Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title Albert French Papers Creator
French, Albert
Collection Number SC.2020.04 Extent
8.28 Linear Feet
(3 record center boxes, 1 document case, 2 oversize boxes, 1
audio/visual materials box)
Date 1970-2010 Abstract This collection
includes manuscripts, correspondence, publicity, and reviews of the work of author Albert
French, encompassing the entirety of French's writing career from his first explorations
with fiction in an unfinished manuscript to copies of all his published works. Language
English
Author Moira J. Stockton and David R. Grinnell. Publisher ULS Archives & Special Collections Address
University of Pittsburgh Library Systemhttp://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acqusition Information
Gift of Albert French in July 2020.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by publication in chronological order with individual series
for French's books Billy, Holly, Patches of Fire, and I Can't Wait on
God, followed by a topical series, a publication copies series, and audio/visual
series. Oversize materials from various series are stored in two oversize boxes.
Biography
Albert French, born in 1943, is an American author and photographer, and a native
Pittsburgher. After graduating from Penn Hills High School, French joined the United States
Marine Corps, where he was sent to Vietnam. During his service he was wounded, receiving a
gun shot in the neck. French survived the injury and returned to Pittsburgh and pursued a
career in photography, working as a staff photographer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Later, he would publish his own magazine, The Pittsburgh Preview . After the magazine ventured failed, he
began writing his Vietnam memoir entitled, Patches of Fire ,
but it was not published until later. French then wrote his first novel Billy , which was published and received international acclaim. In
2007, Billy was adapted for the stage by David Barr and
debuted in Chicago.
French wrote three more novels, and his memoir was eventually published, all favorably
reviewed. Both Billy and Holly
were translated into several languages. French's novels are centered on racism in rural
America against Black people and are most commented on for their lyricism and authentic
dialogue.
His other professional writings include authoring the introduction to The Folio Society's
(London) 1996 edition of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird ,
and the forward to the Heinz History Center's exhibit catalog entitled, Soul Soldiers African Americans and the Vietnam Era (2006).
After achieving status as an internationally acclaimed author, French enjoyed book tours in
the United Kingdom and Europe. He gave talks and readings at conferences, public schools,
libraries, and universities in Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and North
Carolina. Now retired, he lives in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh. French is
also the cousin of author and Pittsburgh native, John Edgar Wideman.
Preferred Citation
Albert French Papers, 1970-2010, SC.2020.04, Archives & Special Collections, University
of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Moira J. Stockton and David R. Grinnell in November
2020.
Scope and Content Notes The papers include manuscripts for many of French's published works, as well as a
manuscript that was not completed nor published. The correspondence is comprised of
publisher correspondence such as book contracts and book tour travel information, reviews
from fans, autograph requests, award notifications, and personal correspondence. The bulk of
reviews and publicity are for French's first published novel Billy, which was translated
into Dutch, reprinted multiple times, and adapted for the stage. Oversize materials include
original newspapers and magazines containing profiles and interviews with French, reviews,
and publicity. Audio/visual materials include readings and interviews on cassette and CD,
and filmed interviews on VHS. French's 2007 novel, Cinder , is
his only novel that is not represented in the papers with original manuscripts or
proofs.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection,
but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are
therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when
publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the
creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Subjects Geographic Names Homewood (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Genres Book reviews Correspondence Interviews Manuscripts (Documents) Manuscripts for publication Other Subjects African American authors African American authors -- Fiction African American dramatists African American journalists African-American literature and culture Authors, American -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh Authors, American -- 20th century Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal narratives, American United States -- Race relations –- Fiction Authors, American -- 20th century -- Biography African American journalists -- Social conditions African American criminals -- Fiction African American children –- Fiction Wideman, John Edgar -- Interviewee Rose, Charlie -- Interviewer French, Albert -- Interviewee Container List Series I. Billy 1990-2001
Scope and Content Notes This series contains material pertaining to French's first published novel Billy (1993). Material includes manuscripts, editor proofs,
the David Barr stage adaption script, newspaper and magazine reviews and publicity, and
correspondence from publishers and fans.
