TXST Whittliff Collection doubles its Cormac McCarthy Archives

By Saige Klein

Blog Content Contributor

SAN MARCOS – The Texas State University Wittliff Collections recently received new archives that nearly double its holdings related to renowned writer Cormac McCarthy.

Cormac McCarthy was an American author best known for his works in the southern gothic, post-apocalyptic and western genres. Some of his notable novels include The Road, No Country for Old Men and All the Pretty Horses.

“We have long had a collection since 2007, but we are now adding and opening up to the public, I believe next week, the other half of his archive which came from his brother,” said David Coleman, director of the Wittliff Collections at TXST.

The new personal collection includes letters McCarthy wrote and received, trinkets from friends, postcards he sent and a variety of family historical materials.

This addition is significant for the Wittliff Collections because McCarthy was known as a private person who avoided sharing personal information with the press.

“He had a lot of friends,” said Coleman. “Some people thought he was a bit of a recluse, and that’s not true, he just didn’t do interviews.”

Many students and faculty continue to study McCarthy’s works today. The expanded collection allows fans and scholars to explore the personal side of the critically acclaimed writer.

“He kept all of this material, knowing one day that it would all be here,” said Coleman. “It’s a really amazing opportunity for people to see the kind of person behind the novels or the movie that they know.”

McCarthy also had a personal connection to TXST and to how his works came to be housed in the Wittliff Collections.

Bill Wittliff, a writer, filmmaker and photographer, served on the board of the Sundance Film Festival. McCarthy submitted a script to the festival hoping to have it produced.

The script itself was not well received, but Wittliff found McCarthy’s writing powerful and unique. He felt that while it might not work as a movie, it could be fascinating as a book.

This connection led to a decadeslong relationship between the two. After years of correspondence, McCarthy decided to sell part of his archives, and TXST was among the institutions considered.

That decision helped put TXST on the map and encouraged other artists to donate or sell their archives to the Wittliff Collections.

Since then, many well-known artists have added their works, including Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street, and Yellowstone writer Taylor Sheridan.

“It almost acted like a magnet,” said Coleman. “The more and more artists we get and the more we add to our collection, the more others have interest in joining our family.”