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[Identification of item], Padgett Powell Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
The Padgett Powell Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a purchase in 1993 and 2012.
Processed by Meghan Lyon, July 2012
Encoded by Meghan Lyon, July 2012
Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 1993-0276, 2012-0129
This collection is minimally processed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory:
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
Padgett Powell is an American author who teaches writing at the University of Florida. His first novel, Edisto, was published in 1984 to wide acclaim, and was nominated for the American Book Award. He has since published several more books, including A Woman Named Drown (1987), Typical (1991), Edisto Revisited (1996), Aliens of Affection (1998), Mrs. Hollingsworth's Men (2000), The Interrogative Mood: A Novel? (2009), and You and I (2011).
The Padgett Powell Papers contains 4 series: Writings, Professional Materials, Correspondence, and Oversize Materials. The majority of the collection lies in the Writings Series, which includes drafts and publishing materials from Powell's books Edisto, A Woman Named Drown, Typical, and The Interrogative Mood: A Novel?. The Writings Series also has a large run of Powell's "General Writings," which includes essays and articles for various publications, travel pieces, short stories (some of which later appeared in Typical), and other drafts. These files may include multiple versions of the text, as well as correspondence with the piece's publisher.
Additional correspondence can be found in the Correspondence Series, which includes Powell's communications with editors, publishers, awards committees, and various literary figures. This series has been arranged to reflect Powell's initial arrangement: general and literary correspondence has been filed first, followed by an alphabetized subject and name file. Dates are included when known.
The collection's Professional Materials include both travel files, interview files, and some of Powell's academic work and records from his student days at the College of Charleston and at the University of Houston. The Oversize Materials series includes miscellaneous objects, usually related to publicizing or advertising Powell's readings or books.
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
The majority of the collection lies in the Writings Series, which includes drafts and publishing materials from Powell's books Edisto, A Woman Named Drown, Typical, and The Interrogative Mood: A Novel?. The Writings Series also has a large run of Powell's "General Writings," which includes essays and articles for various publications, travel pieces, short stories (some of which later appeared in Typical), and other drafts. These files may include multiple versions of the text, as well as correspondence with the piece's publisher.
Materials relating to Edisto include early drafts of the book; correspondence and drafts from its excerption in The New Yorker; several revised galleys and proofs; "scraps" and "dead matter" leftover from the book's publication; foreign edition contracts; reviews; and screenplay versions of the text.
Materials from A Woman Named Drown include drafts and revisions, including a series labeled by Powell as A-S; "dead matter" and other excerpts from the text; foreign edition correspondence; and reviews and fan mail.
Materials relating to the publication of Typical, including various drafts of different stories, proofs and edits, reviews, and some fan mail. There are other versions of stories appearing in Typical in the General Writings subseries, described below.
This subseries includes only copyedited drafts and proofs from the publication of The Interrogative Mood: A Novel?.
The General Writings subseries includes drafts of articles, essays, short stories, and other writings by Powell for a wide variety of audiences, including newspapers, popular magazines, and anthologies. Some of these files include early drafts; others include published versions and accompanying correspondence between Powell and the publisher. Some writings are filed by publisher rather than by title; these distinctions were originally made by Powell and have been maintained during archival processing. Also included in this subseries are versions of short stories that later appeared in Typical, Powell's own collection of short stories.
The collection's Professional Materials include both travel files, interview files, and some of Powell's academic work and records from his student days at the College of Charleston and at the University of Houston.
Additional correspondence can be found in the Correspondence Series, which includes Powell's communications with editors, publishers, awards committees, and various literary figures. This series has been arranged to reflect Powell's initial arrangement: general and literary correspondence has been filed first, followed by an alphabetized subject and name file. Dates are included when known.
Oversize material advertising Powell's works, including Edisto and other books.