Rosario Ferré Papers, 1900-2014, bulk 1950s-2010

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Series I: Manuscripts, 1995-2012

This series contains manuscripts, proofs, and galleys, with related material such as corrections lists and correspondence. Ferré kept additional files of notes and related professional files, and these are filed either in Series III: Correspondence and Professional Files or Series IV: Journals, Notes, and Notebooks, respectively.

The alphanumeric filling system appears to be Ferré's, but there is no key to the system in her papers. For manuscripts, it appears the first letter is a unique letter assigned to that work, for example, P for House on the Lagoon – as these letters seem to correspond to related materials in Ferré's professional files. The second letter is either M for manuscript/manuscrito or G for galley, and the third letter, when used, is either I for Inglés (English) or E for Español (Spanish), and in one case O (possibly for Otro (Other), as the galley is in Italian). These letters are followed by a number, apparently designating the version.

There are additional manuscripts in Series III: Correspondence and Professional Files, particularly for articles, essays, and poetry, and in digital form in Series VII: Digital Media.


Subseries I.1: Essays, circa 2001

This subseries contains typescripts and corrections forIn the Shadow of Your Name/a la sombra de tu nombre.



Box 2 Folder 6 SMI-1 In the Shadow of Your Name, circa, 2001

(Short typescript.)


Box 2 Folder 7 SME-1 & 2 a la sombra de tu nombre, circa, 2001

(Prologue, with corrections, and an uncorrected typescript.)


Subseries I.2: Fiction, 1995-circa 2002

This subseries contains typescripts, proofs, setting copies, and galleys forThe House on the Lagoon/La casa de la laguna,Eccentric Neighborhoods/Vecindarios excéntricos, andFlight of the Swan/Vuelo del cisne. Many of these items have handwritten annotations, corrections, notes, and setting instructions by Ferré, copyeditors, and editors.

This subseries is arranged chronologically.


The House on the Lagoon / La casa de la laguna, 1995-1996



Box 1 Folder 1-2 PGI-1 The House on the Lagoon . Galleys: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York,, 1995, (2 Folders)

(Annotated proof pages; 407 pages; with Ferré's holograph notes regarding chronology of novel, as well as a handful of editorial marks.)


Box 1 Folder 3-4 PGI-2 The House on the Lagoon . Corrected Galleys: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York,, 1995, (2 Folders)

(Annotated proof pages; pages 31-407, with setting copy of epigraph page; with Ferré's light holograph notes throughout. Some corrections are in photocopy and not original. )


Box 1 Folder 5-7 PGI-3 The House on the Lagoon . Galleys: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York,, 1995, (3 Folders)

(Setting copy. With copyeditor's notes and setting instructions, as well as anotations by Ferré.)


Box 1 Folder 8 The House on the Lagoon . Galleys: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York,, 1995

(Annotated galleys, "author's copy," long format; 294 pages; with holograph corrections both overlapping and differing from the "master galleys".)


Box 1 Folder 9 The House on the Lagoon . Galleys: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York,, 1995

(Annotated "master galleys," long format; 294 pages; marked with setting instructions and copyeditor's notes, as well as Ferré's holograph corrections throughout.)


Box 1 Folder 10 The House on the Lagoon . Uncorrected Proof (Bound), circa, 1995



Box 2 Folder 1-2 PME-2La casa de la laguna . Manuscrito en español, 1996 April 7, 1996, (2 Folders)

(Typescript with corrections by author.)


Box 2 Folder 3 PME-3 La casa de la laguna, circa, 1996

(Photocopy; annotations by author.)


Box 2 Folder 4-5 PME-4 La casa de la laguna, circa, 1995, (2 Folders)

(Annotated typescript draft; approx. 400 pages; combination of various printed versions, annotated by Ferré throughout; with 8-page typescript chronology for novel, dated January 24, 1995.)


