Emory University will house the archives of acclaimed American author Flannery O'Connor, university officials said Tuesday.

The school's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library acquired the archives of the novelist and short story author from the Mary Flannery O'Connor Charitable Trust in Milledgeville, university officials said in a release.

Among other honors, the author posthumously won the 1972 National Book Award in the fiction category for "The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor." O'Connor, who was born in Savannah and lived in Milledgeville, died of lupus at age 39 in 1964.

Rosemary Magee, director of Emory's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, said in a written statement that the collection of writings, artwork, photos, journals and more will "provide new opportunities for teaching and research about O'Connor and modern literature."

The collection also includes more than 600 letters between O'Connor and her mother, university officials said.

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Tretheway, who directs Emory's creative writing program, said O'Connor's work influenced her own growth as a writer.

"I carried her collected stories with me when I went off to graduate school, and I learned a great deal form the precision of her stories — her clear-eyed look at the world around her, her unflinching investigation of human nature," Trethewey said in a statement. "This archive is a great resource for those wishing to see the inner workings of the mind of a great writer dealing with the ongoing issues and difficult knowledge of our historical moment."