This collection consists of the personal, political, and literary papers of Sergio Ramírez Mercado.

The Writings section of the collection includes both drafts and final versions in manuscript and typed manuscript format of most of Ramírez's fiction, nonfiction, and short expository works, covering the period 1954 to 2004. It also includes interviews and translations of Ramírez's works by others into at least ten languages. Some manuscripts are accompanied by related items such as publishers' proofs, correspondence, and source materials. Also included in this section are writings in printed format when this is the only format that preserves a work.

The extensive Correspondence section covers the period 1960-2004, and includes letters from family members, letters about a specific work, general chronological correspondence, and correspondence with a wide range of renowned writers and politicians, such as Claribel Alegría, Arnoldo Alemán, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, Mario Benedetti, Ernesto Cardenal, Jimmy Carter, Julio Cortázar, Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel García Márquez, Felipe González, Augusto Monterroso, Ronald Reagan, and Mario Vargas Llosa.

The Political Archive consists of two main sections. The first section follows Ramírez's political activities, from the early actions of his student days in the 1960s, to his retirement from the political field in 1997. It includes documents and materials about Ramírez's participation in the Sandinista revolution against the Somoza regime, the Junta de Gobierno de Reconstrucción Nacional, his activities as vice president and as leader of the Sandinista Party, the foundation of the Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista, and his participation as candidate for president in 1996. The second section consists of documents and materials collected by Ramírez related to Nicaraguan political history, mostly related to Augusto C. Sandino, the Somoza family, and various political events of the twentieth century before the Sandinista revolution.

Of special interest is the Writings of Others section, which includes adaptations of Ramírez's works, essays and reviews about Ramírez's writings, and a small collection of writings by other authors in different formats, including Claribel Alegría, Ernesto Cardenal, Abelardo Cuadra, Carlos Fuentes, Fernando Gordillo, Ernesto Mejía Sánchez, and Octavio Paz.

This collection also includes documents and materials about awards, literary contracts, teaching activities, trips, and some cultural and social projects in which Ramírez was involved.

Free-standing photographs, and other graphic materials related to Ramírez's literary and political career, can be found in Series 7. However, some photographs and graphic materials were kept in their original context and can be found throughout the collection.

Finally, the collection includes many miscellaneous and printed materials. Of special interest are the materials about Masatepe (Ramírez's birth place) in Series 8 and the wide array of printed materials that include Ramírez's short writings. These printed materials not only show the context in which Ramírez's short writings were published, but also represent a rich collection of ephemera from Latin America, difficult to find outside the local context.

Additional materials consist of writings by Sergio Ramírez; photographs of Sergio Ramírez and family, friends, colleagues and politicians; interviews; correspondence, cards and invitations; writings by others; awards and recognitions; posters; some drawings; and materials related to foundations, symposia, conferences, fairs, presentations, festivals and other events.