Processing the Christopher Bram Papers
I recently processed the papers of Christopher Bram, a 1974 graduate of William & Mary and novelist. His papers are regularly used in library instruction sessions for creative writing students, and having a more complete description will provide faster and easier access for both our researchers and staff.
Included in his papers are materials related to his works, both published and unpublished, such as his first published novel, Surprising Myself (1987), and Father of Frankenstein (1995). Father of Frankenstein is based on the life of filmmaker James Whale, director of Frankenstein (1931) and other early horror films, and was adapted into a screenplay for the 1998 film Gods and Monsters, starring Sir Ian McKellen as James Whale.
The film was nominated for several Academy Awards and won for Best Adapted Screenplay. Through his involvement with the film, Bram developed a friendship with McKellen. While processing the collection, I came across a New Year’s card sent by McKellen to Bram and his partner, Draper Shreeve, as well as a poster for the movie, both of which can be seen in this blog post.
Matt Anthony is a graduate student in the Department of American Studies and a 2014-2015 Archives Apprentice in the Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library.
