Monday, March 8, 2010

David Foster Wallace's Papers and Notes Now at UT Austin

Sorry for the extended time away from the blog.  The real world has a way of intruding on my free time!

Ah, well, onto exciting news!

The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin has acquired the papers of the late David Foster Wallace.  Included in the archive are manuscripts (handwritten pages from Infinite Jest!), annotated books that Wallace read over the years (including books by Don Delillo and Cormac McCarthy!), copies of Wallace's heavily used reference books including his dictionary (containing numerous circled words), personal and professional letters, and loads of other fascinating material.



Check out the Harry Ransom Center website to see samples of the materials mentioned above.  If you are Wallace fan, this is a must!

And coming soon: draft material from Wallace's unfinished novel, The Pale King. These pages will not be available to the public until after the book is published in April 2011.  It is going to be a long year.

In fact, most of the archive won't be available to the public until the fall of 2010.  Meanwhile, a selection of Wallace's material is on display on the Ransom Center lobby through April 9.

You know what?  I think I'll try heading down to Austin next week.  I can't pass up this opportunity!