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The Ken Pallack Collection of Karl Marlantes Materials, 1981-2011

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Marlantes, Karl
Title
The Ken Pallack Collection of Karl Marlantes Materials
Dates
1981-2011 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.5 cubic foot, (1 box)
Collection Number
OLPb053PAL
Summary
This collection includes drafts of the Vietnam War novel, Matterhorn (2009), by Karl Marlantes.
Repository
Lewis & Clark College, Special Collections and Archives

Aubrey R. Watzek Library
615 S. Palatine Hill Rd.
Portland, OR
97219
Telephone: 5037687758
Fax: 5037687282
archives@lclark.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection has no restrictions and is open for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Karl Marlantes was born in Seaside, Oregon in 1945. After attending high school in Seaside, Marlantes was awarded a National Merit Scholarship. He attended Yale University, where he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. Rather than studying at Oxford, Marlantes enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, and served as a lieutenant during the Vietnam War, earning the Navy Cross, two Navy Commendations for Valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten Air Medals. After returning from the War, Marlantes began writing about his experience.

His first novel, Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War, was published in a small edition of 1,000 copies in 2009 by El Leon Literary Arts of Berkeley, California. With an official publication date of May 1, advanced readers copies were mailed out early in the year. Staffers at Barnes & Noble were impressed with the novel, and submitted it to a first-novel contest, which led a number of New York publishers to express interest in obtaining the rights to the book. Eventually, Grove Atlantic Press made a deal with El Leon and copies already printed but not yet distributed were issued as galleys for a El León/Grove joint revised publication, which was issued in 2010.

Matterhorn was Amazon's Book of the Month for March 2010, and debuted on the New York Times bestseller list in April 2010. It won the 2011 William E. Colby Award, was ranked #7 for Fiction in Time Magazine's Best Books of the Year (2010), and was one of the New York Times Notable Books of the Year (2010). It was also an ALA Notable Book (2010), won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (2011), and won the Indies Choice Book Award (Adult Debut, 2011).

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Content Description

This collections includes two complete typescript drafts of the book Matterhorn, copies of correspondence with publishers, and copies various editions of the published book.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish, exhibit, broadcast, or quote from materials in the Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections requires written permission of the Head of Archives & Special Collections.

Preferred Citation

The Ken Pallack Collection of Karl Marlantes Materials (OLPb053PAL), Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections, Portland, Oregon.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged in a single series.

Location of Collection

Special Collections

Custodial History

These drafts of Matterhorn were given to Ken Pallack by the author. Pallack was a friend of the author who read and provided feedback on the drafts. Pallack donated the drafts to Lewis & Clark College in 2010.

Processing Note

Processed in 2011.

Related Materials

Lewis & Clark College Special Collections also holds a complete collection of Karl Marlantes's personal papers. The finding aid for the Karl Marlantes Papers can be found at: http://nwda-db.orbiscascade.org/findaid/ark:/80444/xv53240.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • United States. Marine Corps --Fiction
  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975 --Fiction

Personal Names

  • Marlantes, Karl--Archives
  • Pallack, Ken.

Titles within the Collection

  • Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War

Jeremy Skinner
2011

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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