January 20, 2014, Filed Under: Books + ManuscriptsNew J. D. Salinger biography draws on letters in Ransom Center’s collection In early September, David Shields and Shane Salerno published Salinger, an oral biography of the well-known author of The Catcher in the Rye and infamous recluse, J. D. Salinger. Along with the publication, Salerno released an accompanying documentary film of the same title that features interviews, footage, and photographs related… read more
January 7, 2014, Filed Under: Authors, Books + Manuscripts, Research + TeachingResearch at the Ransom Center: “To Cape Town and back, via Mongolia” Perhaps one of the most distinctive features of J. M. Coetzee’s 1981 novel Waiting for the Barbarians is the setting—an imaginary empire, one lacking a specified place and time. Yet, when Coetzee penned the first draft of the novel, it was set in Cape Town, South Africa. David Attwell, a… read more
December 12, 2013, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Film, Research + TeachingFellows Find: Gloria Swanson biographer discovers rich material in Ransom Center’s archive “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille,” says Norma Desmond in the famous end scene of Sunset Boulevard. Gloria Swanson, the actress who portrayed Desmond, is ready, as well. Bowdoin Professor Tricia Welsch received fellowships, which were funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Endowment, to conduct research in the… read more
