Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Additional Papers Of Alan Cheuse, Accession #10726-h, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

Alan Cheuse of Fairfax, Virginia, placed his papers on loan to the Library on September 20, 1990. The papers were purchased by the Library on September 11, 2003.

Scope and Content Information

This addition to the papers of Alan Cheuse containing ca. 125 items, 1989-1990, includes correspondence, a typescript of an interview with Cheuse conducted by Neila C. Seshachari, a typescript of a short story by Tobias Wolff entitled "Mortals," printed materials, reviews of The Tennessee Waltz and Other Stories , a book written by Alan Cheuse, and book reviews by Alan Cheuse.

This collection contains the following book reviews by Cheuse: The Animal Wife; A Child Across the Sky; Devil in a Blue Dress; A Different Drummer; The General in His Labyrinth; Graveyard for Lunatics; The Last Station; and Shuffle.

Notable correspondents or topics include: John W. Aldridge (1990 May 15); Frederick Busch (1990 May 29); George Garrett (1990, has separate folder, for description see below); Oakley Hall (1990 Jul 13); Luis Harss (1989 Mar 4); Barry Lopez (1990 Aug 5); Richard McCann (1990 Aug 5); Joyce [Carol Oates ?] (1990 Jun 15); "The Situation of Reviewing" by Cheuse attached to (1990 Jun 6); Darcey Steinke (1990 May 17 and Jun 19); John Updike (1990 Jun 16); Jon Manchip White (1990 Jun 27); Tobias Wolff (1990 Jun 12); Grace Zabriskie (1990 Jun 17)

In a long letter, June 15, 1990, George Garrett writes to Alan Cheuse concerning his struggle with Stamberg [?] to incorporate a short story by Alan Cheuse in the "wedding cake books." Stamberg objects to including a selection by Cheuse because he is such a good friend of Garrett's although she does like Cheuse's work. Garrett urges Cheuse to submit a "Wedding Cake in the Middle of the Road" story for the proposed anthology which Garrett will accept for The Texas Review even if it is refused by Stamberg for the anthology. Garrett also mentions talking [?] Ruffin into devoting a whole issue of The Texas Review to Southern fiction during the fall of 1991 and trying to find an university press to do an expanded book version of the issue the following year.

Other topics include a request from Staige Blackford of the Virginia Quarterly Review for an essay review of new books of short stories and another essay for the Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook 1990 entitled "The Year in Short Story" in both of which Garrett hopes to favorably mention Cheuse's new book. Garrett also mentions his anxiety over his new book published by Doubleday, Entered From the Sun, and his review of Kurt Vonnegut's new book Hocus Pocus , "He's as wild and wooly as ever. Funny, though. He can make me laugh." Also mentioned is Michael Mewshaw's article in the Washington Post about the University of Virginia English Department which infuriated most of the faculty.

In another letter, July 10, 1990, Garrett writes about how much he likes Douglas Day's new book about several individuals involved in the Mexican Revolution and asks if Cheuse thinks the publisher Gibbs Smith might be interested in the manuscript. He also encloses a copy of a letter from James Dickey (March 27, 1990) to a teenager Heather Schafroth.