Collections by Subject: Katherine Anne Porter
The University of Maryland Libraries house the primary archive for Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980).
Porter is known mostly for her short stories and novel, Ship of Fools, but also published nonfiction. She was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1966 for The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter. Her personal papers reflect her interests in writing, travel, politics, and current events and also document her private life.
The collection includes correspondence, notes and drafts for her works, publications, legal documents, and financial records. It also includes over 1,500 photographs from her personal collection, dating from the 1890s to 1979. Subjects of both snapshots and professional portraits include Porter, her family, friends, homes, and places she visited.
The Porter collection also contains memorabilia, including Mexican pottery, furniture, awards, and diplomas, as well as her personal library. Many of these objects and a portion of her library are housed in the Katherine Anne Porter Room in Hornbake Library.
A complete guide to the Porter collection is now available online.
Individuals who are researching Katherine Anne Porter should begin by consulting the numerous published works by and about her at their nearest academic or public library. A bibliography of recent works on Miss Porter is available on this Web site. An annual bibliographical essay on recent Porter scholarship appears in the Katherine Anne Porter Society Newsletter.
Individuals should contact the Curator of Literary Manuscripts, who has responsibility for the Papers of Katherine Anne Porter, only if their research requires consulting Miss Porter's unpublished correspondence and manuscripts at the University of Maryland Libraries. They can also consult the full text of the guide to the Porter papers online; the guide includes a short biography.
For additional information on Porter consult the Katherine Anne Porter Society. The Web site includes the most recent editions of the Katherine Anne Porter Society newsletter.
Inquiries about obtaining permission to publish the works of Katherine Anne Porter should be directed to:
Barbara Thompson Davis, Trustee for the Literary Estate of Katherine Anne Porter, 205 West 57th Street, #8BA, New York, NY 10019. Fax: 212-765-5090
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Papers of Cyrilly Abels,
1950-1975.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Cyrilly Abels (1903-1975) was the managing editor of Mademoiselle magazine from 1950 through the early 1960s, when she opened her own literary agency. Abels was literary agent, editor, and close friend of Katherine Anne Porter. The collection consists of letters, postcards, and notes to and from Miss Porter concerning daily life and publishing efforts. Some of the correspondence is addressed to Jerome Weinstein, Abels's husband.
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Archives of the Atlantic Monthly,
1966-1980.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
The Atlantic Monthly Press was founded in 1917 as the publishing division of the Atlantic Monthly Company. The press was originally envisioned by Editor Ellery Sedwick as a vehicle for publishing books based on articles and essays originally printed in the Atlantic Monthly magazine, but struggled in its early years and was eventually acquired as an imprint by Little, Brown and Co. The press was responsible for publishing Katherine Anne Porter?s Ship of Fools (1962) and The Never Ending Wrong (1977), and many of the staff members of the press, such as Associate Editor Seymour Lawrence, were friends and confidantes of Porter. The collection consists primarily of correspondence with Katherine Anne Porter, as well as with people and institutions involved with the production and promotion of her work. Also included in the collection are articles and clippings relating to Porter, invoices, and royalty statements.
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Papers of Isabel Bayley,
1871-1993.
37.50 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Isabel Bayley (1911-1993) met Katherine Anne Porter at the Kansas University Seminar, where Porter was teaching, in 1948. They became good friends, and Porter encouraged Bayley to write professionally. Her first published story, "The Great White Owl," appeared in Accent in 1954. In 1953, Porter authorized Bayley to work on the marginalia in her personal library for possible publication, a project that was never completed. In 1974, Porter named her literary trustee of the estate of Katherine Anne Porter; she assumed this position in 1983. Bayley edited and published Letters of Katherine Anne Porter in 1990. Bayley's papers include correspondence, legal documents, memorabilia, photographic materials, publications, audio tapes, and work papers. Correspondence with Porter is from 16 July 1948 to 3 September 1980. Other significant groupings of correspondence include that of Glenway Wescott with W. Somerset Maugham, Alan Searle, and Wallace Stevens; and that of Monroe Wheeler with Robin Maugham, W. Somerset Maugham, Nelson Rockefeller, Alan Searle, and Wallace Stevens. Access to these portions of the collection, and to the correspondence with Porter, is restricted to researchers with approval from the current literary trustee of the estate of Katherine Anne Porter. The collection is unprocessed, but a preliminary inventory has been prepared.
