In anticipation of the opening of the Salman Rushdie papers on February 26, 2010, MARBL is pleased to announce that the finding aid is now available to the public. The papers document Rushdie's entire professional career, beginning with the publication of his first novel in 1975 through his most recent writings, and demonstrate the wide range of his literary endeavors, as novelist, essayist, travel writer, political commentator, defender of free speech, and literary critic.
Of particular note to scholars will be selected portions of Rushdie's journals from 1974-1988, which extensively document his creative process and often reveal the development of his writings, particularly Midnight's Children, The Satanic Verses, and several unpublished works. The collection also contains writings by others, selected personal papers, subject files, photographs, printed material, memorabilia, and audiovisual material.
In addition to the opening the paper portion of the collection, MARBL is pleased to announce that a significant portion of the digital material included in the original accession also will be available to researchers. Users will be able to access Rushdie's digital files from one of his first computers, a Macintosh Performa 5400, through a full text searchable database. The library has developed an emulation of the original machine that will allow researchers to see and experience the files just as Rushdie did when he used them. The majority of the digital files date from 1992-2002, and consist of notes and drafts of Rushdie's writings and selected correspondence. Of particular interest is a small cache of email correspondence, representing Rushdie's first foray into this emerging form of communication in the late 1990s.
Click here to access the Salman Rushdie finding aid. The Salman Rushdie papers will open on February 26, 2010. Researchers interested in visiting MARBL should send an email to marbl [at] emory [dot] edu or visit the following web page: http://marbl.library.emory.edu/about/contact.
By Laura L. Carroll, Manuscript Archivist, Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library (MARBL)