The archives of Gabriel García Márquez, the Nobel Prize-winning Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, are now open to the public and they’re located here in the capital city, at the University of Texas at Austin's Harry Ransom Center.
Among the material in the collection is his Nobel Prize in Literature acceptance speech in 1982. As of this week, the public has access to that and so much more from the revered author that you couldn’t find in a bookstore. The archive includes manuscripts, scrapbooks, photographs, passports, typewriters and correspondences.
"Archives tend to give up their secrets slowly, but it will reveal significant insights into how he worked and who he was as a person," says Steve Enniss, the director of the Harry Ransom Center.
Daniela Lozano, an archivist at the center, pointed out a couple of pages on display full of marks from his last, unpublished work.
"It’s called 'En Agosto Nos Vemos' from about 2003," she said. "Here you can really see how much work he put into it, how many changes he was making, and just his notes."
The public can take a look at the items on display through Nov. 1. After that, people can come in with an ID and request to see items in the reading room.
Next week, the Harry Ransom Center will host a celebration of the life and legacy of García Marquez during a three-day symposium. Salman Rushdie will give the keynote address and the family of Garcia Marquez will also be in town for the event.