The collection consists of a group of essays, poems, and translations by Cuban writer Severo Sarduy (1937-1993), along with interviews and writings about Sarduy and correspondence to Sarduy and his partner, the French editor François Wahl (1925-2014). Sarduy was a was a major Cuban poet, author, playwright, painter, and critic of Cuban literature and art. Born in the Cuban city of Camagüey, Sarduy lived in Paris from 1960 until his death in 1993, where he connected with a group of prominent French intellectuals, including François Wahl and Roland Barthes through their collaboration on the journal Tel Quel. The materials in this collection were collected by François Wahl, Sarduy's long-time partner and collaborator.

The collection contains edited typescripts and copies of Sarduy's writings in Spanish and French, including essays, poems, interviews, and translations, along with notes, clippings, sound recordings, photographs, photographic slides, and other miscellaneous printed material. Also present are 374 postcards sent to Sarduy and Wahl in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as additional correspondence of Wahl, primarily regarding Sarduy and his legacy. Wahl's correspondence also comprises some press clippings, photographs, and correspondence regarding his own work. Correspondents include Alain Badiou, Jacques Lacan, Roland Barthes, Tzvetan Todorov, Octavio Paz, Manuel Puig, Elie Wiesel, and others.