Contents and Arrangement
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Notebooks 42, 1969 October 1-1970 May 11

1 folder

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

132 pages. Dates and location, 1969 October 1-1970 May 11; Vallvidrera, Spain.

Notebook on El obsceno pájaro de la noche. Character analyses, preoccupation with the content and sequence of episodes. By the end of the notebook, which centers mainly on the last chapters of the novel, the author has completed an entire version of it and, after a five-month gap, he starts to work on a final revision. The notebook records few concerns other than those relating to the novel itself.

Themes, coats of arms, 3; nostalgia, 5; packages, 27; the body as an image, 31, 32; magic and play, 60; images, 73, 74, 107; confused identities, 121; the creator and his creation, 125; labyrinths, 127-128.

Characters, Don Jerónimo; Humberto; Inés; Iris; misiá Raquel; la madre Benita; Brígida; don Clemente; el padre Azócar; la niña bruja-santa; Peta; Azula; Emperatriz; Basilio; Boy; el yerno (de misiá Raquel); Malú; Amalia; Rita; Alberto; Romualdo.

Character Sketches, Iris, 46; notes on the "evolution" of several characters, 29.

References, S. Beckett, 3; B. E. Murillo, 6; M. Graham, 20, 22; J. L. Borges, 27; C. Fuentes, 113; G. García Márquez, 113; M. Vargas Llosa, 113; E. Rodríguez Monegal, 123.

Secondary Projects, a series of short stories titled "Los vestidos", 33-34, 65; a book on the Donoso family, 68; several projects to undertake after completion of El obsceno pájaro de la noche, 68; a novel about adoption, 110.

Miscellaneous, jotting down of words that the author seems to find striking, including a list of words used by Borges, 5, 27, 60, 61, 109, 114; notes apparently taken during a consultation with a priest, 5-7; on financial calculations and considerations, 67, 111, unnumbered pages towards the end of the notebook; considerations about possible countries in which the author might live, 102; draft of a letter to the author's literary agent, 111 . 114; drawings of female faces and figures, and a list of clothes perhaps for "Los vestidos", unnumbered pages towards the end of the notebook.

Arrangement

Arranged by no. of notebook.

Collection History

Custodial History

The collection was formed as a result of a departmental practice of combining into one collection manuscript material of various accessions relating to a particular author.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

The core of this collection was processed by Rodolfo Aiello in 1993. Finding aid written by Rodolfo Aiello in 1994 and later updated by Karla Vecchia in 2004.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Notebooks 42; José Donoso Papers, C0099, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (mss): Box 56

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Related Materials

See also the José Donoso Papers at the University of Iowa ( http,//www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/MSC/ToMsc350/MsC340_Donoso/Donoso_340.htm).