Eccentric Neighborhoods /Vecindarios excéntricos, circa 1996-circa 1999


Box 2 Folder 8 QMI-1 Eccentric Neighborhoods Manuscrito, circa, 1996

(Photocopy; annotations by author both in the photocopy and in ink.)


Box 2 Folder 9-10 QGI-1 Eccentric Neighborhoods . Galleys en Inglés, 1996 July 24, 1996

(Corrected galleys, "first pass pages master"; July 1996 340 pages; with some light holograph corrections by Ferré as well as copyeditor's notes.)



Box 25 QGI-2 Eccentric Neighborhoods . Galleys en Inglés, 1996 July 24, 1996

(Author's corrected galleys.)


Box 25 QGI-3 Eccentric Neighborhoods . Galleys en Inglés, 1996 July 24, 1996

(Corrected galleys with Ferré's original holograph annotations as well as photocopy annotations from previous version; with note from Farrar, Straus and Giroux returning dead matter and "Excentric Neighborhoods," typescript leaf of first page, marked "original.")


Box 25 QGI-4 Eccentric Neighborhoods . Galleys en Inglés, 1997 July 16, 1997

(Setting copy, July 16, 1997 418 pages; annotated in holograph by Ferré, with copyeditor's notes and setting instructions as well. Together with computer disk in labeled envelope and typed list of changes to text from RF to her editor, John Glusman.)


Box 25 QGI-6 Eccentric Neighborhoods. Galleys en Inglés, 1996 September 2, 1996

(Author's corrected galleys, September 2, 1996 340 pages; with a handful of Ferré's holograph corrections.)


Box 25 QME-1 Vecindarios excéntricos . Primera Versión. Manuscrito, undated

(Annotated typescript)



Box 2 Folder 11 QME-2 Vecindarios excéntricos . Version #2 en español, Manuscrito, circa, 1998

(Typescript with corrections by author.)


Box 2 Folder 12 QME-3 Vecindarios Excéntricos . Manuscrito, circa, 1999

(Corrected typescript, "Version #3 -- Final"; 445 pages; lightly corrected, with chapter index.)



Box 25 QGE-1 Vecindarios Excéntricos . Galleys, 1st edition, Vintage Books, 1999 February, 1999

(Setting copy. Copyeditor's notes and setting instructions with a handful of Ferré's holograph corrections.)



Box 3 Folder 1 QGE-2 Vecindarios Excéntricos . Galleys, 1st edition, Vintage Books, 1999 February, 1999

(Photocopy of manuscript corrections.)


Box 3 Folder 2 QGO-1 Vecindarios excéntricos . Galleys en italiano ("Vicini Eccentrici"), 1998 November 10, 1998

(Uncorrected. Includes cover letter.)


Flight of the Swan / Vuelo del cisnei , circa 2000-2002


Box 3 Folder 3 TMI-1 Flight of the Swan. Manuscrito, circa, 2001

(Photocopy of manuscript corrections.)


Box 3 Folder 4 TMI-2 Flight of the Swan. Manuscrito a computadora, circa, 2001

(Setting copy, with copyeditor's instructions and notes, and annotations by Ferré.


Box 3 Folder 5 TMI-3 Flight of the Swan. Manuscrito en computadora. Farrar, Straus and Giroux Book Publishers,, 2001

(Typescript with light annotations by Ferré. Together with several pages of editorial correspondence from John Glusman at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Susan Bergholz, with Ferré's holograph notes.)


Box 3 Folder 6 TMI-4 Flight of the Swan. Manuscrito, circa, 2001

(With corrections.)


Box 3 Folder 7 TMI-5 Flight of the Swan. Manuscrito, 2000 March13, 2000

(With light annotations by Bergholz and Ferré; with Ferré's 15-page typescript list of editorial changes made to this version.)


Box 3 Folder 8 TGI-1 Flight of the Swan. Galleys,, 2001

("First Pass Pages Master" with copyeditor's notes.)


