Collection Summary
Katherine Anne Porter
Papers
1935-1974
1935-1974
MSS85553
Porter, Katherine Anne,
1890-1980
200 items
1 container
.4 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Journalist, author, and
political activist. Correspondence chiefly from Porter to Marcelle Sibon,
Porter's French translator, along with other papers relating to Porter's
personal and private affairs, her work as an author, and literary topics in
general.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Ashford, Gerald, 1907- --Correspondence.
Gossett, Louise Y.--Correspondence.
Porter, Katherine Anne, 1890-1980--Political and social views.
Porter, Katherine Anne, 1890-1980.
Sibon, Marcelle--Correspondence.
Subjects
History, Modern--20th century.
Literature.
Poetry.
Places
Texas--Social life and customs.
United States--History--20th century.
Occupations
Authors.
Journalists.
Political activists.
Provenance
The papers of Katherine Anne Porter, journalist, author, and
political activist, were purchased by the Library of Congress in 2010. A small
addition of photocopies of correspondence was also transferred to the
collection from the Manuscript Division's administrative case files in
2010.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Katherine Anne
Porter is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Katherine Anne Porter are open to research. Researchers
are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Katherine Anne Porter Papers,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1890, May 15
Born Callie Russell Porter, Indian Creek, Tex.
1906
Married John Koontz (divorced 1915)
1915
Changed name to Katherine Anne Porter
1915
1917
Diagnosed with tuberculosis and spent two years in sanatoria
during which she decided to become a writer
1917
Drama critic and gossip reporter,
Fort Worth Critic
1918
Reporter,
Rocky Mountain News
1920
1930
Traveled between New York City and Mexico, became involved in
Mexican revolutionary politics, and began to publish short stories and
essays
1922
Published first short story, "Maria Concepcion,"
Century Magazine
1926
Married Ernest Stock (divorced 1927)
1930
Published
Flowering Judas.
New York: Harcourt Brace and
Co.
Married Eugene Pressley (divorced 1938)
1930s
Moved to Europe, settling in Paris, France, as a member of the
American expatriate literary community
1937
Published
Noon Wine.
Detroit: Schuman's
1938
Married Albert Russell Erskine, Jr. (divorced 1942)
1939
Published
Pale Horse, Pale Rider.
New York: Harcourt, Brace
and Co.
1944
Published
The Leaning Tower: and Other Stories.
New York:
Harcourt, Brace and Co.
Fellow of Regional American Literature in the Library of
Congress
1949
1959
Writer-in-residence and guest lecturer on literature at
various universities
1962
Published
Ship of Fools.
Boston: Little, Brown
1965
Published
Collected Stories.
New York: Harcourt, Brace and
World
1966
Awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for
fiction for
Collected Stories
1967
Awarded the Gold Medal Award for fiction
1980, Sept. 18
Died, Silver Spring, Md.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980) span the years
1935-1974 and chiefly consist of autograph and typescript letters written and
signed by Porter to Marcelle Sibon, her French translator. The letters begin in
1935 which finds Porter living in Paris where she resided until October of the
following year as part of the American expatriate literary community. From then
until 1974, Porter wrote regularly to Sibon, who became not only Porter's
associate but also her friend and confidante. A letter to Sibon, September 21,
1946, includes as an attachment a copy of the quarterly review
Accent
containing Porter's story "The Stranger," described
as a passage from her novel in progress "No Safe Harbor," later retitled
Ship of Fools.
Throughout the correspondence, Porter keeps
Sibon posted on the progress of her stories and writings from original idea to
publication often disclosing her artistic frustrations with all aspects of the
creative process, including the long period of gestation until her only novel,
Ship of Fools,
was published in 1962.
Porter was personally acquainted with some of the major writers and
poets of her time, lending an authentic quality to her personal opinions and
critical observations of their work. In addition, the letters cover a wide
range of other topics including Porter's political beliefs, current events and
the state of world affairs, domestic routines and private grievances, and
various travel plans and agenda. Despite her public appearances as a major
American literary figure and accomplished short story writer, Porter bristled
at the daily distractions which deprived her of the solitude she needed to
write and voiced a constant desire for ". . . solitude and silence, my old
faithful allies who never failed me yet!" With the publication of
Ship of Fools
and
Collected Stories,
1965, Porter suffered a new level of
discomfort at the service of fame and complains that it ". . . brings out the
most contemptible traits in human nature--those people whose sole interest in
anybody is their fame or notoriety." Known for her penetrating insight into
human nature in her stories and writings, she was equally adept at analyzing
her own acclaim. The letters provide a rich and honest examination of the
private and working life of a major literary artist.
In addition to Porter's letters to Sibon, the collection also contains
several items of miscellaneous correspondence addressed to both Porter and
Sibon from various publishers and four photocopied letters from Porter to
Gerald Ashford and Mrs. Thomas F. Gossett which provide biographical details of
her early life in Texas, memories used as source material for her 1937 novella
Noon Wine.
A small collection of miscellany includes printed matter, photographs,
and a copy of a section from
Ship of Fools
published in
Mademoiselle,
1958, with a promise that the book would be
forthcoming later that year.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material and
therein chronologically.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Correspondence
1
Letters to Marcelle Sibon,
1935-1974
1935-1974
(5
folders)
1
Miscellaneous,
1945-1950, 1961-1966, 1974
1945-1950, 1961-1966, 1974
1
Miscellany,
1945-1947, 1958-1959, 1974
1945-1947, 1958-1959, 1974