urn:taro:utexas.hrc.00422 Anita Desai: A Preliminary Inventory of Her Papers in the Manuscript Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Finding aid created by Jonathan Reynolds Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, 2007 Finding aid encoded by Thu Doan, 2008 Finding aid written in English The University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Desai, Anita, 1937- Anita Desai Papers 1958-1996 18 boxes, 3 oversize boxes (10 linear feet) Manuscripts for Anita Desai's published works make up a significant portion of this collection, which also includes materials concerning public appearances, awards, and writings about her works. English, French, Italian, and Urdu Scope and Contents

Manuscripts for Anita Desai's published works make up a significant portion of this collection, which also includes materials concerning public appearances, awards, and writings about her works. The collection is organized into two series: I. Works, 1958-1996; and II. Career Related Materials, 1962-1996.

The Works Series is divided into four subseries: A. Major Works, B. Short Stories, C. Introductions and Prefaces, and D. Articles and Reviews, with items within the subseries arranged alphabetically by title. Included are manuscripts and typescripts in various stages of editing and revision, such as Desai’s award-winning novels Baumgartner’s Bombay, Fire on the Mountain, Clear Light of Day and In Custody, the latter two of which were short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1980 and 1984, respectively. In Custody was also made into a film by Merchant Ivory Productions in 1993. The short stories include works published as early as 1958, preceding her first novel by several years. Desai’s work on introductions for books by authors from Anne Brontë to Salman Rushdie and several articles addressing the treatment of women and children around the world are also present. Correspondence directly related to her works has been maintained with the respective work throughout the series and subsequently arranged alphabetically by author.

The Career Related Material is also divided into four subseries: A. Speeches, Interviews, Lectures, and Radio; B. Honors and Public Appearances; C. Articles and Reviews of Desai; and D. Correspondence, Finances, and Other Papers. Included are materials from the PEN International Writer's Day conference and the Flair Symposium, both from 1994. Present as well are her honorary degrees, in addition to publicity materials from her awards, including the Royal Society of Literature Award in 1977, and clippings on her works and career from around the world. Correspondence in this series is more general and does not address any single work, and includes letters between Desai and her first English publisher, Peter Owen. Her royalty statements and tax information are also present along with subsequent correspondence.

The collection does not contain materials related to Desai's personal life or her career as a professor.

 Acquisition:

Purchases, 1989-1997 (R11751, R12773, R13947)

 Access:

Open for research

 Processed by:

Jonathan Reynolds, 2007

Additional Desai materials at the Ransom Center are present in the Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Records and the Peter Owen Ltd. Records.

