Ernest J. Gaines Collection
Scope and Contents
This small collection consists of one uncorrected proof copy of In My Father’s House by Ernest J. Gaines and a holograph manuscript fragment of 32 pages front and back of the same title.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1970s
Conditions Governing Access
The physical materials from this collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Vanderbilt’s Special Collections and University Archives. Materials should be requested two to three days in advance to facilitate easier access. Contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu to schedule an appointment.
Biographical Note - Ernest J. Gaines
Ernest J. Gaines, a prominent African-American writer, was born on January 15, 1933. He grew up in the slave quarters of a plantation in Pointe Coupee, Louisiana, a place which had an important influence on his fiction. He received his early education there in a schoolroom in a plantation church. When he was fifteen he moved to Vallejo, California to live with his mother and step-father. When he was seventeen he wrote his first novel. It was rejected by a publisher. He later rewrote it and published it as Catherine Carmier.
He served with the Army for two years and won a writing fellowship to Stanford University. Among his many published works are his novels The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1971); A Lesson Before Dying (1993); and In My Father’s House (1978). Several of his works have been made into film, most notably the television version of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman which aired in 1974. Gaines received many honors and awards for his work.
After 1984, he divided his time between San Francisco and Lafayette, Louisiana where he taught a creative writing workshop every fall at the University of Louisiana.
He died on November 5, 2019.
Full Extent
0.21 Linear Feet (1 letter half-Hollinger)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This small collection consists of one uncorrected proof copy of In My Father’s House by Ernest J. Gaines and a holograph manuscript fragment of 32 pages front and back of the same title.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This small collection was a gift from John Peede to Vanderbilt University in June of 1997.
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Ernest J. Gaines Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- 2016
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives Repository
Special Collections Library
1101 19th Ave. S.
Nashville TN 37212 United States
specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu
About this Site
This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.
Requesting Materials
Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.