Walker Percy Papers, circa 1910-1996
Access restrictions
Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Percy, Walker, 1916-1990.
- Abstract:
-
Walker Percy was raised in Georgia, Alabama, and Greenville, Miss., and lived most of his adult life in Covington, La. He was the author of six published novels: The Moviegoer (1961), The Last Gentleman (1966), Love in the Ruins (1971), Lancelot (1977), The Second Coming (1980), and The Thanatos Syndrome (1987). He also wrote "The Gramercy Winner" and "The Charterhouse," neither of which was published during his lifetime. Works of non-fiction include The Message in the Bottle (1975), Lost in the Cosmos (1983), and "Symbol and Existence: A Study in Meaning" (collected essays, unpublished as a collection). He also wrote numerous short stories, book reviews, philosophical pieces relating to language and to religion, especially Catholicism.
The collection includes drafts, notes, and other materials relating to all of Percy's major works and to many of his shorter efforts. Also included are subject files containing source materials and other items relating to authors and topics in which he was particularly interested, including religious themes in literature and the intellectual life of the American South. There are also materials relating to John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces (1980), which Percy helped publish. The collection contains a large amount of correspondence with authors, critics, and others. Most significant among Percy's correspondents were Shelby Foote, a life-long friend; Caroline Gordon, who, in the early 1950s, offered Percy in-depth critiques of his work and pointers on writing in general; and Donald Barthelme, who wrote about Percy's submissions to the journal Forum. Other correspondents include Zoltan Abadi Nagy, Malcolm Bell, Cleanth Brooks, Gary M. Ciuba, James Collins, Ansley Cope, John William Corrington, Robert Woodham Daniel, John N. Deely, Clifton Fadiman, Robert Giroux, Peter Handke, John Hofer, Paul Horgan, Kenneth Laine Ketner, Victor A. Kramer, Bernald Malamud, Jacques Maritain, Doug Marlette, Thomas Merton, Flannery O'Connor, Walter J. Ong, J. F. Powers, Thomas A. Sebeok, Elizabeth Spencer, Lewis P. Simpson, Allen Tate, Mark Taylor, Gene Usdin, Henry Babcock Veatch, Eudora Welty, and C. Vann Woodward. There are also over 200 formal and informal photographs, most of Percy with his family, including his uncle William Alexander Percy, but some of Percy with Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Eudora Welty, Cleanth Brooks, C. Vann Woodward, Elizabeth Spencer, Louis D. Rubin Jr., Ernest Gaines, Shelby Foote, and others. Also included are several hats and a sweater belonging to Percy.
- Extent:
- 2200 items (27.0 linear feet)
- Language:
- English.
- Library Catalog Link:
- View UNC library catalog record for this item
Background
- Biographical / historical:
-
Novelist and essayist Walker Percy was born 28 May 1916 in Birmingham, Ala., the oldest son of Leroy Pratt and Martha Phinizy Percy. After his father's death in 1929, when Percy was 13, the family lived in Athens, Ga., until 1930 when his mother moved the family to Greenville, Miss. Martha Phinizy Percy died on 2 April 1932 in an automobile accident. Thereafter, Percy and his two brothers lived with their father's cousin, William Alexander Percy, lawyer, landowner, and poet of Greenville, Miss. From Greenville, Percy went to the University of North Carolina (B.A., chemistry, 1937) and then to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, from which he was graduated in 1941. The next year, while working as an intern, he contracted tuberculosis and spent the following two years in a sanatorium in the Adirondacks. An attempt to return to Columbia to teach in 1944 failed when he suffered a relapse. Upon his recovery, Percy decided to abandon medicine in favor of a career in writing.
In 1946, Percy married Mary Townsend ("Bunt"), a native of Mississippi, and settled shortly afterwards in Covington, La. He and his wife became Roman Catholics at about the time of their marriage. Percy published a number of essays in the 1950s and his first published novel, The Moviegoer, won the 1962 National Book Award for fiction. Other published novels were The Last Gentleman (1966), Love in the Ruins (1971), Lancelot (1977), The Second Coming (1980), and The Thanatos Syndrome (1987). He published two works of non-fiction, The Message in the Bottle (1975) and Lost in the Cosmos (1983).
Walker Percy died of cancer on 10 May 1990. He was survived by his wife and their two daughters, Mary Pratt Percy Lobdell and Ann Boyd Percy Moores.
(This note draws from material in Southern Writers: A Biographical Dictionary; Robert Coles, Walker Percy: An American Search; and the Encyclopedia of Southern History.)