 Folder List Series I. Works, 1958-1996 Subseries A. Major Works, 1965-1995 1 Baumgartner's Bombay (1988) 1 1-2 Handwritten drafts 1 3-4 Typescript with author's revisions 1 5-6 Typescripts 1 * Page proofs with corrections (*removed to oversize box 21) 2 1 Notes 2 2 Dust jacket proof 2 3 Screenplay by Gary Dvorkin 2 4 Correspondence 2 Bye-Bye, Blackbird (1968; a.k.a. O England's Green and Grisly Land, a.k.a. Indians in London) 2 5 1st handwritten draft 2 6 Handwritten draft with notes 2 7 Typescript 2 8 Typescript with notes 2 9 Dust jacket proof 2 10 Correspondence 2 11 Cat on a Houseboat (1976), handwritten draft, typescript, and correspondence 2 Clear Light of Day (1980) (a.k.a. Summer Noon Sun) 2 12 Handwritten draft in 5 notebooks 3 1 Handwritten draft 3 2 Typescript 3 3 Dust jacket proof 3 4-5 Correspondence 3 Cry, the Peacock (1963) 3 6 Handwritten draft 3 7 Dust jacket proof 3 8 Correspondence 3 Fire on the Mountain (1977) 3 9 Notes 3 10 Handwritten draft 4 1 Handwritten draft in a notebook; also contains "2nd drafts of poems" 4 2 2 typescripts 4 3 Page proofs with revisions 4 4 Dust jacket proofs (1 for Swedish edition) 4 5-6 Correspondence 4 Games at Twilight and Other Stories (1978) 4 7 Games at Twilight, handwritten draft and 3 typescripts 4 7 Private Tuition by Mr. Bose, handwritten draft, 4 typescripts, published pages from Indian Literature, and clipping from The Telegraph, 11 July 1992 4 7 Studies in the Park, 2 handwritten drafts and 5 typescripts 4 7 Surface Textures, handwritten draft, 6 typescripts, and a screenplay 4 7 Sale, 5 typescripts 4 7 Pineapple Cake, 2 handwritten drafts and 3 typescripts 4 8 The Accompanist, 2 handwritten drafts, 5 typescripts, and French version in Le Serpent a Plumes, Autumn 1991 4 8 A Devoted Son, 2 handwritten drafts and 6 typescripts 4 8 The Farewell Party, 2 handwritten drafts and 5 typescripts 4 8 Pigeons at Daybreak, 2 handwritten drafts and 4 typescripts 4 8 Scholar and Gypsy, 3 handwritten drafts and 2 typescripts 4 9 Notes and dust jacket proofs 4 10 Correspondence 5 In Custody (1984) 5 1 Handwritten draft with notes 5 2-3 2 typescripts with revisions 5 4 Notes for revisions 5 5 Typescript 5 6 Audio-book version 5 7 Dust jacket proofs 5 Screenplay (1993) 5 Film treatment 5 8 Handwritten and typescript draft 5 9 Typescript with notes 6 1 Edited typescript, combination of drafts 1 and 2 with notes 6 2 Draft 3 typescript 6 Urdu version, typescript 6 3 Draft 1 6 4 Draft 2 6 5 2 subtitles typescripts 6 6 Subtitles typescript with notes 6 7 Subtitles typescript with handwritten Urdu translation 6 8 2 synopses 6 9 Correspondence 7 Journey to Ithaca (1995) 7 1 Notes, articles, clippings, and draft fragments 7 2 Notes in calendar 7 3 Handwritten draft in 3 notebooks 7 4-5 Typescript with revisions 7 6 Revised typescript 8 1 Revised typescript (continued) 8 2 Notes for revisions 8 3* Dust jacket proofs (*oversize removed to box 19) 8 4 Correspondence 8 The Peacock Garden (1974) 8 5 Handwritten draft 8 6 3 typescripts of earlier draft 8 7 Typescript of later draft 8 8* Illustrations and dust jacket proofs (*oversize removed to box 21) 8 9 Correspondence 8 The Village by the Sea (1982) (a.k.a. Coconut Days) 8 10 Notes and map 8 11 Handwritten draft 8 12 Typescript with notes 8 13 BBC broadcast read by Saeed Jaffrey 8 14 Excerpt for Provincial Reviews Exam 9 1 Dust jacket proof 9 2-3 Correspondence 9 Screenplay 9 Film treatment 9 4 1st handwritten draft 9 5 2nd handwritten draft and typescript 9 6 Notes on production 9 7 Original scripts of the 6 episodes 9 8 Correspondence 9 Voices in the City (1965) 9 9 Abandoned handwritten draft 9 10 1st handwritten draft 9 11 2nd handwritten draft 9 12 Dust jacket proof 9 13 Correspondence 10 Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975) 10 1 1st handwritten draft 10 2 2nd handwritten draft 10 3 2 typescripts 10 4 Dust jacket proof 10 5 Correspondence 10 Subseries B. Short Stories, 1958-1993 10 6 After the Wedding, typescript 10 6 Bound Feet (1968), 2 handwritten drafts 10 6 A Day in an Ashram, handwritten draft and research material 10 6 Descent from the Roof-top (1970), handwritten