In late 2000 I wrote a letter to Don DeLillo asking him what kind of typewriter he used. I’d read in the Paris Review interview that he used a manual typewriter. A page from said typewriter (from his novel Libra) was also reproduced in the article, and I found it fascinating because it showed evidence of hard labor — typing and lots of inked-in corrections. Plus, the type style was beautiful and I wanted that typewriter. So I wrote the letter. A few months later I received a letter (unfortunately damaged) in reply from this most reclusive literary genius, who identified his typewriter as an Olympia “SM-something.” The above photo clearly shows an Olympia SM9, manufactured in the early 1970s. A great and reliable machine, one of which I now own. Here’s a link to the manual.
Tom Fasano
Hack Writer and Avant-Garde Filmmaker
DeLillo’s type font seems very atypical. It is unusually tall and large. Is this how your font looks?
Kirk
For years I’ve been looking for an Olympia typewriter with this exact typeface, but no luck. The font on DeLillo’s machine appears to be unique: tall and condensed.
Kerry, I followed the link but don’t see a font as compressed as Delillo’s. Which one did you have in mind? Thanks for the link by the way.
Yes, very tall and large. I’ve never seen a typewriter font like this.
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