Morris West

Morris 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). West’s works were often focused on international politics and the role of the Roman Catholic Church in international affairs. One of his best known works, The Shoes of the Fisherman (1963), described the election and career of a Slav as Pope, 15 years before the historic election of Karol Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II. The sequel, The Clowns of God, described a successor Pope, who resigned the papacy to live in seclusion.