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Papers of Mary Louis Doherty,
1920-1963.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Mary Louis Doherty (1896-1995) was an expatriate American and journalist who lived in Mexico most of her life, working for Mexican government officials as well as private institutions and individuals. She corresponded with Katherine Anne Porter after they met in Mexico City in 1921. Doherty and Porter lived together in Mexico City in 1931 and in Washington, D.C., in 1944. She served as one of the models for the character of Laura in Porter's short story, "Flowering Judas." The Doherty collection consists of correspondence, biographical materials, publications, and legal documents. Letters from Porter comprise a portion of the correspondence.
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Papers of Donald Elder,
1940-1963.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Donald Elder (1913-1965) was an editor with Doubleday, Doran and Co., which published the English translation of José Joaquín Fernandez de Lizardi's The Itching Parrot in Katherine Anne Porter's name. He was also the author of Ring Lardner, A Biography. The collection consists of correspondence between him and Porter. Important subjects include writers and writing and Porter's personal interests and opinions, as well as The Itching Parrot and Ship of Fools.
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Papers of Edna Frederikson,
1941-1972.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Edna Frederikson (1904-1998) was an author of novels and poetry, as well as a professor at Madison College (later James Madison University) in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She met Katherine Anne Porter at the 1940 Bread Loaf Writer's Conference in Middleburg, Vermont. Porter was especially helpful to Frederikson in the early 1940s as Frederikson made the transition from teaching to creative writing. The collection consists of correspondence between Frederikson and Porter. Important subjects include writing, mutual acquaintances, and events in their personal lives.
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Papers of Ann Heintze,
1945-1976.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Ann Heintze (1921-1987), was a professional dancer and ballet instructor and one of Katherine Anne Porter's nieces. She danced with the San Carlo Opera Ballet, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and at Radio City Music Hall before her marriage to Walter Heintze in 1950. She maintained a close relationship with Porter and traveled with her to Europe and Mexico in the 1960s. The collection consists of letters and postcards to Mrs. Heintze and her family from Porter. There is also correspondence relating to Mary Alice Holloway, Mrs. Heintze's sister who died in 1919.
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Papers of Seymour Lawrence,
1955-1980.
3.75 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Seymour Lawrence (1926-1994) was Katherine Anne Porter's publisher, first at Atlantic Monthly Press and later with Seymour Lawrence, Inc., his independent imprint. He was also associated with Alfred Knopf, Dell/Delacorte, E. P. Dutton, and Houghton Mifflin. As editor-in-chief at Atlantic Monthly Press, Lawrence oversaw the publication of Ship of Fools, Porter's novel. The collection consists of correspondence, galley proofs, editing notes, and clippings documenting Lawrence's editorial projects and interactions with various authors. Among the significant correspondents represented in the collection are Katherine Anne Porter, Glenway Wescott, and Mark Van Doren.
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Papers of Harry C. Perry, Jr.,
1958-1966.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Harry C. Perry, Jr. (b. 1919), was Katherine Anne Porter's tax accountant for approximately five years in the early 1960s. He filed Miss Porter's federal and District of Columbia tax returns from 1959 until 1964. The collection documents Miss Porter's financial situation before and after the publication of Ship of Fools. Included in the collection are financial papers, correspondence, and newspaper clippings related to Miss Porter.
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Papers of Katherine Anne Porter,
1842-1980.
174.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
The University of Maryland Libraries house the primary archive for Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980). Porter is known mostly for her short stories and novel, Ship of Fools, but also published nonfiction. She was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1966 for The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter. Her personal papers reflect her interests in writing, travel, politics, and current events and also document her private life. The collection includes correspondence, notes and drafts for her works, publications, legal documents, and financial records. It also includes over 1,500 photographs from her personal collection, dating from the 1890s to 1979. Subjects of both snapshots and professional portraits include Porter, her family, friends, homes, and places she visited. The Porter collection also contains memorabilia, including Mexican pottery, furniture, awards, and diplomas, as well as her personal library. Many of these objects and a portion of her library are housed in the Katherine Anne Porter Room in Hornbake Library.
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Papers of Paul Porter,
1892-2004.
12.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Harrison Paul Porter (b. 1921) is one of the nephews of Katherine Anne Porter and was her legal guardian from 1977 to 1980. His papers include correspondence; guardianship records; published materials and notes; audio tapes; and photographs documenting the literary career of Katherine Anne Porter and their relationship. Significant individuals represented in the collection include Robert Penn Warren, Seymour Lawrence, and Joan Daves.
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Papers of E. Barrett Prettyman,
1962-1984.
