The University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom Humanities
Research Center
Sabatini, Rafael, 1875-1950
Rafael Sabatini Papers
1909-1950
1 box (.42 linear feet)
This collection is mainly composed of
manuscripts of Sabatini’s works, with a small selection of his letters. The works
represented in the collection include three novels, four short stories, one play, a
single poem, and a fragment from a biography.
English
Biographical Sketch
Rafael Sabatini was born in Jesi, Italy, on April 29, 1875, to opera singers Vincenzo
and Anna Sabatini. Educated in Switzerland and Portugal, Sabatini was fluent in
several languages; however, his mother, herself English, saw to it that English was
his most natural tongue. After spending most of his young life traveling Europe,
Sabatini settled in England around the turn of the century and began his career as a
writer, publishing his first novel,
The Lovers of
Yvonne, in 1902. In 1918, he became a British citizen and served in the War
Office Intelligence Department during World War I. In 1902, he married his first
wife, Ruth Goad Dixon; their son Rafael died in a motorcycle accident in 1927.
Following his divorce in 1932, Sabatini married Christine Dixon (no relation to his
previous wife) and remained with her until his death in 1950 while on holiday in
Adelboden, Switzerland.
A prominent historical novelist and dramatist, Sabatini possessed a style of accuracy
and adventure that enthralled readers and audiences. His second novel,
Bardelys the Magnificent (1906), solidified him as a
public favorite. Among his most successful novels were Scaramouche (1921), an epic set in the French Revolution filled with
duels, disguises, and death; and Captain Blood
(1922), the story of a chivalrous West Indian buccaneer. Both of these characters
returned in later novels to much success. Sabatini adapted several of his novels for
the stage, including Bardelys the Magnificent and
Scaramouche. A number of his most popular books
made it onto the silver screen, including The Scourge
(1922) based on his novel Fortune’s Fool
(1923), with the same conspicuous success as his writings.
The works of Sabatini have endured for over a century, with posthumous volumes of his
works being published to continued acclaim, including
Heroic
Lives (1971), a compilation of his historic biographies, and The Fortunes of Casanova (1994), a collection of his
short stories.
Sources:
"Rafael Sabatini."
Contemporary Authors Online,
http://galenet.galegroup.com (accessed 23 November 2004).
Obituary,
London Times, February 14, 1950.
Scope and Contents
This collection is mainly composed of manuscripts of Sabatini’s works, with a small
selection of his letters. The papers are arranged into two series: I. Works,
1909-1950, and II. Letters, 1912-1935. The works represented in the collection
include three novels, four short stories, one play, a single poem, and a fragment
from a biography.
Among the works in Series I. is The Fortunes of Casanova, which includes three short
stories originally published in
Grand Magazine in
1918 and differs from the posthumous short story collection of the same title
published in 1994. Titles present include “The Augmentation of Mercury,” “The Priest
of Mars,” and “The Oracle,” plus a fourth unpublished story entitled Courier of
Love. The notebook for this work also contains two publicity photos of Sabatini as
a young man and a copy of his obituary from the London
Times dated February 14, 1950.
Sabatini’s notebook containing the manuscript of his novel
King in Prussia (1944) also has calculations at the beginning which
appear to be royalty figures for his works from 1937 to 1941. Typescripts with
numerous revisions are present for the novels The Lost
King (1937) and The Sword of Islam (1939).
Additional typescripts include an unpublished play, The Sacraments of Shame, set
in a 15th century English manor house, and “The Vintage Ale,” a poem composed for a
dinner aboard the Doralie, the houseboat of Mr.
Harold Lee, on January 23, 1909. A handwritten fragment from The Life of Cesare Borgia of France (1911) is also present.
The letters in Series II. are mostly related to Sabatini’s works and publishing rights, but there
are a few that mention dinner invitations and trips abroad. They date from 1912 to
1935, with one undated item. Among the addressees of Sabatini’s letters in this
collection are Ernest A. Baker, Mabel F. Boore, Brandt, A. B. Cooper, Professor
Getchell, Cyril Rhodes Harrison, Mrs. Jacob, Ellis D. Robb, Meredith Starr, Robley
Durham Stevens, Mr. Williamson, and Mr. Vesper.
Acquisition:
Purchase and gift, 1973 (R5374)
Access:
Open for research
Processed by:
Jonathan Reynolds, 2006
Other collections in the Ransom Center with Sabatini items include B. J. Simmons
& Co., Rupert Croft-Cooke, John Lane Company, Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes,
Sir Compton Mackenzie, Hesketh Pearson, P.E.N., Grant Richards, Sir Hugh Walpole,
and William A. Bradley Literary Agency.
Rafael Sabatini Papers--Folder List
Series I. Works, 1909-1950
1
The Birth of Mischief -- see King in Prussia
1
1
The Fortunes of Casanova (short stories, 1918), notebook,
handwritten and typescript drafts
1
2
King in Prussia (novel, 1944; published
as The Birth of Mischief, 1945),
handwritten notebook
1
3
The Life of Cesare Borgia of France
(1911), Chapter XI: The Letter to Silvio Savelli, handwritten fragment
with revisions
1
4-5
The Lost King (novel, 1937), typescript
draft with revisions
1
6
The Sacrament of Shame (unpublished play, undated), typescript
draft
1
7
The Sword of Islam (novel, 1939),
typescript draft with revisions
1
8
“The Vintage Ale” (poem, 1909), typescript draft and finished
booklet
Series II. Correspondence, 1912-1935
1
9
1912-1935, undated