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Theroux (Paul) Papers
mssTheroux
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Paul Theroux papers
Creator:
Theroux,
Paul
Identifier/Call Number: mssTheroux
Physical Description:
62.13 Linear Feet
(149 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1939-2016
Abstract: The professional and personal papers of
American author Paul Theroux; the collection includes novels, travel books, notebooks,
diaries, correspondence, photographs, and ephemera.
Language of Material: Material in collection is in
English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department.
For more information, contact Reader Services.
Restrictions apply to:
Box 140a: Black and white photograph of Milton Fuller Roberts Junior High School, Class of
1956. Due to the fragile nature of the photograph, closed to researchers until conservation
work completed.
Boxes 142-149: At the donor's request, all personal diaries, notebooks, appointment books,
and partial family material and correspondence are sealed until January 1, 2040.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Box 141: Photographic negatives housed in cold storage; extended retrieval and delivery
time required.
Born-digital items: 2 CDs in box 38(1); CD in box 99(11); 2 CDs in box 105(9); DVD in box
122(47); CD in box 131(8); 2 CDs in box 139(18). Born-digital materials are not available
for paging until reformatted. Please contact Reader Services for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Paul Theroux papers. The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Joint purchase and gift from Paul Theroux, 2016. Purchased in part by the Library
Collector's Council from Paul Theroux, January 16, 2016.
Paul Theroux (1941-), American writer of novels, travel books, non-fiction works, articles,
and short stories. His works are often semi-autobiographical and based on his own travels
throughout world. Theroux was born in Medford, Massachusetts, the third of seven children;
his three brothers are the writers Eugene Theroux, Alexander Theroux, and Peter Theroux. He
attended the University of Maine (Orono), and in 1963, graduated with a B.A. in English from
the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
In 1963, Theroux joined the Peace Corps to teach in Malawi, Africa, and in 1965, moved to
Uganda to teach English followed by two years teaching at the National University of
Singapore. He married Anne Castle in 1967 and they moved to live in London, England (1971),
with their two sons Marcel and Louis; both of whom later became writers and documentary
filmmakers. After his divorce in 1993, Theroux married Shelia Donnelly in 1995; they
currently reside in Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Maine.
Theroux published his first novel "Waldo" in 1967 and his early novels are based on his
experiences living in Malawi, Uganda, and Singapore. His first major success as a travel
writer was "The Great Railway Bazaar" (1972), based on a 1972 train journey from Great
Britain to Japan and back. Since that time he has published works in multiple genres
including, among other titles, "The Mosquito Coast" (1981), "The Kingdom by the Sea" (1983),
"Sir Vidia's Shadow" (1998), "Dark Star Safari" (2003), "Mr. Bones" (2014), and "Mother
Land" (2017).
Theroux is the winner of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters award for
literature (1977), the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (1981), the Patron's Medal from the
Royal Geographic Society (2015), and honorary doctorates in literature from Tufts University
and Trinity College (Washington, D.C.), among other awards.
The collection is comprised primarily of the manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and
ephemera of Paul Theroux. His works are often semi-autobiographical and are based on his
experiences living and traveling around the world. He is noted for his rich, sometimes
ironic, description of people and places. The material comprises almost his entire career as
a writer and includes multiple drafts of various works from working notebooks to printed
galleys.
The collection includes novels (1967-2016), short story collections (1972-2014),
non-fiction and travel books (1972-2016), and shorter works including reviews, articles,
short stories, plays, and lectures (1960-2015); the collection also includes Theroux's
working and travel notebooks (1968-2014).
The collection also contains professional papers and business correspondence (1963-2015),
with publishers, agents, other authors and reader's letters; included in this material are
letters from, among others, Eve Auchincloss, Peter De Vries, Margaret Drabble, Nadine
Gordimer, Graham Greene, Blanche C. Gregory, Hamish Hamilton Ltd., Houghton Mifflin Company,
V.S. Naipaul, Jonathan Raban, Oliver Sacks, Muriel Spark, Stephen Spender, William Styron,
and Auberon Waugh.
There is also a smaller amount of family material and personal correspondence (1939-2015),
with family and friends; this correspondence includes Eugene Theroux, Alexander Theroux,
Peter Theroux, Marcel Theroux, Louis Theroux, Anne Theroux, and various other family
members. The ephemera consists of photographs, printed material and magazines
(1941-1915).
The collection was processed by Gayle Richardson in 2019.
Some of Theroux's writing projects were written over many years and multiple formats; it
will be necessary to do a search by title to locate all the material for a particular
project in multiple boxes. All works listed in the finding aid are by Paul Theroux unless
otherwise noted in the container list.
During processing in 2019, out of scope material, which included financial and citizenship
material (0.42 linear feet), was returned to the donor.
Organized in the following series:
- Novels, 1967-2016 (boxes 1-46)
- Short story collections, 1972-2014 (boxes 47-57)
- Non-fiction, 1972-2016 (boxes 58-92)
- Articles, essays, and reviews, 1965-2015 (boxes 93-102)
- Short stories, 1967-2015 (boxes 103-104)
- Plays, scripts, film treatments, and screenplays, 1963-2011 (boxes 105-108)
- Poems, 1960-2014 (box 109)
- Lectures, talks, and speeches, 1968-2015 (box 110)
- Notebooks, 1968-2014 (boxes 111-121)
- Professional papers, 1963-2015 (boxes 122-129)
- Family material, ephemera, and photographs, 1939-2015 (boxes 130-141)
- Sealed material: diaries, notebooks, and appointment books, 1962-2014 (boxes 142-145)
- Family correspondence and material, 1940-2015 (boxes 146-149)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Authors, American
Travel writing
Adaptations (literary works)
Business papers
Clippings (information artifacts)
Compact discs
Diaries
DVDs
Ephemera
Letters (correspondence)
Manuscripts
Negatives (photographs)
Notebooks
Personal papers
Photographs
Poems
Scripts (documents)
Auchincloss, Eve
De Vries, Peter, 1910-1993
Drabble, Margaret,
1939-
Gordimer, Nadine
Greene, Graham,
1904-1991
Gregory, Blanche C.
Kennedy, John F. (John
Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
Naipaul, V.S. (Vidiadhar
Surajprasad), 1932-2018
Raban, Jonathan
Sacks, Oliver,
1933-2015
Spark, Muriel
Spender, Stephen,
1909-1995
Styron, William,
1935-2006
Waugh, Auberon
Hamish Hamilton
Ltd.
Houghton, Mifflin and
Company
Peace Corps (U.S.). Africa
Region