Reading McCarthy Episode 57: The Wittliff with Lead Archivist Katie Salzmann
Katie Salzmann, Lead Archivist at The Wittliff Collections, shares her journey into the world of archives, emphasizing the joy of connecting scholars with unique materials. She discusses the treasures housed at the Wittliff, including significant works by Cormac McCarthy, and offers insights into upcoming accruals, featuring personal papers and letters. The conversation delves into the challenges of digital preservation and the importance of maintaining original order in archival processing. Katie's enthusiasm for literature shines as she reflects on her favorite authors, including her experiences reading McCarthy's works.
43:46
Visiting The Wittliff Reading Room
- Scott Yarbrough describes visiting the Wittliff: parking, a Starbucks stop, and a long elevator to the seventh-floor reading room.
- He received boxed manuscript folders and examined McCarthy drafts and revisions in person.
Manuscripts Reveal Intense Revision
- McCarthy's manuscripts show meticulous, line-by-line revision and material moving between projects.
- Draft pages sometimes belong to different books, revealing concurrent, interleaved composition.
Early Pages Show Different Book Origins
- Scott found an early handwritten page showing All the Pretty Horses began as a screenplay idea about a father's death.
- He also found Passenger pages with precise coin-dimension calculations for a buried treasure plot.
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Intro
00:00 • 13min
How Katie Became an Archivist
12:59 • 1min
What the Wittliff Collections Are
14:14 • 2min
Notable Wittliff Holdings
16:09 • 3min
What McCarthy Materials Are Here Now
18:47 • 1min
Preview of the New McCarthy Accrual
20:11 • 3min
Archive Treasures and Research Uses
22:51 • 2min
Satisfaction from Scholarly Work
24:39 • 1min
Timeline for Opening New Accrual
25:51 • 2min
Archival Principles and McCarthy's Order
27:28 • 2min
Digital Challenges for Modern Archives
29:02 • 3min
Katie's Reading of McCarthy
32:28 • 2min
Katie's Favorite Writers Beyond McCarthy
34:51 • 6min
Research Appointments and Practical Info
40:40 • 1min
Outro
41:59 • 1min
#72215
Embracing Vocation
Cormac McCarthy's Writing Life, from 1959 to 1974
Diane Luce
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#189
• Mentioned in 105 episodes
The Road
Tom Stechschulte
Cormac McCarthy
The Road is set in a world that has been devastated by an unspecified cataclysmic event, resulting in the extinction of nearly all life on Earth.
The story follows an unnamed father and his young son as they travel south along the road, carrying their meager possessions and a pistol with only two bullets.
The father, suffering from a worsening respiratory condition, is determined to protect his son from the dangers of their new world, including cannibalistic marauders.
Along their journey, they encounter various survivors, some of whom are cruel and others who show kindness.
The novel explores themes of love, survival, and the preservation of humanity in a world devoid of hope.
Ultimately, the father's health fails, and he dies, but not before ensuring his son's safety with a new family who may offer a chance for a better future.
#524
• Mentioned in 51 episodes
Blood Meridian
Or, The Evening Redness in the West
Cormac McCarthy
Blood Meridian is a historical novel that depicts the brutal reality of the American West in the mid-19th century.
The story follows a 14-year-old runaway from Tennessee, known as 'the kid', who joins the Glanton gang, a historical group of scalp hunters.
The gang, led by John Joel Glanton and the enigmatic Judge Holden, is contracted to kill and scalp Native Americans but soon devolves into indiscriminate violence against various groups.
The novel explores themes of brutality, the loss of innocence, and the harsh realities of human nature, with Judge Holden serving as a central figure embodying philosophical and sadistic elements.
The book is known for its unflinching portrayal of violence and its allegorical exploration of human existence.
#724
• Mentioned in 41 episodes
Lonesome Dove
Gene Walden
Lonesome Dove is a classic Western novel that follows the journey of two former Texas Rangers, Augustus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call, as they embark on a cattle drive from Texas to Montana.
The novel is renowned for its vivid descriptions of the American West, its exploration of themes such as friendship, loyalty, and the decline of the Old West, and its well-developed characters.
It is the third book in the Lonesome Dove series and is widely regarded as McMurtry's magnum opus.
#1476
• Mentioned in 24 episodes
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole
A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel that tells the story of Ignatius J. Reilly, an overweight, unemployed, and intellectually arrogant man living with his mother in New Orleans.
The novel is a rich satire that critiques modern society through Ignatius's interactions with a diverse cast of characters, including his mother Irene, his girlfriend Myrna Minkoff, and various eccentric figures from New Orleans.
Written in the early 1960s while Toole was in the army, the book was published posthumously in 1980 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981.
It is celebrated for its witty and absurd portrayal of life in New Orleans and its memorable protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly.
