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The papers of American writer Alan Furst contain drafts of his novels
and non-fiction, as well as articles, book reviews, essays, poems, screenplays,
and stories. Literary and personal correspondence as well as career-related
material is also included. The papers are organized into three series: I.
Works, 1963-2004; II. Correspondence, 1963-2005; and III. Career-Related
Material. |
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The Works series is subdivided into Subseries A. Books, and Subseries
B. Other Writings. Book titles are arranged alphabetically and include the
novels
Blood of Victory (2002),
The Caribbean Account (1981),
Dark Star (1991),
Dark Voyage (2004),
Heart of the Raining Queen (serialized,
1977),
Kingdom of Shadows (2001),
Night Soldiers (1988),
The Paris Drop (1980),
The Polish Officer (1995),
Red Gold (1999),
Shadow Trade (1983),
The World at Night (1996) including 1997
screenplay, and
Your Day in the Barrel (1976). Also
present is material for
The Book of Spies (2002), an anthology of
literary espionage edited by Furst, and drafts of
One Smart Cookie (1987), written with
Debbi Fields, founder of the cookie and baked goods chain
"Mrs. Field's Cookies." All drafts are typed,
rather than handwritten or computer-generated. Revised sections are often typed
and taped on top of the original typescript. In addition, the drafts contain
many handwritten changes. Frequently present are notes and research material, a
succession of drafts, copy-edited typescripts, setting copies, proofs, dust
jackets, publicity (including posters for
Dark Star and
Red Gold), and reviews. A small amount of
editorial correspondence is available for a number of the novels. |
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Subseries B. Other Writings includes early typescripts such as a
graduate school paper on Sir George Savile, a fragment from an untitled first
novel, and poems. Also present are newspaper and magazine articles, numerous
book reviews, essays, screenplays, and stories. Furst 's articles on a variety
of topics appeared in popular magazines and newspapers including
Architectural Digest,
Elle,
Esquire,
50 Plus,
International Herald Tribune,
Islands,
New Choices,
New York,
The New York Times,
Pursuits,
Salon, and
Seattle Weekly. The articles are arranged
by year of publication and frequently include typescript drafts and tearsheets.
Of note is the April 1984
Esquire article,
"The Danube Blues," which sparked
Furst's interest in writing espionage novels. Numerous slides of his 1983
Danube trip are also available. Unproduced screenplays include
"Heros of the Last War" (1984), and
"Warsaw" (1992). Stories and essays
vary in title and topic, such as
"A Crisis in Our Lives," for the
1961/1962
Oberlin Yeoman,
"East Coast Time,"
"A New York Story,"
"Schmuck Economics" and
"Things in the Woods. " |
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The correspondence in Series II, primarily incoming letters, is
arranged in chronological order from 1963-2005, the bulk between 2001-2005.
Correspondents include academics, agents, booksellers, literary associations,
publishers, and readers worldwide. The small amount of personal correspondence
from friends and acquaintances is virtually all related to Furst's books, with
the exception of a 1963 letter from Furst's grandfather Max Stockman in which
his grandson is urged to be a teacher and "write as a
sideline" in his spare time. |
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Series III. Career-Related Material includes articles about Furst,
book catalogs and festival fliers, contracts and royalty statements, interviews
and publicity photographs. |
