John Collier Papers, ca. 1920-1976.

ArchivalResource

Collier, John, 1901-1980. John Collier Papers, ca. 1920-1976.

John Collier Papers, ca. 1920-1976.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122545971

The papers of John Collier represent his transition from a poet to writer of novels, short stories, and screenplays. The bulk of the papers are manuscripts including novels, poems, reviews, screenplays, and short stories. Some correspondence is also included in the papers. The majority of the Works Series is represented by screenplays and short stories. Of specific interest within the Screenplays subseries is an original screenplay for The African Queen, on which Collier was a collaborator, which was not used for the final film. However, the bulk of the Screenplays subseries deals with Collier's adaptation of John Milton's Paradise Lost. Some correspondence documenting Collier's ongoing negotiations with agents and collaborators concerning the adaptation are also included in the Paradise Lost group. A large percentage of this correspondence is with Howard Hausman, Martin Poll, and Jan Stussy, ca. 1967-1970. Manuscripts for fifteen short stories, most of which date from 1955-1958, are also present. Among the short stories best represented is "Asking for It", of which there are multiple drafts. The Novel subseries contains holograph manuscripts by Collier, including an original of His Monkey Wife, probably his best known novel. Contained in the Personal Papers Series are an announcement of a poetry award given to Collier, a contract concerning the publication of Defy the Foul Fiend, and a very small amount of outgoing correspondence to John Beevers, Louis Golding, and Alannah Harper. Of particular importance within this series is a short story record book with Collier's own annotations.

5 boxes, 1 galley folder (2.10 linear feet).

Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center