- Scope and content:
-
These papers consist chiefly of material produced by Walker Percy while working on his six published novels, two published book-length works of non-fiction, various essays and reviews, and three unpublished long works--two fiction (one of which is not extant) and one non-fiction.
The collection is arranged in seven series: Novels (Series I), Other Works (Series II), Correspondence (Series III), Subject Files (Series IV), Other Papers (Series V), Restricted Material (Series VI), and Pictures (Series VII).
For most of the published book-length works in Series I and II, there are notes, partial and/or preliminary drafts, complete or nearly complete drafts, and sets of galley and/or page proofs. For the unpublished works, there are one or two complete drafts (with the exception of "The Charterhouse," for which there is only a page of notes). In Series II, there are also numerous essays, interviews, book reviews, speeches, and short stories by Percy. Correspondence in Series III contains a large amount of correspondence with authors, critics, and others, including Shelby Foote, Caroline Gordon, Flannery O'Connor, and Thomas Merton. Subject files in Series IV are resource materials compiled by Percy on various subjects. In Series V, there is a draft of John Kennedy Toole's "Ignatius Reilly" and photocopies of correspondence, 1964-1966, relating to the book. Percy was instrumental in the posthumous publication of this work A Confederacy of Dunces (1980).
Materials in Series VI are restricted at the request of Mary Bernice Townsend Percy as of the date of this inventory and a few letters from the December 1996 addition. Series VII contains photographs.
The material received in 1981 (all filed in Series I and II) was accompanied by an inventory, prepared by Percy, briefly listing the items transferred. The present arrangement of those items generally follows the order established by Percy in that inventory. Percy listed items in the general order of their production; the present arrangement differs from Percy's order only when a different order of production is apparent or in cases of obvious filing errors.
Percy briefly identified some of the items received in the 1983 and 1989 additions; those identifications were used in preparing the descriptions of those items. With a few exceptions, the 1983 and 1989 items in Series I and II follow the 1981 items for each work. For "The Gramercy Winner," all items were part of the 1983 addition. Lost in the Cosmos items were received in 1983, 1989, and 1994. The Thanatos Syndrome items were part of the 1989 and 1994 additions.
In the descriptions of items in Series I and II, "leaf" refers to a sheet of paper and "page" to a side of a sheet bearing typescript or handwriting (autograph manuscript). A leaf with writing on both recto and verso thus consists of two pages. Leaves not assigned numbers by Percy were numbered during processing. Some leaves to which Percy assigned numbers were given additional numbers during processing in order to provide consecutive numbering schemes and to assure preservation of the original order of leaves. For galley and page proofs, only the number of leaves is indicated in order to avoid confusion due to multiple pages printed on each leaf.
The additions of 1994 contain drafts and proofs of Lost in the Cosmos and The Thanatos Syndrome, many essays (and some apparently unfinished longer works), as well as notes and much significant correspondence. Items received in May 1994 were accompanied by an annotated item list prepared when the material was acquired. Items from this addition have been integrated into the collection, but retain the numbers from the item list in parenthesis after the description (e.g., Received May 1994, #423). In Series I and II, these items have been placed after earlier accessions, despite the possibility of earlier production. Two folders, 209 and 210, were part of the May 1994 accession, but do not appear on the item list.
The materials in the Addition of December 1996 have been filed with similar materials from the original deposit and are described so that the materials in this addition can be clearly identified. The addition adds materials to Series III Correspondence. The correspondence, 1971-1990, is between Walker Percy and Gene Usdin; there are also copies of clippings about Percy.
The Addition of January 2007 has been filed with similar materials from the original deposit and is described so that the item can be clearly identified. This addition adds a letter from Walker Percy to Willis B. Glover to Series III.
The Addition of July 2007 has been filed with similar materials from the original deposit and is described so that materials in the addition can be clearly identified. This addition adds materials to Series I, II, III, IV, V, and VII. The materials added to Series I consist of several drafts of the novel The Thanatos Syndrome. Items added to Series II consist of one typescript of the unpublished work "Symbol and Existence: A Study in Meaning" and a number of drafts of speeches and articles written by Percy. Materials added to Series III consist of 16 letters between Walker Percy and family, friends, and business acquaintances. Subject files added to Series IV contain notes, source materials, printed materials, and published materials written about Percy. Materials added to Series V include several works written by others that were given to Percy, as well three hats and a sweater that belonged to him. Materials added to Series VII are about 225 photographs, circa 1910-1990 and undated (bulk 1940-1989). Many of these photographs depict members of Percy's family, but some show Walker Percy with Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Eudora Welty, and Shelby Foote, and others.
