March 8, 2010, Filed Under: Authors, Books + ManuscriptsInfinite Possibilities: A first glimpse into David Foster Wallace’s library Approximately 200 books from David Foster Wallace’s library arrived at the Ransom Center with his papers. When the staff unpacked the collection to check its condition, we could see immediately that the library was not simply a supplement to the archive but an essential part of it. Wallace annotated many… read more
March 8, 2010, Filed Under: AuthorsHow the David Foster Wallace archive found a home at the Ransom Center The journey an archive takes from an author’s desk to the Ransom Center is often long and circuitous. The archive of David Foster Wallace arrived at the Ransom Center in the last days of 2009, but the earliest seeds of the acquisition were sown years before. Because of the Ransom… read more
March 5, 2010, Filed Under: Art, Exhibitions + EventsView Frida Kahlo portrait and learn about its world travels The Harry Ransom Center is displaying Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s Self–portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940) through March 21. The painting, one of the Ransom Center’s most famous and frequently borrowed art works, has been on almost continuous loan since 1990. During that time, the painting has been featured… read more
March 4, 2010, Filed Under: Authors, Research + TeachingDavid Mamet papers now open for research The papers of David Mamet, author of more than 50 plays and 25 screenplays that have earned him a Pulitzer Prize, Oscar nominations, and a Tony Award, are now open at the Harry Ransom Center. A finding aid for the collection can be accessed here. The Ransom Center acquired Mamet’s… read more
March 2, 2010, Filed Under: Art, Research + TeachingEdward Gorey collection at the Ransom Center Patricia C. Brückmann, Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Toronto, recently spent time working in the Edward Gorey collection at the Ransom Center for a book she is writing about his work. Gorey (1925–2000) was a writer, illustrator, and a designer of books, sets, and costumes. Born in… read more
February 25, 2010, Filed Under: Authors, Research + TeachingJ. D. Salinger at the Harry Ransom Center When Jerome David Salinger died in January, he had been dodging fans and journalists for more than 40 years. Salinger rose to prominence in the mid-1950s, an era of media expansion in which writers became celebrities, and in which celebrity itself could shape an entire literary career. Like many young… read more
