Jon Hassler

Jon Hassler (March 30, 1933-March 20, 2008) grew up in Staples and Plainview, MN. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Saint John’s University and his master’s from the University of North Dakota. After school, Hassler taught in high schools, at Bemidji State University, and at Brainerd Community College, which is where he began writing fiction. He published his first novel, Staggerford, in 1977 and received the Friends of American Writers Novel of the Year award for it the next year. Hassler went on to serve as writer-in-residence at St. John’s University and later as Regents Professor. During the last years of his life, Hassler suffered from progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological disease, but it did not hamper his writing, and he was able to complete one final novel before his death in 2008.

The author of novels, short stories, plays, and more, Hassler was best known for his depictions of Minnesota small town life in such books as A Green Journey and North of Hope. He set several books in the fictional town of Staggerford, MN. Though Hassler’s books often depict serious themes, such as interpersonal commitment and religious struggle, they are written in an accessible and humorous style. This style, in addition to his lively characters, makes Jon Hassler and his novels unforgettable.