"Albert French lights up the monstrous face of American racism in this harrowing tale
of ten-year-old Billy Lee Turner, who is convicted of and executed for murdering a white
girl in Banes County, Mississippi in 1937. Billy is about the deaths of two children,
one girl, one boy, the girl's death an accident, the boy's a murder perpetrated by the
state. Though the events Billy records occur during the 1930s in a small Mississippi
town, the range of characters, emotions, and social forces, and the inexorable march to
doom of a ten-year-old boy and the society that dooms him, catapult the story far beyond
a specific time and location. Narrated by an anonymous observer in the rich accents of
the region, constructed in a series of powerfully lean vignettes, Billy imparts an
intensity that is nearly unbearable. It is a tour de force of dramatic compression."
"Albert French evokes with cinematic vividness the picking fields and town streets; the
heat, the dust, the unrelenting sun, the poverty of 1930s Mississippi. High-spirited
Billy; his mysterious and passionate mother, Cinder; his friend, Gumpy; and other
characters black and white are realized with depth and authority. Told in classic,
unrelieved terms yet with remarkable compassion and restraint, their story is an
unsentimental and ultimately heart-rending vision of racial injustice. Billy is, quite
simply, one of the most powerfully affecting novels to come along in years."--BOOK
JACKET.
First Draft Manuscript , undated
Containers box 1 , folder 1-2 Language English
Retyped Manuscript , undated
Containers box 1 , folder 3-4 Language English
Trial Scene Revision , undated
Containers box 1 , folder 5 Language English
Epilogue , undated
Containers box 1 , folder 6 Language English
Viking Penguin Edited Manuscript , 1994
Containers box 1 , folder 7-9 Language English
Rough Page Proofs , 1993
Containers box 1 , folder 10-15 Materialspec Proofs contain editorial
marks.
Language English
Book Covers , 1994
Containers box 1 , folder 16 Stage Adaption Script by David Barr , undated
Containers box 1 , folder 17 Materialspec Script written by David
Barr.
Language English
Newspaper Reviews , 1993-1994
Containers box 1 , folder 18 Materialspec Photocopies and original
clippings.
Language English
Magazine Reviews , 1993-1994
Containers box 1 , folder 19 Language English
Publisher Catalogues , 1993-1995
Containers box 1 , folder 20 Language English
Rejection Letters from Publishers , 1990-1992
Containers box 1 , folder 21 Language English
Correspondence from Publishers , 1993-1994
Containers box 1 , folder 22 Language English
Correspondence and Requests from Organizations , 1993-1997
Containers box 1 , folder 23 Language English
Correspondence from Fans , 1993-2001
Containers box 1 , folder 24 Original Newspaper Publicity , 1993-1995
Containers oversize 6 , folder 1-3 Language English
Posters , 1993-1994
Containers oversize 6 , folder 4 Language English
Series II. Holly 1993-2005
Scope and Content Notes This series contains material pertaining to French's second novel Holly (1995). Material includes manuscripts, editor proofs,
screenplay adaption script by Lane M. Montgomery, newspaper and magazine reviews and
publicity, and correspondence from publishers and fans.
"With remarkable insight and sensitivity, French constructs his drama around a richly
drawn portrayal of a nineteen-year-old poor white girl, Holly R. Hill, who lives with
her family in Supply, North Carolina, in 1944. When we meet her, Holly spends her days
fussing about her clothes; worrying about her brother and her sometime fiance, who are
off fighting in the war; contemplating kissing the local dreamboat, Garet Foster; and
sharing secrets with her best friend, Elsie Fagen. Like a character from a Thomas Hardy
novel, Holly seems, literally, perfectly ordinary. But Holly's safe world begins to
crack open as her town and family struggle to cope with the war's toll on their loved
ones. In her mourning, Holly begins to spend a lot of time alone near the Back Land,
"where Supply's coloreds lived," and where she meets Elias Owens, a young, handsome
veteran who is an aspiring painter and composer, and who is black. Their relationship
touches off a maelstrom that leaves no doubt as to the consequences of crossing
society's proscribed boundaries." "A love story and an indictment, Holly is also a story
of friendship, of community and of the aftereffects of a war on a family as well as on a
small town. Told with a piercing tenderness and intensity, Holly confirms Albert French
as a dark and passionate chronicler of American mores and culture."--BOOK JACKET.
