but his concern for the short story as an art form ensures that they are never simple vehicles for socialist ideology. His stories contain ordinary scenes populated by ordinary characters, but the dynamics of social interaction between these characters produces a drama of significant power. His stories are regularly included in anthologies.
Morrison received a number of awards and honours, including the Patrick White Award and an AO. He died in 1998.
