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New Constellations

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New Constellations New Constellations UBC archivist SARAH ROMKEY gazes on a Canadian literary star’s archive. One of Canada’s most renowned COUPLAND FONDS CROSSES authors, an internationally recognized visual artist DISCIPLINES and a cultural icon who popularized the term Access to an author’s archive (or fonds, the “Generation X,” recently gifted his archive to the word archivists use to describe the documents University of British Columbia Library, a move naturally created and received by a person or that opens 30 years of records dating as far back organization) provides special insight into as 1980 to scholars’ and collectors’ investigation. their work. Archivists have long recognized Douglas Coupland—famous for his novel the value to scholarship of the documenta- Generation X (1991) and more recently Hey tion that leads to the finished book. Archival Nostradamus! (2003) and visual art such as the institutions across Canada preserve not only two Souvenir of Canada volumes— officially the archives of authors, but also of publish- donated his papers to UBC in December ers, printing houses and literary agents. 2008, a gift recognized at his receipt of an Many of the “big names” in Canadian honorary doctorate at the university’s spring literature have their archives preserved at convocation on May 27, 2010. At the ceremony Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, such as he was hailed as a “writer and artist whose Carol Shields, Robertson Davies and Timothy work speaks of ourselves and our times.” Findley, while other authors may deposit in Describing the donation as an act that or bequeath their archives to an institution made him “feel old and yet young at the same closer to their own home, or a university which time,” Coupland said in a statement at the they attended. Because Douglas Coupland is time that he hoped his archive—manuscripts, a figure of provincial importance as well as photos, visual art, fan mail, correspondence, national importance, it is appropriate for his press clippings, audiovisual material and archive to be preserved in British Columbia. more—would fuel people’s imaginations. Common to many authors’ fonds are The enigmatic comment was typical of an manuscripts and drafts of work as well as notes artist who has been the subject of much scholarly and jottings recording their ideas. Personal and and popular discussion throughout his career, business correspondence often enjoys high usage with analyses ranging from the social to the by researchers because of its illustration of the nationalist to the religious. Until now, most of creative and editing processes, and of the net- the chatter has been on his published works, but works and influences that exist between writers. now that his archive is available, a richer trove From the Coupland fonds, English and exists for those wishing to better understand his communications scholars will be particularly creative process, publication and reception. interested in drafts of manuscripts, notes, and “I hope that within them, people in the future communications with editors, which will show will find patterns and constellations that can’t the creative and intellectual processes that led be apparent to me or to anyone simply because to Coupland’s novels, films, and journalistic and they are there, and we are here,” he said. theatrical pieces (the finding aid includes a list 8 A promotional card for Generation X. This is not only evidence of the promotion and marketing of the book, but also an example of Coupland ephemera for collectors to examine. Courtesy of theUniversity of British Columbia Library, Rare Books and Special Collections, Douglas Coupland fonds, box 19 folder 8. of drafts of major works). As one might predict Both the books and the art installation based on Coupland’s diverse and interdiscipli- explored everyday Canadian images and nary work, the Douglas Coupland fonds contains iconography that Canadians take for granted: many elements that one would perhaps not Eaton’s catalogues, Canada geese, inukshuks expect in an author’s archive. The documenta- and the like. In addition to mock-ups and notes tion is equally reflective of Coupland as an artist related to these projects, the archive contains and designer as it is of Coupland as an author. other residual documentation, such as Kraft Dinner boxes used as invitations to Canada BUT IS IT CANADIAN? House (Kraft Dinner is a uniquely Canadian Coupland’s place in the canon of Canadian product; Americans call it macaroni and literature has been a point of interest among cheese), wine bottles used in Canada House, scholars and critics. Some projects cannot and Polaroid photographs Coupland took of be described as anything but Canadian, his mother’s kitchen cabinets in preparation such as Coupland’s two Souvenir of Canada for Souvenir of Canada 2 (Coupland wrote in coffee-table-style books, and