Colin Wilson Conference 2016
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the publication of Colin Wilson's The Outsider, Manuscripts & Special Collections hosted a Colin Wilson Conference, organised by his biographer and publisher Colin Stanley, on 1 July 2016.
Almost 60 delegates attended, including Wilson scholars, fans and members of his family. Eight speakers presented papers, although due to technical difficulties only six are available to listen to again. Dr Rapatahana was unable to attend and was replaced by David Moore. The papers reflected Wilson's wide-ranging interests in true crime, philosophy and science fiction.
Before the conference began, speakers and members of Wilson's family were invited on a tour of the department, where Wilson's extensive archive and
library is housed.
Over the lunch break delegates were able to see some of the material from the archives, including the original manuscript of The Outsider (currently in a private collection, but which has been digitised by Manuscripts & Special Collections), first editions, and drafts of unpublished works.
List of Papers
Simon Brighton: The Colin Wilson Audio Project
Professor Stephen R. L. Clark: Lovecraft and the Search for Meaning. The notes referred to are available: page 1, page 2.
Lindsay Siviter: Colin Wilson: researching Jack the Ripper
Nigel Bray: Colin Wilson and Dread of Being
Nicolas Tredell: A Ritual for Outsiders: philosophy and narrative in The Outsider & Ritual in the Dark
David Moore: The Life Barrier - Existentialism and the Occult in Colin Wilson's Science Fiction
Gary Lachman: 'Faculty X' in other times and places
George C. Poulos: Colin Wilson's transcendental theory of evolution