#19759
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Alexandria Quartet
Lawrence Durrell
#23941
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Cities of the Plain
Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy's Cities of the Plain is a novel that explores themes of love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships.
The narrative unfolds with a lyrical and evocative style, capturing the emotional depth of its characters.
McCarthy's masterful use of language and imagery creates a powerful and moving reading experience.
Cities of the Plain delves into the darker aspects of human nature, while also celebrating the enduring power of love.
Its enduring appeal lies in its exploration of universal themes and its emotionally resonant characters.
#3503
• Mentioned in 12 episodes
A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving
A Prayer for Owen Meany, written by John Irving, is a novel that follows the lives of two childhood friends, Owen Meany and John Wheelwright, growing up in the fictional town of Gravesend, New Hampshire, in the 1950s and 1960s.
Owen, despite his small stature and high-pitched voice, possesses extraordinary spiritual strength and wisdom.
After accidentally killing John's mother with a foul ball during a Little League game, Owen becomes convinced he is God's instrument and destined for a higher purpose.
The novel explores themes of faith, destiny, and the socio-political upheavals of America during the 1960s, including the Vietnam War. As the story unfolds, Owen's unwavering faith guides him through various challenges, ultimately leading to a heroic and tragic conclusion that deeply affects John and the community of Gravesend.
#629
• Mentioned in 45 episodes
The sun also rises
Ernest Hemingway
Originally published in 1926, 'The Sun Also Rises' is Ernest Hemingway’s first novel and a classic example of his spare but powerful writing style.
The novel follows a group of young American and British expatriates as they wander through Europe in the mid-1920s, capturing the moods, feelings, and attitudes of the cynical and disillusioned Lost Generation.
The story centers around Jake Barnes, a World War I veteran and journalist, and Lady Brett Ashley, as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain.
The novel portrays an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions, reflecting the existential disillusionment characteristic of the Lost Generation.
#2854
• Mentioned in 14 episodes
All the Pretty Horses
Cormac McCarthy
Set in 1949, 'All the Pretty Horses' follows John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old cowboy, and his friend Lacey Rawlins as they leave their home in Texas to find work as cowboys in Mexico.
Along the way, they encounter Jimmy Blevins, a troubled young runaway, whose actions lead to significant consequences.
The novel explores themes of love, loss, and the disappearing cowboy way of life, as Cole and Rawlins face the harsh realities of the Mexican justice system, cultural differences, and personal betrayals.
McCarthy's vivid prose captures the beauty and brutality of the American West, highlighting the loss of innocence and the complexities of the adult world.
#4161
• Mentioned in 10 episodes
The Passenger
Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz
#22891
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Sutree
Cormac McCarthy
Sutree is a 1979 novel by American author Cormac McCarthy.
Set in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the early 1950s, it follows the life of Cornelius Suttree, who has abandoned a life of privilege to live among the outcasts and marginalized in the city's slums.
The novel explores themes of alienation, poverty, mortality, and the search for meaning in a broken world.
#7994
• Mentioned in 5 episodes
Stella Maris
Cormac McCarthy
#2403
• Mentioned in 16 episodes
True grit
Charles Portis
Set in the Old West of 1870s Arkansas and the Indian Territory, 'True Grit' tells the story of Mattie Ross, a determined and independent 14-year-old girl who seeks to avenge her father's murder.
With the help of Marshal Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn and a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf, Mattie embarks on a perilous journey to capture the killer, Tom Chaney.
The novel explores themes of justice, vengeance, sacrifice, perseverance, and redemption, and is known for its vivid characters and its blend of humor, adventure, and historical context.
This past December your not-so-intrepid host was able to make a pilgrimage to San Marcos, Texas, to visit the Wittliff Collection in the Alkek Library at Texas State University and plumb its treasure trove of McCarthy archives. My guest in this episode is Katie Salzmann, who has been Lead Archivist at The Wittliff Collections at Texas State since 2004. Prior to that, she worked with literary and historical manuscript collections at Southern Illinois University and Howard University. She holds a BA in English from The College of Wooster in Ohio, and a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas-Austin. Katie oversees all areas of The Wittliff's archival program, and her talented team process collections, provide reference and instruction, and digitize select materials. Katie processed the original Cormac McCarthy collection acquired in 2007 and is currently working on the latest accrual anticipated to open in Fall of 2025 .
Thanks to Thomas Frye, who composed, performed, and produced the music for READING MCCARTHY.
The views of the host and his guests do not necessarily reflect the views of their home institutions or the Cormac McCarthy Society If you’re agreeable it’ll help us if you provide favorable reviews on your favored platforms. If you enjoy this podcast you may also enjoy the GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL PODCAST, hosted by myself and Kirk Curnutt.
To contact me, please reach out to readingmccarthy(@)gmail.com. The website is at readingmccarthy.buzzsprout.com.
Starting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...