Barks universes / secret Barks letters to Rosa

[Daniel van Eijmeren]

STEVEN ROWE to KAI SAARTO, 05-04-2004:

> well, what was Bark's reaction when Jack Chalker wrote his 
> biography of Uncle Scrooge? (which is far as I know was the 
> first structured timeline)  

This year, a friend of Barks has personally told me that he can't 
remember the amount of occasions, where Barks complained about 
people who were trying to hook his stories together.

> of course Barks did do a Duck family tree, right?

Only for private use. And Rosa even had to REMIND Barks of the tree's 
existance! Even *after* the thing was published in The Carl Barks 
Library. This happened somewhere at the dawn of the 1990s.

It can be read in Barks's correspondence with Rosa, that Rosa for 
some reason prefers to remain silent about. (It even contained an 
interesting, new story idea that almost got lost, this way.) And I 
look at this correspondence as the best-kept secret of the so-called 
Barks/Rosa universe. 

In some known (published) parts of these letters, Barks recommends 
Rosa to explore new situations and places. (I can dig up some quotes, 
if you wish.)

And, as far as this friend knows, Barks only ever produced family 
trees and such, under pressure to do so. This would include the 
additional family trees for Rosa. 

So, apparently, Barks was just trying to be helpful to people who 
asked him all kinds of weird questions.

I hope Don Rosa will reveal more of Barks's letters, one day. There 
was nothing really private in these letters, as far as I know. So, 
I hope they won't rot away in a cupboard. Or end up demolished as 
some kind of last will, or something. We Barks fans are at Rosa's 
mercy here...

But I hope I've clarified some questions.

--- Daniël

"Shhh! Gladstone's just hiding on the OTHER SIDE of this wall!"
(Which Barks story?) :-)