Schaffner, John, 1961-1979

The Correspondence series contains letters that highlight Graves’ writing career, with letters to and from publishers, agents, fellow writers, fans, event organizers and others. Insights into Graves’ personal life and thoughts are also found in letters between Graves and longtime friends and family members. Graves kept carbon copies and later computer printout copies of many of his letters to others, so the researcher gets both sides of the letter-writing dialogue, in these folders and elsewhere in the collection where correspondence is included.

The vast majority of the correspondence is filed alphabetically by last name, though in a handful of cases by institution name, event name, or subject. Within the folders that are labeled with a range of names the correspondence is arranged and labeled in smaller folders. Folders that have just one name written on them means the volume of letters warranted its own folder (or in some cases, more than one folder).

The correspondence in the John Schaffner file is notable for chronicling the agent-writer relationship. Schaffner was Graves’ agent until 1979, and this file, covering eighteen years, highlights their personal and professional association during that time. Writers Rick Bass, Angus Cameron, Nick Lyons and John N. Cole have considerable amounts of correspondence with Graves, as does writer and photographer Bill Wittliff, who has also been a close friend of and sometime collaborator with Graves through the years. Though less voluminous, the letters between Graves and Cormac McCarthy reveal a respect and kinship between the two men.

Daughters Helen Graves and Sally Jackson also have a considerable amount of correspondence in this series. Fleet Lentz and Abe Rothberg each have multiple folders, making evident their important friendships with Graves. Another significant friendship documented in letters is that of Graves and Samuel Hynes, who have been close friends since their days together at Columbia University. These letters are arranged in two parts, one restricted and one not. Letters donated by Mr. Hynes himself for inclusion in the John Graves Papers are restricted from access until after the deaths of both gentlemen. There are also two other, unrelated letters placed at the end of the series that are restricted until 30 years after the death of Mr. Graves.