1.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr. (b. 1925), was Katherine Anne Porter's lawyer and close friend from the mid-1960s until her death in 1980. He has been in private practice in Washington, D.C., since 1955, and a partner with the prominent firm of Hogan and Hartson since 1964. He is the author of Death and the Supreme Court. His papers include personal letters and business correspondence relating to Porter. During the lifetime of Mr. Prettyman, no one may quote from these papers unless authorized in writing by him. In addition, researchers may not consult the portion of these papers donated in 1997 without Mr. Prettyman's written permission.
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Papers of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Prince,
1957-1978.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
John Prince (b. 1922) developed friendships with several artists and writers during and after World War II. He received his master's arts degree from the University of Missouri in 1950, and taught there for a brief time. After a career in catering, he entered real estate, a field in which he still works. In 1954, he boarded with Marcella Comes Winslow, a Washington artist and friend of Katherine Anne Porter. Prince met Porter through his association with Winslow and was Porter's neighbor and friend in Georgetown from 1959 to 1962. He and his wife corresponded regularly with her for several years after that. The collection contains correspondence, financial and legal documents, photographs, and published copies of Porter's books.
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Papers of Herbert Schaumann,
1944-1947.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Herbert Schaumann (1909-1982) was a minor poet, a World War II veteran, and an associate professor of Comparative Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Maryland. In 1944 Schaumann met Katherine Anne Porter in Washington, D.C. The collection consists of correspondence between Schaumann and Porter between 1944 and 1947. Schaumann and Porter developed and ended an intimate relationship during this period. The letters discuss World War II, films, writing, and personal life.
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Papers of Grace Delafield Day Spier,
1928-1931.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Grace Delafield Day Spier (1901-1980) was a social activist, a friend of Katherine Anne Porter, and the sister of Dorothy Day, editor of the Catholic Worker. She became active in the literary and intellectual circles of Greenwich Village in the second decade of the twentieth century. The collection consists of correspondence from Katherine Anne Porter about mutual acquaintances and personal life.
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Papers of Janis P. Stout,
1988-1997.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Janis Pitts Stout (1939-) was an English professor and administrator at a number of research universities, most notably Rice University, Texas A & M, and Auburn University, from 1973 until her retirement in 2002. She produced three novels, compiled and edited a calendar based on the works of Willa Cather, and published six scholarly works, including Katherine Anne Porter: A Sense of the Times (1995). Dr. Stout's papers consist almost exclusively of material related to the research and publication of her 1995 book on Katherine Anne Porter. Included is correspondence regarding permissions from her book, a copy of the book proposal evaluation, other scholarly work on Katherine Anne Porter by Dr. Stout, and a portion of Dr. Stout's research notes. Some general correspondence related to Dr. Stout's book is also included.
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Papers of Thomas Walsh,
1921-1992.
7.50 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Thomas F. Walsh (1925-1991) was an American literature professor at Georgetown University beginning in 1956. In his early career, he concentrated his research on Nathaniel Hawthorne and the American Transcendentalists; he later focused on Wallace Stevens and Flannery O'Connor. He met Katherine Anne Porter in 1960 and subsequently published several scholarly works on her writing. Walsh also became acquainted with Porter's friend, Mary Louis Doherty, during his frequent visits to Mexico, where Porter had lived sporadically between 1920 and 1931. In the mid-1970s, he began work on a book that combined his interest in Porter with his love of Mexico. That book, Katherine Anne Porter and Mexico: The Illusion of Eden, was published posthumously in 1992. The collection includes biographical materials, correspondence, publications, work papers for Walsh's books and articles, legal documents, audio tapes, and photographs.
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Glenway Wescott Collection,
1932-1977.
9.00 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Glenway Wescott (1901-1987) was the author of novels, poetry, short stories, and essays. He met Katherine Anne Porter in Paris in the 1930s, and they remained friends for many years. Wescott's papers include several versions of the manuscript for a never-completed edition of some of Porter's letters. The book was titled Letters to a Circle of Friends 1933-1962: Thirty Years of Friendship and was to include correspondence from Porter, Wescott, Monroe Wheeler, Barbara Harrison Wescott, George Platt Lynes, and Russell Lynes. Originals of some of the letters are included in the manuscript collection, along with notes and miscellaneous published material by and about Porter. The collection is unprocessed, but a preliminary inventory is available.
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Papers of George and Toni Willison,
1932-1996.
0.75 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
George (1896-1972) and Toni (1903-1998) Willison were long-time residents of Malta, New York. They purchased South Hill, the only home ever owned by Katherine Anne Porter, from Miss Porter in 1946. The collection contains letters and cards from Miss Porter to the Willisons concerning South Hill and other aspects of Porter's life. The collection also includes other Porter/Willison-related correspondence, notes, clippings, printed matter, and photographs.