Rough Page Proofs , 1994
Containers box 1 , folder 25-27 Language English
England Edition Proofs , 1995
Containers box 1 , folder 28-29 Language English
Book Covers , undated
Containers box 1 , folder 30 Language English
Screenplay Adaption Script by Lane H. Montgomery , undated
Containers box 1 , folder 31-32 Materialspec Script written by Lane H.
Montgomery.
Magazine and Newspaper Reviews , 1995
Containers box 1 , folder 33 Publisher Catalogue Reviews , 1995-2005
Containers box 1 , folder 34 Correspondence , 1995-1997
Containers box 1 , folder 35 Language English
Original Newspaper Publicity , 1995-1996
Containers oversize 6 , folder 5 Language English
Contract , 1993
Containers oversize 6 , folder 6 Language English
Series III. Patches of Fire 1988-2001
Scope amd Content Notes This series contains material pertaining to French's third published book, his memoir
Patches of Fire about his experience in the Vietnam War
(1997). Material includes manuscripts, editor proofs, screenplay adaption script by
Ivana Massetti, a musical composition inspired by the book David Sampson, an essay by
French for a Vietnam War documentary, newspaper and magazine reviews and publicity, and
correspondence from publishers and fans.
"Patches of Fire is the story of a young man's encounter with a war and with deaths
beyond his understanding; of his return to a country torn by racial unrest in the wake
of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.; and of his painstaking efforts to
defeat his inner demons and make a place for himself as a black man in white America.
With a starkness tempered by humor, French brings to life the horrors of Vietnam, and
recounts in compelling detail his uneasy tenure as a newspaper photographer, his heady
days as publisher of his own magazine, his confrontations with the ghostly images of
Vietnam that haunted his dreams - and the sense of renewal and purpose he achieved as a
novelist. The very personal story of French's trials and triumphs, Patches of Fire is
also a revealing exploration of the black soldier's experience in Vietnam, the plight of
the Vietnam veteran, and the redemptive power of writing."--BOOK JACKET.
First Draft , 1988
Containers box 2 , folder 1 Language English
First Typed Manuscript , undated
Containers box 2 , folder 2-3 Language English
Revised Chapters , undated
Containers box 2 , folder 4 Language English
Manuscript , 1996
Containers box 2 , folder 5-8 Language English
Book Covers , undated
Containers box 2 , folder 9 Language English
"Monument" by David Sampson (musical composition) , 1997
Containers box 2 , folder 10 Language English
Screenplay Adaption Script by Ivana Massetti , 1998
Containers box 2 , folder 11-12 Materialspec Screenplay by Ivana
Massetti.
Language English
Vietnam Essay for WGBH Television's Vietnam: A
Television History Documentary , 1997
Containers box 2 , folder 13 Language English
Newspaper Reviews , 1996-1998
Containers box 2 , folder 14 Language English
Magazine Reviews , 1991-1999
Containers box 2 , folder 15 Language English
Correspondence , 1990-2001
Containers box 2 , folder 16 Language English
Original Newspaper and Magazine Publicity , 1994-2000
Containers oversize 6 , folder 7 Language English
Series IV. I Can't Wait on God 1997-1999
Scope and Content Notes This series contains material pertaining to French's third novel I Can't Wait on God (1998). Material includes manuscripts, editor proofs,
newspaper and magazine reviews and publicity, reviews from a class of Washington D.C.
students, and correspondence from publishers and fans.
"The crowded joys and familiar despair of poor, back-alley life in post-World War II
Pittsburgh have a hold on most people there. Still, there are those who need to escape.
