PCL MS 019 Patricia McGerr Collection

Patricia McGerr was born December 26, 1917, in Fall City, Nebraska. In 1936 she received her B.A. from the University of Nebraska and in 1937 she received her M.S. from Columbia University. In 1948 McGerr became a self-employed writer. She started working as a lecturer and consultant for the Georgetown University Writers Conference in 1960. She died May 11, 1985 in Bethesda, Maryland.

McGerr's inverted whodunit writing style differs from other mystery writers of the time. Many of her novels would start by identifying the murderer at the beginning and seek out the identity of the victim throughout the novel. McGerr was a member of the Mystery Writers of America; she served as a member of the board of directors for several terms. She was also a member of the Catholic Interracial Council of Washington and the Northwest Washington Fair Housing Association. She obtained many awards, among them are: first prize, Catholic Press Association short story contest, 1950; Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, France, 1952; and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, short story contest, second prize, 1962, and first prize, 1967.

Patricia McGerr's book, Follow, As the Night, was filmed in 1954 under the title One Step to Eternity. The Missing Years was dramatized on radio and television. Fatal in My Fashion was televised. Catch Me If You Can was presented on the radio. A film based on her short story "Johnny Lingo" has won two national awards and has been dubbed in fourteen languages. All of her books have been published in England, and some of them are published in as many as twelve foreign countries. In her 13th novel, Stranger with My Face, she was able to reclaim her full name Patricia, over the more masculine name Pat, as up until that point her publisher feared readers would be put off by a female mystery writer.

The Patricia McGerr Collection houses the literary manuscripts for the book Murder is Absurd. Included are related materials such as research correspondence, research notes, galley sheets, proof pages, and newspaper clippings used for research. A large quantity of the material has been handwritten on the backs of old manuscript pages, letters, and envelopes.

Researchers interested in the mystery genre and progression of a novel will find this collection of research value.

Correspondence

Research Correspondence

1963

Arranged chronologically

This series includes correspondence between Patricia McGerr and Henry J. Dubester of the Library of Congress

Literary Productions

Research Notes

1963, 1965

Arranged chronologically

This series includes handwritten notes made during rehearsals and the opening night performance of Romulus, as well as the program for the show; handwritten notes of absurd literature readings; and handwritten preliminary notes of plot ideas, snatches of dialogue, and chronologies

Manuscripts (Literary)

1965-1967

Arranged chronologically

This series includes an original handwritten manuscript, final typed manuscript, page proof sheets, and final galley proof sheets

Printed Materials

Research Materials

1965, n.d.

Arranged chronologically

This series includes newspaper clippings, mostly from The Washington Post, about absurd theatre