draft and 2 typescripts 10 6 An Examination (1960), 3 typescripts 10 6 Frozen in Froya (1993), notes, 2 handwritten drafts, typescript, and published French version 10 7 Ghost House (1961), handwritten draft and 7 typescripts 10 7 Grandmother (1960), handwritten draft 10 7 How Gentle is the Mist (1958), 3 typescripts 10 7 Mr. Bose's Private Bliss (1961), handwritten draft and 7 typescripts of 3 drafts 10 7 Mr. Bose's Private Prayer (1969), handwritten draft and 6 typescripts 10 7 Poetry Reading in Bombay, typescript 10 7 The Prisoner (1974), 2 handwritten drafts and 5 typescripts 10 7 The Red Cross Plane, 2 handwritten drafts and 3 typescripts 10 7 Rohan's Magic Pictures, 2 handwritten drafts, 2 typescripts, and correspondence 10 8 The Sun, the River, and a _____ Night, handwritten draft 10 8 Threatened (1974), 2 handwritten drafts and 3 typescripts 10 8 To Sell a Picture (1961), 2 handwritten drafts 10 8 Untitled, 4 handwritten drafts 10 8 Notes and fragments; lists of stories and publishers; and correspondence 10 Subseries C. Introductions and Prefaces, 1985-1996 10 9* Agnes Grey, by Anne Brontë (1990 edition), handwritten draft, typescript, and correspondence (*page proofs removed to oversize box 21) 10 10 Eye to Eye, edited by Vanessa Baird (1996), notes, handwritten draft, typescript with revisions, and typescript of final draft 10 11 The Home and the World, by Rabindranath Tagore (1985 edition), notes, handwritten draft, and typescript 10 12 Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie (1995 edition), notes, 2 handwritten drafts, 2 typescripts, and correspondence 10 13 Noon in Calcutta, edited by Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson (1992), notes, handwritten draft, 3 typescripts, correspondence, and a dust jacket proof 11 1 The Post Office, by Rabindranath Tagore (1996 edition), notes, 2 handwritten drafts, typescript, copy of play, and correspondence with illustrations for publication 11 2 The Quilt and Other Stories, by Ismat Chughtai (1994 edition), notes, early and later handwritten drafts, typescript, and correspondence with a book catalog 11 3 Rabindranath Tagore: Selected Short Stories, translated by Krishna Dutta and Mary Lago (1991), 2 handwritten drafts, 3 typescripts, and a dust jacket proof 11 4 Sunlight on a Broken Column, by Attia Husain (1988 edition), 2 handwritten drafts, typescript, and correspondence 11 5 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Brontë (1991 edition), handwritten draft and typescript 11 6 The Turkish Embassy Letters, by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, edited by Malcolm Jack (1993), notes on notepad, 3 handwritten drafts, typescript, correspondence, and page proofs with revisions 11 Subseries D. Articles and Reviews by Desai, 1960-1996 11 Articles, 1969-1996 11 7 A-H 11 8 I-Z 11 9-10 In Manggis, for UNICEF: State of the World's Children 1994, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd handwritten drafts, 4 typescripts, notes, correspondence, and support material 11 11 In Quest of Delhi’s Past (published as Echoes of a Princely Past in a Many Layered City) for the New York Times (1989), 3 handwritten drafts, 2 typescripts, 2 computer printouts, and notes 12 1 Raj Quartet, for the New Republic (1985), 3 handwritten drafts, correspondence, and research materials 12 2 Rajiv Gandhi, for LIFE (1985), notes, 3 handwritten drafts, and a profile of Gandhi 12 3 Women in Norway, for Women: A World Report (1985), 2 handwritten drafts, typescript, support material, and correspondence 12 4 Untitled, 6 handwritten drafts 12 Reviews, 1960-1996 12 5 Notes for various reviews on a pad 12 6 A-E 12 7 F-I 12 8 J-R 13 1 S-Z 13 2 Women Writing in India, Vol. 1, edited by Susie Thara and K. Lalita, and Truth Tales, edited by Kalie (1991), 3 handwritten drafts, 3 typescripts, 3 galley proofs, notes, and correspondence 13 3 Women Writing in India, Vol. 2, edited by Susie Thara and K. Lalita (1993), handwritten draft, 2 typescripts, galley proof, and correspondence Series II. Career Related Materials, 1962-1996 Subseries A. Speeches, Interviews, Lectures, and Radio, 1982-1995 13 4 Acceptance