The collection has been organized into four series. Series I, Compositions, contains Blanchot's own writings and notes, and is further divided into two sub-series reflecting these two types of materials. The majority of the writings and notes are typescript, while there are some manuscript early drafts as well as notes; these are noted where they were found. The compositions include books such as: Amindab, L'Amitié, L'Arrêt de mort , L'attente l'oubl, Au moment voulu, Lautréamont et Sade, Chronique, Le dernier mot, L'Écriture du désastre, L'Entretien infini, L'espace littéraire, La pas au déla,, and Thomas Obscur, among others. The compositions also include a variety of articles written by Blanchot, some of which might have later been included in monographs, but which were found amongst the article drafts and thus remain in this series. There is a significant group of articles related to the work of Blanchot’s friend and colleague Emmanuel Levinas, including writings by both Blanchot and Levinas and notes on these. Many of the composition drafts or partial drafts, including both monographs and articles, include handwritten notes and corrections by Blanchot. There are also a few works that are not identified, but are assumed to be drafts or partial drafts by Blanchot. The notes are primarily Blanchot’s typed and detailed notes on the writings and work of other philosophers, artists, historians, literary figures, and others. There are groups of notes on Hegel, Heidegger, and Kafka, all of which were found already grouped together. Some of the notes are identified only by the subject’s initials, while some are fully unidentified.Series II includes Blanchot’s correspondence, and has been arranged in two sub-series: professional correspondence and family correspondence. The professional correspondence includes correspondence mostly written to Blanchot from peers and colleagues, fans and admirers, students, publishers and artists, and others, as well as some grouping of correspondence by topic, such as invitations and publication-related correspondence. The family correspondence includes letters from Blanchot to his family members, as well as correspondence from others to family members, and some to Blanchot himself from members of the Blanchot, Lust, and Wolfe families. It is possible that some family correspondence has been included in the professional correspondence series, but that which was identified as family correspondence is located here. There are many empty envelopes that did not accompany their original contents as well as some correspondence that could not be identified. Series III includes a group of notebooks or journals that Blanchot kept for note-taking and recording his philosophical thoughts. These have not been identified for their subject matter, but were numbered and remain in that order. Series IV includes compositions by others that Blanchot received and kept, many of which include letters from the authors. Some include Blanchot’s responses or notes; most do not. Series V is the Blanchot family and personal papers, which includes two sub-series, one for Maurice Blanchot’s school and academic papers and another with more general Blanchot family materials. The school papers include documents from his high school as well as student days in Strasbourg, as well as dissertation examinations. The family papers include property plans, records, and bills for various Blanchot family properties, materials relating to Marie Blanchot’s will and finances, as well as passports, identification cards, and a few photographs of Maurice Blanchot, including those taken by a paparazzo and published in Lire.
