The collection includes manuscript drafts, printed material, holograph manuscripts and typescripts of Tyler's novels and short stories; clippings of articles about Tyler and her writings; serials containing articles by or about Tyler and her work; Tyler's work-related and personal correspondence; and clipping and other materials regarding adaptations of her works, including the movie The Accidental Tourist. Later additions include holograph manuscripts of A Patchwork Planet and Noah's Compass; an advance uncorrected proof of Back When We Were Grownups (2001); drafts for Digging to America, The Amateur Marriage, Back When We Were Grownups, The Beginner's Goodbye, A Blue Spool of Thread, Vinegar Girl, and Clock Dance; correspondence between Tyler and her editors and agents; publicity materials; some Tyler family correspondence; book reviews; and book covers.
The Writings series contains novels, short stories, essays, and book reviews written by Tyler. The novels are all in draft form, with the exception of one advance uncorrected proof. Arranged in folders by date of publication, the Novels subseries includes drafts of all novels Tyler wrote between 1961 and 2016. Most of Tyler's initial drafts are handwritten, as are all of the editing marks. She also made notes for herself regarding the characters and locations in her novels. Her notes include character details and hand-drawn house floorplans. This subseries gives insight into Tyler's writing and editing process. The Short Stories & Other Writings subseries includes published and unpublished short stories, clippings, and a booklet of student essays from Tyler's time at Duke University. Oversize writings can be found in the Miscellaneous & Oversize Materials series.
The Correspondence series contains letters received or written by Anne Tyler, though the majority of the correspondence was written to Tyler. She received mail from a wide range of people, including reporters, fans, friends, publishers, editors, and event coordinators. The majority of series is arranged chronologically and provides insight into the relationships that Tyler built due to her writing, and the friendships forged through continued correspondence. One folder in this series is restricted.
The Printed Materials series contains a wide variety of materials related to Tyler and her writings. A substantial portion of this series is comprised of clippings from newspapers and magazines. Either Tyler herself or a friend or colleague subscribed to a clipping service; many book review and publicity clippings were clipped by Durrant's, an international clipping service. This series also contains materials from Eudora Welty and Tyler's speaking engagement at Duke University in 1982. This was one of the few public appearances that Tyler has made. She does not generally give interviews or go on book tours. Oversize jacket art and publicity materials can be found in the Miscellaneous & Oversize Materials series.
This collection is processed and has some restrictions. Please contact Research Services prior to coming to Special Collections to use this material.
Anne Tyler (b. 1941) is an award-winning author, born in Minneapolis, Minn. She spent her youth in and near Raleigh, N.C.. She graduated from Duke University and completed graduate work in Russian studies at Columbia University. In 1963, Tyler married Taghi Modarressi. In the following year, they moved to Montreal, Canada, where Tyler wrote and worked in the McGill University Law Library. The couple had two daughters. During this time, Tyler began working with editor Judith Jones of Alfred A. Knopf publishing house. In 1967, the family settled in Baltimore, and Tyler sets most of her novels there.
Tyler has published novels, short stories, and children's books. Her novels include If Morning Ever Comes, The Tin Can Tree, A Slipping-Down Life, Celestial Navigation, Searching for Caleb, Earthly Possessions, Morgan's Passing, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, The Accidental Tourist, Breathing Lessons, Saint Maybe, Ladder of Years, A Patchwork Planet, Back When We Were Grownups, The Amateur Marriage, Digging to America, Noah's Compass, and The Beginner's Goodbye. She has collaborated with her daughter Mitra, an illustrator, on two children's books: Tumble Tower and Timothy Tugbottom Says No!.
Tyler has received recognition for many of her literary works. Among her awards are the National Book Critics Circle Award, received in 1985 for The Accidental Tourist, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, received in 1989 for Breathing Lessons.
Chronology List of Anne Tyler's Novels and Children's Books
| Date |
Event |
| 1961 | I Know You, Rider (unpublished) |
| 1964 | If Morning Ever Comes |
| 1965 | The Tin Can Tree |
| 1966 | Winter Birds, Winter Apples (unpublished) |
| 1970 | A Slipping-Down Life |
| 1972 | The Clock Winder |
| 1974 | Celestial Navigation |
| 1975 | Searching for Caleb |
| 1977 | Earthly Possessions |
| ~1978-1979 | Pantaleo (unpublished) |
| 1980 | Morgan's Passing |
| 1982 | Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant |
| 1985 | The Accidental Tourist |
| 1988 | Breathing Lessons |
| 1991 | Saint Maybe |
| 1995 | Ladder of Years |
| 1993 | Tumble Tower (children's book) |
| 1998 | A Patchwork Planet |
| 2001 | Back When We Were Grownups |
| 2004 | The Amateur Marriage |
| 2005 | Timothy Tugbottom Says No! (children's book) |
| 2006 | Digging to America |
| 2010 | Noah's Compass |
| 2012 | The Beginner's Goodbye |
Sources:
Robert Wayne Croft, An Anne Tyler Companion (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1998), 2-3.
R. Baird Shuman, Great American Writers: Twentieth Century (New York : Marshall Cavendish, 2002), 1543-5.
Processed by Jane Metters, August 2011
Encoded by Jane Metters and Meghan Lyon, August 2011. Revised by Laurin Penland, April 2019.
Accessions described in this finding aid: 1989-0011, 1991-0062, 1993-0203, 1995-0102, 1998-0348, 2003-0048, 2007-0004, 2010-0013, 2013-0104, 2015-0073, 2016-0165, 2019-0051.
