NEW ORLEANS — Hundreds of manuscripts, short stories, journals and screenplays written by New Orleans native Anne Rice during her long and successful career have been acquired by Tulane University’s Howard-Tilton Memorial Library.
The materials were acquired through a gift from rare book collector and New Orleans native Stuart Rose and the Stuart Rose Family Foundation, the university said Thursday.
“That Tulane has provided a home for my papers is exciting and comforting,” Rice said in a statement. “All my novels - in a career spanning more than 40 years - have been profoundly influenced by the history and beauty of New Orleans, and by its unique ambience in which my imagination flourished even in early childhood. I’m so grateful to Tulane and those who made this possible.”
Rice, who now lives in California, was born in New Orleans in 1941 and has used the city as a setting for most of her famous books, which number 30 in all and have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
Rice’s work has included gothic and erotic fiction, as well as Christian literature, but she is best known for her novels in vampire and supernatural fiction.
Her first book, Interview with the Vampire, the initial volume of her Vampire Chronicles series, was published in 1976 and has become one of the best-selling novels of all time. It and many of her other works have been made into films. 1994's Interview with the Vampire was partially filmed in New Orleans and starred Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Rice wrote the screenplay.
The Anne Rice Archive at Tulane includes manuscripts of most of her published novels, as well as unpublished short stories, journals, screenplays and other materials documenting Rice’s literary and personal life. Personal artifacts and thousands of pieces of correspondence from family, friends and Rice’s fans are also included.
The collection also encompasses materials from her late husband Stan Rice, including his poetry manuscripts, correspondence and original paintings, and documents from Anne’s sister Alice Borchardt, an author of fantasy, horror and historical fiction.
“As a New Orleans native, a rare book collector and having a daughter who graduated from Tulane University, this was a perfect opportunity to help give something back to both the Tulane and New Orleans communities, and I cannot think of something more meaningful than the Anne Rice Archives,” said donor Stuart Rose in a statement. “In my experience, great modern archives are few and far between.”
Rose serves as Head of Corporate Development and Executive Chairman of the Board at REX American Resources Corporation, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. He was the company's chief executive officer from 1984 to 2015.
An internationally renowned collector of rare books and manuscripts, Rose boasts one of the most impressive private collections in the world.
“The Anne Rice Archive is an outstanding addition to our unique collections,” said David Banush, Tulane’s Dean of Libraries and Academic Information Resources. “It’s a natural fit with our mission of documenting the unique history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. We are extremely grateful to Stuart Rose for understanding that connection and supporting our acquisition of this collection.”
The Anne Rice Archive at Tulane will join the literary papers of John Kennedy Toole, Lafcadio Hearn, George Washington Cable and other authors with strong ties to New Orleans, along with many other collections relating to local history, music and architecture. Programming to celebrate the Anne Rice Archive will take place later this year, the university said.
