February 26, 2021, Filed Under: Authors, Books + Manuscripts, Featured1Knopf archive reveals details about Lonely Crusade author Chester Himes Many writers and artists through history have developed their craft, and even published, while they were imprisoned. Among them is Chester Himes, an African American author who wrote about racism, prison life, and who is best known for his Harlem Detective series. Records related to Himes are found in the… read more
February 1, 2021, Filed Under: Authors, Featured1A lost work by Langston Hughes In 1933, the Harlem Renaissance star wrote a powerful essay about race, unpublished in English until 2019. It’s not every day that you come across an extraordinary unknown work by one of the nation’s greatest writers. But buried in an unrelated archive, I discovered a searing essay condemning racism in… read more
December 18, 2020, Filed Under: Authors, Featured1, Research + TeachingInspiration and insight in the papers of author Julian Barnes Explore the Harry Ransom Center, search digital collections, or plan your visit. by VANESSA GUIGNERY In the fall of 2001, I was in Normandy with author Julian Barnes to take part in an event around his most successful novel, Flaubert’s Parrot (1984), when he told me with a wry smile… read more