The materials in the Addition of February 2008 have been filed with similar materials from the original deposit and are described so that materials in the addition can be clearly identified. This addition adds materials to Series I, II, III, and IV. The materials added to Series I consist of a typescript of the novel The Thanatos Syndrome and a folder of materials related to that novel. Materials added to Series II include a draft of "How to be an American Novelist in Spite of being Southern and Catholic," a speech entitled Love and Death, two untitled drafts, and a draft by Walker Percy regarding Jan Gretlund's collection of writings about Percy. Materials added to Series III include photocopies of two letters by Walker Percy to a Dr. Hodd, 1989-1990. Materials regarding a collection of verse and letters by William Alexander Percy were added to Series IV.
The Addition of March 2008 has been filed with similar materials from the original deposit and is described so that materials from the addition can be clearly identified. This addition adds materials to Series III Correspondence. The letter dated 17 August 1975 is from Walker Percy to John Hofer and concerns their ontological and metaphysical differences.
The materials in the Addition of April 2008 and the Addition of December 2008 have been filed with similar materials from the original deposit and are described so that materials in these additions can be clearly identified. These additions add approximately 100 photographs of Percy and his family and friends to Series VII Pictures.
The materials in the Addition of June 2008 have been filed with similar materials from the original deposit and are described after similar materials from the original deposit so that materials in this addition can be clearly identified. The addition adds to Series V Other Materials undated notes kept by Walker Percy that were removed from between the pages of primarily non-fiction works on the topics of philosophy and language.
The materials in the Addition of July 2012 have been filed with similar materials from the original deposit and are described so that materials in this addition can be clearly identified. This addition adds materials to Series I.A, II.B, II.D, and III. The materials added to Series I.A include an essay about the publication history of The Moviegoer and two related letters. The materials added to Series II.B include a single page (numbered 248) of typescript draft, followed by about thiry handwritten pages, possibly pertaining to Lost in the Cosmos. The materials added to Series II.D Other Writings include typescripts of a 1989 letter by Percy to the editor of Commonweal and essays titled "Why Are You Catholic" and "Some Random Thoughts About Culture, the Church, and Evangelization"; a Lenten journal beginning "Ash Wednesday"; handwritten notes and a typescript of an essay titled "Two Beliefs"; and handwritten notes on religion and fiction. The materials added to Series III are chiefly letters to Walker Percy regarding publishing and other related matters.
The materials in the Addition of April 2013 have been filed with similar materials from the original deposit and are described so that materials in this addition can be clearly identified. This addition adds materials to Series III, IV, V, and VII. The materials added to Series II include copies and transcriptions of correspondence between Walker Percy and David Duty, regarding Duty's dissertation on educational psychology. The materials added to Series IV are chiefly Percy's semiotics research files of published and unpublished journal articles. There are also a few sheets of handwritten notes by Percy. The materials added to Series V include copies of a dissertation on Walker Percy and an article about Will Percy and his contemporaries. The materials added to Series VII chiefly include black-and-white and color publicity portraits of Walker Percy.
- Acquisition information:
-
Received from Walker Percy of Covington, La., in December 1981 (Acc. 81142), April 1983 (Acc. 83013), and May 1989 (Acc. 89040). E. T. P. Boone letters transferred from the Rare Book Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill, in September 1989 (Acc. 89108). Received from Malcomb Bell Jr. in July 1990 (Acc. 90070) and December 1991 (Acc. 91177); Elizabeth Spencer in September 1990 (Acc. 90122); Doris Betts in September 1990 (Acc. 90123); Louis D. Rubin Jr. in September 1990 (Acc. 90124); Helen M. Barthelme in April 1991 (Acc. 91051); Charles Barrett in February 1992 (Acc. 92025); Weldon Thornton in March 1993 (Acc. 93044); Ansley Cope in June 1993 (Acc. 93071) and March 1994 (Acc. 94045); and Ruel Tyson in April 1999 (Acc. 98352). Received from Mary Bernice Townsend Percy and Mary Pratt Percy Lobdell of Covington, La., in May 1992 (Acc. 92062 and 92063), September 1993 (Acc. 93123), May 1994 (Acc. 94065), June 1994 (Acc. 94083), October 1994 (Acc. 94139), January 1995 (Acc. 95107), and July 2007 (Acc. 100745). Received from H. Patrick Oglesby of Chapel Hill, N.C., in January 1995 (Acc. 95017); Gene Usdin of New Orleans, La., in December 1996 (Acc. 96185); Lynn Roundtree of Chapel Hill, N.C., in March 2002 (Acc. 99199); Donald Miles Johnson of Macon, Ga., in February 2003 (Acc. 99437); Marianne Steiner of Milwaukie, Ore., in December 2003 (Acc. 99677); Willis B. Glover of Durham, N.C., in January 2007 (Acc. 100578); Mary Bernice Townsend Percy of Covington, La., in February 2008 (Acc. 100858), April 2008 (Acc. 100904), and December 2008 (Acc. 101028); John R. Hofer in March 2008 (Acc. 100886); LeRoy Percy Jr. in June 2008 (Acc. 100949); Mary Bernice Townsend Percy of Covington, La., in July 2012 (Acc. 101631); Thomas Hubert of Cary, N.C. in September 2022 (Acc. 20221220.4). Addition of April 2013 (Acc. 101781) was transferred from the Rare Book Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Jackie Dean, 1999
Updated: February 2020, February 2023, May 2025
Items formerly assigned to Series VI. Restricted Material (folders 511-514) were integrated into the collection in 2025.
