Scope and Contents
This collection of Alexander Theroux material comes from the
archive of Steven Moore, senior editor of the
Review of Contemporary Fiction
and Dalkey Archive Press. Moore's interest in Theroux emerged in the early
1980s with the publication of
Darconville's Cat. Subsequently,
Moore began corresponding with Theroux and assembling Theroux's published and
unpublished work, providing a wealth of bio/bibliographic material for this
collection. Included are bound galleys and typescripts of Theroux's books, as
well as articles, essays, and book reviews. Also present are numerous articles,
critical essays, and reviews about Theroux, typescripts of Moore's works on
Theroux, as well as correspondence from Theroux to Moore from the early 1980s
to 1995. The collection is divided into four series: Works by Theroux, Steven
Moore on Theroux, Correspondence (Steven Moore), and Theroux, Personal.
The first series contains bound proofs, galleys, and
typescripts of Theroux's works:
An Adultery,
Darconville's Cat (with a stage
play adaptation),
The Lollipop Trollops and Other
Poems,
The Primary Colors: Three Essays,
The Waif Trilogy, and other short
fiction works, essays, poetry, plays, and book reviews. The second series,
Steven Moore on Theroux, contains Moore's unpublished annotations to
Three Wogs and
Darconville's Cat, and his
introduction to the special 1991 Theroux issue in the
Review of Contemporary
Fiction.
Steven Moore's correspondence appears in the third series.
Several grouping of letters are included in the collection, in their original
order by topic, although date sequences overlap. For example, Moore kept a
separate file of letters pertaining to the Theroux issue in the
Review. Overall, the majority of
letters and postcards are from Theroux to Moore, 1981-1995. Since Theroux used
Moore as "his archivist," Theroux enclosed typescripts of his book reviews,
poems, and essays with his correspondence. These works remain with the
correspondence. Biographical and bibliographical material is contained in the
fourth series, Theroux, Personal, along with a folder dealing with recent
charges of plagiarism.
A large collection of books, magazines, and newspapers
received with this collection was transferred to the HRC book collection.
Included are various published versions and limited editions of Theroux's
works, his dissertation, and magazine articles and book reviews by and about
Theroux, from 1966-1995.