The Booth Family Center for Special Collections had the honor of exhibiting the Library’s first edition copy of Shūsaku Endō’s novel Silence at the screening and conversation with director Martin Scorsese of his latest film which is based on the novel of the same name. The Library’s copy is the first edition of the first English translation of the novel and is a part of the Library’s extensive collection of Catholic literary figures. This copy was inscribed by British novelist Graham Greene to his close friend Fr. Leopoldo Durán, the model for Greene's Monsignor Quixote: "For Leopoldo, My pen-friend Endo would love to know that he was read by my travel companion in Spain. Love, Graham." Endo was awarded an honorary doctorate at Georgetown at Commencement, 1987.
The Booth Family Center for Special Collections is also home to the original manuscripts, in Japanese, of three of Endo's other novels: The Samurai, Scandal and Deep River, along with correspondence between Endo and his English translator and publisher. See our online exhibition for more images and more details on our exhibition page!