- Sensitive materials statement:
-
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- American fiction--20th century.
American literature--20th century.
Authors, American--20th century.
Families--Louisiana.
Families--Mississippi.
Novelists, American--20th century. - Names:
- Percy family.
Abádi Nagy, Zoltán
Barthelme, Donald.
Bell, Malcolm.
Brooks, Cleanth, 1906-1994.
Ciuba, Gary M.
Coles, Robert.
Collins, James.
Cope, Ansley.
Corrington, John William.
Daniel, Robert Woodham, 1915-
Deely, John N.
Fadiman, Clifton, 1904-1999.
Foote, Shelby.
Gaines, Ernest J., 1933---Photographs.
Giroux, Robert.
Gordon, Caroline, 1895-1981.
Handke, Peter.
Hofer, John.
Horgan, Paul, 1903-1995.
John Paul II, Pope, 1920-2005--Photographs.
Ketner, Kenneth Laine.
Kramer, Victor A.
Malamud, Bernard.
Maritain, Jacques, 1882-1973.
Marlette, Doug, 1949-2007.
Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.
O'Connor, Flannery.
Ong, Walter J.
Percy, Mary Bernice Townsend.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990. Lancelot.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990. Lost in the cosmos.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990. Love in the ruins.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990. Symbol and existence.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990. The gramercy winner.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990. The last gentleman.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990. The message in the bottle.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990. The moviegoer.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990. The second coming.
Percy, Walker, 1916-1990. The Thanatos syndrome.
Percy, William Alexander, 1885-1942--Photographs.
Powers, J. F. (James Farl), 1917-
Reagan, Nancy, 1923- --Photographs.
Reagan, Ronald--Photographs.
Rubin, Louis Decimus, 1923- --Photographs.
Sebeok, Thomas A. (Thomas Albert), 1920-2001.
Simpson, Lewis P.
Spencer, Elizabeth, 1921-2019
Tate, Allen, 1909-1979.
Taylor, Mark.
Usdin, Gene L.
Veatch, Henry Babcock.
Welty, Eudora, 1909-2001.
Woodward, C. Vann (Comer Vann), 1908-1999 - Places:
- Louisiana--Social life and customs.
Mississippi--Social life and customs.
Southern States--Intellectual life--20th century.
Access and use
- Restrictions to access:
-
This collection has restrictions on duplication and digitization. In accordance with the donor agreement, photoduplication and digitization of any and all materials in this collection are prohibited without the explicit written permission of the literary agent firm McIntosh & Otis, Inc.
Mailing Address: 207 E. 37th Street, Suite BG New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212.687.7400
Email: info@mcintoshandotis.com.
- Restrictions to use:
-
This collection contains materials with restrictions on the use of content in publications, broadcasts, exhibits and displays, and online presentations. In accordance with the donor agreement, uses of content beyond reference and research require permission. To acquire permission to use content created by Walker Percy, contact the literary agent firm McIntosh & Otis, Inc.
Mailing Address: 207 E. 37th Street, Suite BG New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212.687.7400
Email: info@mcintoshandotis.com.
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. For more information on the duration of copyright, see the U.S. Copyright Office.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], in the Walker Percy Papers #4294, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Location of this collection:
-
Louis Round Wilson Library200 South RoadChapel Hill, NC 27515
- Contact:
- (919) 962-3765
