Mervyn Wall was born in Dublin in 1908.
His main works include the novels The Unfortunate Fursey (London, the Pilot Press, 1946/New York, Crown Publishers, 1947); The Return of Fursey (London, The Pilot Press, 1948); Leaves for the Burning (London, Methuen, 1952/New York, Devin-Adair, 1952); No Trophies Raise (Metheun, 1956); Hermitage (Dublin, The Wolfhound Press, 1982); and The Garden of Echoes (Newark, Proscenium Press, 1982/Dublin, Raven Arts Press, 1988). He published one collection of short stories, A Flutter of Wings (Dublin, The Talbot Press, 1974).
His plays include Alarm Among the Clerks (1940; Procenium Press,1982); and The Lady in the Twilight (Proscenium Press, 1971).
He also published a local history volume, Forty Foot Gentlemen Only (Dublin, Allen Figgis, 1962).
He was secretary of The Irish Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon from 1957-75.
His novel Leaves for the Burning was chosen as Best European Novel of the Year, 1952.
A member of Aosdána, he lived in Dublin, where he died in 1997.
Mervyn Wall at Ricorso
Mervyn Wall at The National Library of Ireland