Jeremiah Henderson and his woman, Willet Mercer, have set their sights on New York City,
and Willet secretly wishes for a reunion with the little boy she abandoned in North
Carolina long ago. For a time, it looks as if their dreams may come true. But making
good is easier said than done, and after a money-making scheme goes awry, Jeremiah and
Willet flee Pittsburgh in a fancy new Buick, leaving a trail of blood behind them."
"Told over the course of five days and nights in the summer of 1950, this is an
unforgettable story of crime, punishment, and loss."--BOOK JACKET.
Original Manuscript , undated
Containers box 2 , folder 17-19 Language English
First Proofs , 1997
Containers box 2 , folder 20-22 Language English
Second Proofs , 1997
Containers box 2 , folder 23-25 Language English
Book Covers , 1998
Containers box 2 , folder 26 Language English
Newspaper Reviews , 1998
Containers box 2 , folder 27 Language English
Magazine Reviews , 1998-1999
Containers box 2 , folder 28 Language English
Washington DC, Student Reviews , 1998
Containers box 2 , folder 29 Language English
Correspondence , 1998-1999
Containers box 2 , folder 30 Language English
Original Newspaper Publicity , 1998
Containers oversize 6 , folder 8 Language English
Poster , undated
Containers oversize 6 , folder 9 Language English
Series V. Other Published Writing , 1970-2008
Scope and Content Notes This series contains other published writing and related material by French, including
his first published writing and the introduction he wrote for a reprint of Harper Lee's
To Kill a Mockingbird and his 2007 novel, Cinder.
First Published Writing , 1970
Containers box 2 , folder 31 Materialspec There are two copies of the
newspaper which contain's French's piece, and they are both fragile and
torn.
Language English
Introduction to To Kill a
Mockingbird , 1996
Containers box 2 , folder 32 Language English
International Publicity for Cinder , 2007-2008
Containers box 2 , folder 33 Language English
Correspondence for Billy Dutch
Translation , 1994
Containers box 2 , folder 34 Language English
Series VI. Topical , 1981-2010
Scope and Content Notes This series contains French's international publicity, profiles and interviews,
correspondence, and conference materials.
Personal Correspondence , 1993-2008
Containers box 2 , folder 35 Language English
Newspaper Profiles and Interviews , 1993-2010
Containers box 2 , folder 36 Language English
Magazine Profiles and Interviews , 1994-2000
Containers box 2 , folder 37 Language English
International Newspaper Publicity , 1993-1995
Containers box 2 , folder 38 Language English
Internationational Magazine Publicity , 1993-1996
Containers box 2 , folder 39 Scope and Content Notes Contains publications in Dutch, French, and English.
Talks and Conference Materials , 1995-2003
Containers box 3 , folder 1-2 Language English
Black Extravaganza and Trailblazer Awards , 2000
Containers box 3 , folder 3 Language English
Black Extravaganza and Trailblazer Awards , 2000
Containers oversize 7 , folder 1 Language English
International Newspaper Publicity , 1994-1997
Containers oversize 7 , folder 2 Language English
Scope and Content Notes This file also contains two copies of a newspaper in Dutch.
Newspaper Profiles and Interviews , 1993-2004
Containers oversize 7 , folder 3 Language English
Pittsburgh Preview Magazine , 1981-1988
Containers oversize 7 , folder 4 Language English
Series VII. Unfinished Manuscript , 1973-1975
Scope and Content Notes This fragile, unfinished manuscript is a novel that French never had published.
Chapter 1 , 1973-1975
Containers box 3 , folder 4 Language English
Chapter 2 , 1973-1975
Containers box 3 , folder 5 Language English
Chapter 3 , 1973-1975
Containers box 3 , folder 6 Language English
Chapter 4 , 1973-1975
Containers box 3 , folder 7 Language English
Chapter 5 , 1973-1975
Containers box 3 , folder 8 Language English
Chapter 6 , 1973-1975
Containers box 3 , folder 9 Language English
Chapter 7 , 1973-1975
Containers box 3 , folder 10 Language English
Chapter 8 , 1973-1975
Containers box 3 , folder 11 Language English
Chapter 9 , 1973-1975
Containers box 3 , folder 12 Language English
Series VIII. Bound Publications , 1993-2006
Scope and Content Notes This series contains copies of books written by French, including uncorrected proofs
and Dutch translations. Books that are not by French include essays, interviews, or
other writing by French.
