This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 1.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 900 items) |
Abstract | William A. McKnight (1911-1986), professor, 1936-1978, in the Department of Romance Languages, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was active in promoting the study of contemporary Spanish literature. The collection includes correspondence, notes, photographs, and other materials chiefly relating to McKnight's work with contemporary Spanish authors. Correspondence, some in Spanish, is largely with and about contemporary Spanish authors and booksellers, including Antonio Buero Vallejo (1916-2000), Alejandro Casona (1903-1965), and Francisco Garcia Pavon (1919-). There is also some material relating to McKnight's work as assistant editor for Spanish of the Modern Language Journal and his role in Spanish literature collection development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Several bibliographical lists of Spanish literature are included. |
Creator | McKnight, William A. (William Albert), 1911-1986. |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
Language | English |
Processed by: Nick Robinson, Lynn Holdzkom, Nancy Kaiser, 1986, 1987, 2004
Encoded by: Nancy Kaiser, September 2004
Updated because of addition in December 2018.
Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
William A. McKnight served on the faculty of the Department of Romance Languages at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1936 to 1978 and was active in promoting the study of contemporary Spanish literature.
Born in Shelby, N.C., McKnight grew up in Denver, N.C., and was a 1932 graduate of Davidson College. He received his M.A. in 1937, and Ph.D. in 1951, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
During his tenure in Chapel Hill, McKnight played a significant part in the development of the University's holdings in Spanish literature, particularly the Spanish Drama Collection. He was also instrumental in the University's acquisition of the Wyatt Andrew Pickens Collection of Foreign Language Books.
He also served as chair of the Contemporary Spanish Literature Section of the Modern Language Association (MLA); assistant editor for Spanish of the Modern Language Journal; and chair of the MLA's Spanish Bibliography Committee, which began publishing the Bibliography of Contemporary Spanish Literature in 1953. He was also a Peace Corps teacher and advisor.
McKnight received the Tanner Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1963. In 1978, a permanent endowment fund was established in his name at the Ravenscroft School in Raleigh to provide financial assistance to students and teachers in the school's foreign language program.
McKnight died on 11 June 1986.
Back to TopThe collection includes correspondence, notes, photographs, and other materials chiefly relating to the work with contemporary Spanish authors of William A. McKnight, professor of romance languages at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Correspondence, some in Spanish, is largely with and about contemporary Spanish authors and booksellers, including Antonio Buero Vallejo (1916-2000), Alejandro Casona (1903-1965), and Francisco Garcia Pavon (1919- ). There is also some material relating to McKnight's work as assistant editor for Spanish of the Modern Language Journal and his role in Spanish literature collection development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Several bibliographical lists of Spanish literature are included. Materials are in subject files created and titled by McKnight.
Back to TopArrangement: alphabetical.
Folder 1-3
Folder 1Folder 2Folder 3 |
Barbazan, Julian, 1949-1985 and undatedCorrespondence, chiefly in Spanish, between McKnight and Julian Barbazan, a bookseller in Madrid, Spain. About 150 items. |
Folder 4-10
Folder 4Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8Folder 9Folder 10 |
Buero Vallejo, Antonio, 1964-2000 and undatedCorrespondence, chiefly in Spanish, between McKnight and Spanish playwright Antonio Buero Vallejo; his wife, Victoria Rodriguez de Buero, an actress; their sons, Carlos and Enrique; and others. Much of the material, including a few photographs, relates to Buero's two visits to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1966 and 1970. After McKnight's death in 1986, his daughter Norva continued to correspond with the Buero family until 2000. About 250 items. |
Image Folder PF-4470/1 |
Photographs |
Folder 11 |
Casona, Alejandro, 1975-1976 and undatedCorrespondence and notes relating to efforts by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to purchase the papers of Spanish dramatist Alejandro Casona (1903-1965). About 20 items. |
Folder 12 |
Coleccion Teatro, 1961 and undatedCorrespondence, lists of titles, and notes relating to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's purchase of Coleccion Teatro's series of Spanish plays. About 30 items. |
Folder 13 |
Garcia Pavon, Francisco, 1970-1983Correspondence, chiefly in Spanish, between McKnight and Francisco Garcia Pavon, Spanish humorist and essayist, discussing contemporary Spanish literature and personal matters. About 35 items. |
Folder 14-17
Folder 14Folder 15Folder 16Folder 17 |
Modern Language Journal, 1962-1972 and undatedCorrespondence and notes chiefly relating to McKnight's work as assistant editor for Spanish. Most correspondence is between McKnight and Robert F. Roeming, managing editor. Included is material relating to the controversy over transferring the MLJ from the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations, Inc., to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. About 300 items. |
Folder 18 |
O'Connor, Patricia W., 1972-1979Correspondence with Patricia W. O'Connor of the Department of Romance Languages at the University of Cincinnati. Included is O'Connor's paper on censorship in Spain, presented at the Modern Language Association's meeting in 1972. 3 items. |
Folder 19 |
Pickens Collection, 1981-1985 and undatedCorrespondence and notes related to the Wyatt Andrew Pickens Collection of Foreign Language Books, donated to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by Elizabeth Long Thompson in 1983. McKnight was instrumental in facilitating the donation. About 30 items. |
Folder 20 |
"A Play by Any Name," undatedTypescript of essay by McKnight on the originality of the titles of Spanish dramas. 1 item. |
Folder 21 |
Zalamea de la Serena, 1964-1968 and undatedCorrespondence and notes relating to Zalamea de la Serena, Spain. In 1964, Sturgis E. Leavitt of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was named "alcalde honorario" (honorary mayor) of the town in recognition of his work on resurrecting Calderon de la Barca's El Alcalde de Zalamea. In 1965, McKnight was awarded the same honor for his work with Leavitt. About 50 items. |
Acquisitions Information: Accession 098116
The Addition of May 1998 consists of a book draft, a Comedias Sueltas catalog bibliography, and other papers.
Box 2 |
Papers |
Photographs (PF-4470/1).
Back to Top