his related 2003 Souvenir that his mother’s cupboard “could art installation Canada House in a soon-to- easily win a Most Canadian Shelves award” ). be-demolished Vancouver Special house The archive also contains evidence of (itself a local icon, though the display was Coupland’s aesthetic preferences in regards to subsequently recreated at a Toronto venue and font and layout in his book design. Fans and col- the government’s Canada House in London). lectors of Coupland’s work will be familiar with 9 his preferred layout of large, sans serif headings places throughout the archive are calligraphy introducing each paragraph of text in his coffee- experimentations. Coupland told the Globe table books such as City of Glass, Souvenir of and Mail newspaper he was just “testing out Canada and Terry. Drafts for Souvenir of Canada new brushes,” but who knows what might and other texts use the same format, even in come of them in the future? One might watch early draft form before mock-ups are complete. for a calligraphy-based art or book project. Coupland is well-known for his presence not only in the print world but also in the digital. UBC ANTICIPATES DIGITAL ADDDITIONS His coupland.com Web site was considered The Douglas Coupland fonds is a relatively by some to be one of the first blog projects extensive and comprehensive archive in undertaken by a major writer or artist because comparison to many private archival collections. of the integration of journal-like entries and Contained in 120 boxes, the fonds contains imagery that he employed. Contained in the 30 metres of textual records, more than 1,400 archive are printed copies of digital collages that photographs and visual pieces, 40 audiovisual Coupland posted to the Web site. Featuring a works and 30 objects. Coupland’s donation also wide variety of imagery from popular culture, included copies of his publications, including history and consumerism, the collages are foreign editions and books on tape. While the reminiscent of some of Coupland’s book covers books reside in the library catalogue, the archive (see, for example, the juxtaposition of one digital is catalogued in a finding aid, a document which collage next to the cover for Miss Wyoming). describes the content, context and organization One of Coupland’s recent projects is to of the collection. (The finding aid is available help Penguin Books celebrate their 75th an- to all researchers online: www.library.ubc.ca/ niversary, called Speaking to the Past (www. spcoll/AZ/PDF/C/Coupland_Douglas.pdf.) speakingtothepast.com). In this online art Archivists face challenges in the description project/collaboration, Coupland created of an author’s archive, so will take opportunities Penguin-styled book covers to speak to when possible to better understand the creator someone in 1935 from 2010 (one cover states: and the material being described. Such was “The Moon. We stopped going there 30 the case with the acquisition of the Coupland years ago”). Online visitors can also design fonds; student archivist Stephen Russo, then a book covers and contribute to the site. student in the Master of Archival Studies pro- Although this project is not yet reflected in gram at UBC’s School of Library, Archival and the archive at UBC (Coupland hopes to continue Information Studies, worked with Coupland to contributing material to his archive well into the understand this diverse group of material and the future), the archive does contain collages that connections between one document and another. were studies for Coupland’s exhibit The Penguins An important tenet of archival theory is that at Monte Clark Gallery in Toronto, which used of “original order,” meaning that archivists will Penguin covers in combination with bold and generally leave an archive in the same order it graphical words. Book artists and collectors was left by the creator to preserve the relation- might be interested in comparing the collage ships between the documents. When order studies to the finished artworks, or examining is not clear, archivists will generally arrange the relationships between the two projects material according to the functions of the crea- and Coupland’s interest in Penguin books. tor. For example, the Douglas Coupland fonds In addition to providing evidence of is arranged into series such as Digital Projects, projects past, the archive offers a glimpse Literary Projects and Journalism. This is done to of projects to come. One example is a col- bring together documents that are related to the lection of small handmade books used for same activities and facilitate access for research- Coupland’s upcoming television production ers. The finding aid for the Coupland fonds is Extinction Event. Interspersed in several unique in that researchers can either view the 10 The cover art for Coupland's Miss Wyoming shown in conjunction with one of many digital collages from the archive, many of which appeared on Coupland's website.
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