Billy Published by Minerva1994
Containers box 4 , item 1 Language English
Billy Published by Viking Penguin1993
Containers box 4 , item 2 Language English
Billy Dutch Translation1994
Containers box 4 , item 3 Language English
Billy Hardcover Edition1993
Containers box 4 , item 4 Language English
Holly Uncorrected Proof1995
Containers box 4 , item 5 Language English
Holly Published by Minerva1995
Containers box 4 , item 6 Language English
Holly Published by Viking Penguin1995
Containers box 4 , item 7 Language English
Holly Dutch Translation Hardcover1996
Containers box 4 , item 8 Language English
Holly Dutch Translation1996
Containers box 4 , item 9 Language English
Patches of Fire Published by
Vintage1998
Containers box 4 , item 10 Language English
Patches of Fire Published by Secker &
Warburg1997
Containers box 4 , item 11 Language English
Patches of Fire Published by Anchor
Books1997
Containers box 4 , item 12 Language English
I Can't Wait on God Uncorrected
Proof1998
Containers box 4 , item 13 Language English
I Can't Wait on God Uncorrected
Proof1998
Containers box 4 , item 14 Language English
I Can't Wait on God Published by Anchor
Books1998
Containers box 4 , item 15 Language English
I Can't Wait on God Published by Anchor
Books1998
Containers box 4 , item 16 Language English
I Can't Wait on God Hardcover
Edition1998
Containers box 4 , item 17 Language English
Cinder Published by Vintage2007
Containers box 4 , item 18 Language English
Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America an
Anthology 1996
Containers box 4 , item 19 Materialspec Contains an essay by
French.
Language English
Perspectives in American Social History: Vietnam War
Era People and Perspectives 2009
Containers box 4 , item 20 Materialspec Contains quotes from an
interview by French about his experience in the Vietnam War.
Language English
Soul Soldiers: African Americans and the Vietnam
Era 2006
Containers box 4 , item 21 Materialspec Catalogue for a traveling
exhibit shown at the Heinz History Center.
Language English
Black America Series: African Americans in
Pittsburgh 2006
Containers box 4 , item 22 Language English
To Kill a Mockingbird 1996
Containers box 4 , item 23 Materialspec This edition of Harper Lee's
To Kill a Mockingbird features an introduction written by French.
Language English
Series IX. Audio/Visual , 1995-2008
Scope and Content Notes Interviews and reading on cassettes and VHS tapes, as well as photographs.
Photos of Albert French , c. 2000
Containers box 3 , folder 13 Language English
PEN/Faulkner Reading Series CDs , 2008
Containers box 5 , disc 1 Language English
London Women's Hour Radio Interview on Cassette , 1995
Containers box 5 , cassette 2 Language English
PEN/Faulkner Interview with Susan Straight on Cassette Tape , 1995
Containers box 5 , cassette 3 NPR Radio Interview on Cassette , 1997
Containers box 5 , cassette 4 Public Interest Radio Interview with John Edgar Wideman on
Cassette , 1998
Containers box 5 , cassette 5 London Radio Interview about Holly on
Cassette , undated
Containers box 5 , cassette 6 London Radio Interview on Cassette , undated
Containers box 5 , cassette 7 Fresh Act (?) Radio Interview on Cassette , undated
Containers box 5 , cassette 8 PBS Charlie Rose Show Interview on VHS Tape , 1997
Containers box 5 , video 9 Language English
A Place in History Pittsburgh Regional History Center on VHS Tape , undated
Containers box 5 , video 10 Language English
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