George Oppen Papers, 1958-1984

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George Oppen Papers, 1958-1984

http://www.oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/tf7f59p2k1

Literary papers of George Oppen (1908-1984), objectivist poet and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1969. Most of the materials date from the period 1958-1978. Included are manuscripts and typescripts for all the poems contained in Oppen's nine published books -- DISCRETE SERIES (1934), THE MATERIALS (1962), THIS IN WHICH (1965), OF BEING NUMEROUS (1968), ALPINE (1969), SEASCAPE: NEEDLE'S EYE (1972), COLLECTED POEMS (London, 1973; New York, 1975), and PRIMITIVE (1978). Also included are drafts and fragments of unpublished poems, typescripts of published and unpublished essays, transcripts of Oppen's verse, and copies of reviews of Oppen's work. Of special interest are loose leaf pages of notes, and Oppen's personal daybooks, all of which help to reveal his thinking about diverse subjects. The largest part of the collection consists of correspondence to Oppen from family members, editors, poets and other writers, and admirers of Oppen's work. Notable correspondents include: Paul Auster, Anthony Barnett, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, William Bronk, John Crawford, Ted Enslin, Michael Heller, David Ignatow, James Laughlin, Jon Martin, Charles Reznikoff, Harvey Shapiro, John Taggart, Charles Tomlinson, Eliot Weinberger, William Carlos Williams and Louis Zukofsky. The collection is arranged in ten series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) NOTES, JOTTINGS, ETC., 3) DAYBOOKS, 4) POETRY, 5) READING MANUSCRIPTS, 6) PROSE, 1962-1984, 7) INTERVIEWS, 1968-1980, 8) TRANSLATIONS OF OPPEN'S POETRY, 9) REVIEWS AND EPHEMERA, and 10) MICROFILM. The additions processed in 1989 include Oppen's letters to critic Henry Weinfield and John Crawford, two letters from William Bronk, a typescript of a poem based on a phrase from a poem by Charles Reznikoff, a transcript of a 1973 BBC interview, a brochure from a 1986 exhibit of "This In Which," a program from Oppen's "75th Birthday Tribute" at the Poetry Center (1983), an "In Memorium" article by Hugh Kenner, a Certificate of Honor presented to him by the city of San Francisco, a typescript of Naomi Replansky's "The Darkening Green", a mock up of Mark Linenthal's "Growing Light", published versions of THE MATERIALS and THIS IN WHICH with author's annotations and editions, and a small collection of newspaper articles written about the poet. The 1989 additions are not on the microfilm.

14.40 linear feet; (34 archives boxes, 33 rolls black and white microfilm and 1 oversize folder)

eng,

University of California, San Diego. Geisel Library. Mandeville Special Collections Library.

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SNAC Resource ID: 6665856

Related Entities

There are 18 Entities related to this resource.

Laughlin, James, 1914-1997

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Ignatow, David, 1914-1997

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Heller, Michael, 1937-....

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Weinberger, Eliot

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6263vpz (person)

Duplessis, Rachel Blau

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6j96rns (person)

DuPlessis is a contemporary poet and feminist scholar, whose primary research interest have been modern and postmodern American writing. She has been an Oppen family friend for more than twenty years. From the description of George Oppen letters, 1930-1982. (University of California, San Diego). WorldCat record id: 28684021 Biography An Oppen family friend for more than twenty years, Rachel Blau DuPlessis is Professor of ...

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Oppen, George

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James Weil is a poet, former editor of Elizabeth magazine, and publisher of Elizabeth Press, which promoted work by second and third generation objectivist poets such as William Bronk, Cid Corman, John Taggart and Ted Enslin. George Oppen is one of the original objectivist poets and recipient of the Pulitizer prize for his work Of being numerous. Oppen's work often appeared in Elizabeth, and he was a mentor and friend to Taggart, Enslin and other poets published by Weil. From the des...

Oppen, Linda

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Taggart, John, 1942-....

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Martin, John, 1947-

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Shapiro, Harvey

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Bronk, William

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Reznikoff, Charles, 1894-1976

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Charles Reznikoff (1894-1976), was a writer, editor, and poet. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied both journalism and law. He is most well-known for By the Waters of Manhattan (1962), a selected edition of his poems. His poetry was influenced by Yiddish sources and his fiction and plays typically dealt with Jewish themes, especially the plight of urban Jews in the United States. His non-fiction writing included The Jews of Charleston: A History of an American Jewish Community (1950), which w...

Oppen, Mary, 1908-1990

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6v42mdj (person)

Poet, artist, and spouse of Pulitzer Prize winning poet George Oppen. She is perhaps best known for MEANING A LIFE (1978), an account of George's and her marriage. She died in 1990. From the description of Original art, ca. 1920-1990. (University of California, San Diego). WorldCat record id: 32105332 A writer, artist, and wife of Pulitzer Prize winning poet George Oppen. Mary Oppen was born in 1908 in Kalispell, Montana, and was raised in rural Oreg...

Zukofsky, Louis, 1904-1978

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Tomlinson, Charles, 1927-....

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