Box 3 Folder 9 TGI-2 Flight of the Swan, circa, 2001

(Bound proofs.)



Box 4 Folder 1 TME-1 Vuelo del cisne. Manuscrito (Copia 1 tiene floppy), circa, 2001

(Photocopy of annotated typescript. With one 3.5" floppy disk.)


Box 4 Folder 2 TME-2 Vuelo del cisne. Manuscrito (Copia 2), circa, 2001

(Annotated typescript.)


Box 4 Folder 3 TME-3 Vuelo del cisne . Manuscrito (Copia 3), circa, 2001

(Annotated typescript, with some authorial corrections as well as editorial annotations in holograph throughout.)


Box 4 Folder 4 TME-4 Vuelo del cisne . Manuscrito (Copia 4), circa, 2001


Box 4 Folder 5 TME-5 Vuelo del cisne . 1st Edition Vintage, 2002 October, 2002

(Annotated typescript.)



Box 3 Folder 9 TGE-1 Vuelo del cisne, circa, 2001

(Bound proofs.)


Subseries I.3: Memoirs and Nonfiction, circa 2012

This subseries contains uncorrected bound proofs forMemoria.



Box 4 Folder 6 Memoria . Spiral-bound proofs, circa, 2012

(Uncorrected proofs.)


Subseries I.4: Poetry, circa 2000-2002

This subseries contains typescripts and proofs forLanguage Duel / Duelo del lenguaje. Many of these items have handwritten annotations and corrections by Ferré, copyeditors, and editors. There are also communications and materials related to the translation work done by Alan West.


Language Duel / Duelo del lenguaje , circa 2000-2002


Box 4 Folder 7 UM-1 Language Duel /Duelo del lenguaje, undated

(Version 1. Annotated typescript, "inédito"; 76 pages Typescript; 73 pages; editorial annotations throughout. Annotated typescript, "incomplete"; circa 50 pages.)


Box 4 Folder 8 UM-2 Language Duel /Duelo del lenguaje, circa, 2000

(Version 2. Annotated typescripts, two versions; 75 pages. Annotated typescript, circa 2000 approximately 50 pages.)


Box 4 Folder 9 UM-3 Language Duel /Duelo del lenguaje, undated

(Language Duel / Duelo del lenguaje. Version 3. Photocopy of annotated typescript; 196 pages.)


Box 4 Folder 10 UM-4 Language Duel /Duelo del lenguaje, undated

(Version 4. Annotated typescript; approx. 175 pages.)


Box 4 Folder 11 UM-5 Language Duel /Duelo del lenguaje. Documentación / commentary / traducciones de Alan West,, undated

(Drafts and emails related to the translation. Includes a 3.5" floppy disk labeled: "Las Dos Venecias" Translations to English.)


Box 4 Folder 12 UM-6 Language Duel / Duelo del lenguaje, undated

(Annotated typescript, "Caribbean Suites"; approx. 30 pages.)


Box 4 Folder 13 UM-7 Language Duel / Duelo del lenguaje--Al filo de la lengua, circa, 2002

(In envelope marked: "Libro 'al filo de la lengua' poema, nunca se publicó formó parte de Duelo del lenguaje") Typescript printout, "última versión," April 2, 2002 80 pages. Corrected typescript, "antepenúltima," January 20, 2002 65 pages. Typescript printout, "final," January 22, 2003 [2002 ?]; 59 pages.)



Box 5 Folder 1 UG-1 Language Duel / Duelo del lenguaje, undated

(Corrected proof pages; 175 pages; with several pages of questions between Ferré and Alan West regarding translation.)


Box 5 Folder 2 UG-2 Language Duel / Duelo del lenguaje, undated

(Corrected proof pages; 176 pages; a handful of light copyedits.)


Box 5 Folder 3 UG-3 Language Duel / Duelo del lenguaje, circa, 2002

(Uncorrected bound proofs.)