NEW YORK – The archive of late Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, ranging from letters and wedding photographs to manuscripts and screenplay drafts, were acquired by the New York Public Library.
“The Library is pleased to announce that our distinguished research collections will now include the archives of Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, iconic voices in post-war American journalism, fiction and screenwriting,” said Declan Kiely, Director of Special Collections and Exhibitions at the Library said in a statement Friday.
Didion and Dunne were married from 1964 to his death in 2003. They were among the most prominent literary couples in the world, and the letters in their archives include correspondence with Jacqueline Kennedy, Tennessee Williams, Nora Ephron, and former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, a childhood friend of Didion’s who spoke at her memorial service last year.
“We expect that once processed, Didion and Dunne’s papers will become one of our most accessed collections and an essential resource for scholars, students and those interested in their intensely collaborative life and work.” ‘ Said Kiely’s statement.
Didion was known for the novels Play It as It Lays and A Book of Common Prayer, classic collections of essays such as The White Album and Slouching Towards Bethlehem, and for her memoir The Year of Magical Thinking, in which she writes about the Mourning for Dunne.
Dunne’s books have included non-fiction Hollywood account Studio and novel True Confessions. He and Didion also collaborated on several screenplays, including The Panic in Needle Park and the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born.
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