speeches. Hadassah Magazine Prize, 1988, handwritten draft; University of North London Honorary Degree, 1995, handwritten draft, correspondence, and program 13 5 Interview by Feroza Jussawalla, October 1990, typescript and correspondence 13 Lectures 13 6 Various, handwritten drafts and typescripts 13 7 Edinburgh Book Festival, 1983, 2 typescripts, correspondence, and clippings 13 8 Flair Symposium, November 1994, handwritten draft, correspondence, and conference materials 13 9 International Parliament of Writers, September 1994, typescript, conference materials, invitation from Portuguese President Mario Soares, and clippings 13 10 Linea d'Ombra Associazione Italo-Britannica, March 1990. Freedom and Suppression, 2 handwritten drafts and typescript; Wealth and Poverty, typescript; Correspondence and clippings in Italian 13 11 Neil Gunn International Fellowship, 1994, 3 handwritten drafts, 2 typescripts, correspondence, conference materials, photographs, and clippings 13 12 PEN International Writer's Day, March 1994, 2 handwritten drafts, typescript, notes, and conference materials 14 1 UNESCO Nordic Workshop, November 1982, typescript, correspondence and photographs, conference materials, and open letter to the President of Kenya about censorship 14 2 Version Française, October 1991, 2 handwritten drafts, conference material, and invitation from French President François Mitterand 14 3 Radio broadcasts, handwritten drafts, typescripts, and correspondence 14 Subseries B. Honors and Public Appearances, 1977-1995 14 Honors 14 4 Booker McConnell Prize, 1980, invitations, press releases, correspondence, and clippings 14 5 Harold U. Ribalow Prize, 1989, invitation 14 5 Royal Society of Literature Award, 1977, correspondence 14 6 University of Sussex Honorary Degree, 1994, itinerary, program, correspondence, and photographs 14 7-8 Public appearances, 1985-1995 14 Conference materials, programs, itineraries, correspondence, and badges 14 9 Asian Short Story Competition Judging, 1982, notes, correspondence, and clippings 14 10 Commonwealth Institute Seminar, July 1982, program, correspondence, and clippings 14 11 Indo-U.S. Subcommission on Education and Culture Visitorship Program, 1984, itinerary, flier, and correspondence 14 12* International Festival of Authors, 1987 & 1995, itinerary, flier, and list of participants (*clippings removed to oversize box 20) Subseries C. Writings, Articles, and Reviews of Desai, 1963-1995 15 1 Autobiographical writings and publicity photographs, 9 handwritten drafts, 3 typescripts, and 12 photographs 15 2 Student theses, 5 typescripts 15 3 Clear Light of Day, by Laura Omaggi, bound typescript in Italian and transcript of dissertation interview 15 4* Articles, clippings and photocopies (*oversize removed to box 20) 15 5-6 Articles in foreign languages, clippings and photocopies 15 7 Book catalogs, 1963-1995 16 Reviews 16 Baumgartner's Bombay 16 1-3 Clippings and photocopies 16 4 Radio broadcasts, 2 typescripts 16 5 Bye-Bye Blackbird, clippings 16 6-7 Clear Light of Day, clippings and photocopies 17 Cry, the Peacock 17 1 Typescript and clippings 17 2 Scrapbook of clippings 17 3 Fire on the Mountain, clippings and photocopies 17 4 Games at Twilight, clippings and photocopies 17 In Custody 17 5 For novel, clippings and photocopies 17 6 For film, clippings and photocopies 17 7 Journey to Ithaca, clippings and photocopies 17 8 Peacock Garden, clippings and photocopies 18 1 Village by the Sea, clippings and photocopies 18 2 Voices in the City, clippings and photocopies 18 3 Where Shall We Go this Summer?, clippings and photocopies 18 * Oversize reviews, clippings and photocopies (*removed to box 20) 18 Subseries D. Correspondence, Finances, and Other Papers, 1962-1996 18 Correspondence 18 4 Outgoing, 1964-1996 18 5 Incoming, 1971-1995 18 6 Erdman, Joan, 1992 18 7 Peter Owen Ltd., 1962-1974 18 8 Third-party, 1963-1996 18 9 Financial papers and correspondence, 1963-1986 18 Other papers 18 10* Book catalogs; clippings; oversize poster of Revolving Routes, by Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, 1981 (*removed to box 21) 19-21 Oversize materials