The John Fowles papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin - John Fowles Issue

Twentieth Century Literature, Spring, 1996 by Joan Sibley

Other genres represented include several screenplays, in various stages of completion: "The Black Thumb" (1974?), "Dr. Cook's Garden" (an adaptation of Ira Levin's play, 1968-1969), "Genesis" (nd), "Phoenix" (nd), and "Zip" (1970?). "Phoenix" is also set in Greece, and "Zip," about a nihilistic bomber in Manhattan, is "based on the stuff about the nemo in The Aristos." Important among the unpublished essays is "America, I Weep for Thee: A Pamphlet," written after a visit to America to promote The French Lieutenant's Woman, and characterized by Fowles as "a kind of appendix to my book The Aristos." "Don Juan," "Lorenzaccio," and "Martine" are all unpublished translations of French plays commissioned by the National Theatre, but there is also one early original play entitled "The Temptation of Anthony" (1962-1963).

Adaptations for stage, screen, and television versions of The Collector, Daniel Martin, Don Juan, The Ebony Tower, The Enigma, The Enigma of Stonehenge, The French Lieutenant's Woman, The Last Chapter, and Poor Koko constitute the second series of the collection, Adaptations of Fowles's Works. In addition to scripts, the series includes cast lists, clippings, contracts, correspondence, film schedules, and photographs of locations, as well as Fowles's comments and suggestions for these adaptations. These papers also sometimes address issues such as copyright and publication of the original printed works, edition histories, and foreign rights. Most prominent among these is The French Lieutenant's Woman, detailed in extensive correspondence (chiefly legal in nature) and contracts, as well as through several drafts of screenplays by Harold Pinter, Dennis Potter, and David Rudkin. The papers also contain correspondence from director Karel Reisz.

Correspondence and writings by others about Fowles and his works make up the next segment of this collection, Works about Fowles. These include published and unpublished articles, bibliographies, biographical essays, book reviews, book-length critical studies, numerous dissertations and theses, essays, interviews, school papers, and questionnaires, most written or compiled by critics, journalists, students, and scholars, 1963-1991. Often Fowles responded to their queries, sometimes providing detailed commentary in his replies to questionnaires and correspondence. There are also numerous press clippings of reviews of Fowles's works, with the majority concerning the film version of The French Lieutenant's Woman, and more recent publications such as Mantissa and A Maggot.

The Personal Papers reflect various aspects of Fowles's life from about 1926 to 1990. The earliest items include a photograph of Fowles as a baby, and various papers from his school days, 1939-1945. Nature books (1941-1952) record his observations of the natural world, of plants, birds, and other animals, both in England and Greece. One file from 1964 in this series attests to his interest in and his approach to dream analysis. Other files result from Fowles's occupation as an author, but on a more personal level. These include: correspondence and documents (1964-1966) concerning a libel action by the Save the Children Fund over a statement contained in The Collector; correspondence from fellow 1971 Booker Prize panelists Saul Bellow, Antonia Fraser, and Malcolm Muggeridge concerning the controversy in selecting the recipient of that award; and a royalty statement from 1976. A selection of photographs, most made for publicity use, completes this small series.