Flannery O’Connor papers closed for processing

Posted onAuthorMatthew S. Strandmark

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The Flannery O’Connor papers, acquired by MARBL in 2014, are temporarily closed for processing. During this time, a team of MARBL archivists will arrange, describe and evaluate the papers for any preservation needs. The papers will reopen during Fall 2015.

Since arriving at MARBL, the papers have generated a great deal of interest from O’Connor scholars and fans and have quickly become one our most popular collections.  Detailed processing will allow for even greater access for researchers through careful organization of the materials and an in depth online finding aid.

You can learn more about the acquisition of the O’Connor papers at http://marbl.library.emory.edu/about/news-events/news/2014/flannery-oconnor-papers-emory.html.

MARBL has many other holdings related to O’Connor, which are open and available for research, including,

  • Sally Fitzgerald papers: Papers of Sally Fitzgerald, writer and editor of several volumes of O’Connor’s letters and works, including original O’Connor letters and manuscripts.
  • Flannery O’Connor collection: An artificial collection of material related to Flannery O’Connor, including correspondence, manuscripts and printed materials.
  • Flannery O’Connor letters to Betty Hester: Letters from O’Connor to Hester, O’Connor’s friend and mentee in Catholicism. The letters offer insight into O’Connor’s approach to her faith and to her writing.
  • Ashley Brown collection: A collection of material related to professor Samuel Ashley Brown, including letters collected by him between O’Connor and Susan Jenkins Brown.
  • Madison Jones papers: Paper of author and educator Madison Jones, including correspondence between Jones and O’Connor.
  • Floyd C. Watkins papers: Papers of author and literature professor Floyd C. Watkins, includes correspondence between O’Connor and Sally Fitzgerald and O’Connor and Marion Montgomery. Resources about O’Connor are teaching notes and student works about her.
  • Porches: The South and Her Writers interviews: Conducted by Darren Wang for the NPR series Porches, this collection includes interviews with Sally Fitzgerald and at the home of O’Connor.
  • Emory University audiovisual collection: Contains audio of Sally Fitzgerald’s lectures on O’Connor.
  • Alice Walker papers: Include a handwritten draft of an essay on O’Connor and Walker’s notes and typescript for the book chapter “Beyond the Peacock: The Reconstruction of Flannery O’Connor.”