News Release — April 8, 2011

Preview Archive Materials Related to Wallace's Posthumous Novel "The Pale King"

EVENT: A digital preview of archive materials relating to David Foster Wallace's posthumous novel "The Pale King" will be shared by the Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin, and publisher Little, Brown and Company. The preview includes a series of drafts of the "Author's Foreword," which eventually became chapter nine of "The Pale King." Michael Pietsch, Wallace's longtime editor, provides context about the pages and elaborates on the publication of the novel.

WHEN: Friday, April 8

BACKGROUND: In 2010, the Ransom Center acquired and made accessible the archive of writer David Foster Wallace. The archive contains manuscript materials for Wallace's books, stories and essays, research materials, Wallace's college and graduate school writings, juvenilia, including poems, stories and letters, teaching materials and books. Materials for Wallace's posthumous novel "The Pale King" are included in the archive but will remain with Little, Brown and Company until after the book's publication. On Friday, April 15, the Ransom Center celebrates the release of David Foster Wallace's "The Pale King" with readings from the novel by Kevin Brockmeier, Doug Dorst, Amelia Gray and Jake Silverstein. A webcast of the event occurs at 7 p.m. CST.