Special Collections Department

Robert Brennan and Maeve Brennan Papers

1935 - 1967

Manuscript Collection Number: 243 Accessioned: 1987, purchased. Extent: 1 linear ft. (ca. 170 items) Content: Manuscripts, correspondence, galley proofs, documents, maps, photographs, sketches, broadsides, magazines, ephemera. Access: The collection is open for research. Processed: 1991 by Timothy D. Murray

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Special Collections, University of Delaware Library Newark, Delaware 19717-5267 (302) 831-2229

Table of Contents

Biographical Note Scope and Contents Note Contents List

Biographical Note

Robert Brennan was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1881. Brennan was trained as a surveyor and was employed in the early part of his career as a surveyor with the Wexford County Council. He subsequently became a journalist and joined the staff of the Enniscorthy Echo.

Brennan was active in local and national politics. He helped organize militia volunteers in Wexford and was quartermaster of the local Brigade. He participated in the 1916 Rising and was sentenced to death; the sentence was commuted, however, and Brennan was imprisoned briefly in Dartmoor Prison. Following his release from prison, Brennan continued his political activity, which resulted in a second imprisonment in Cork Jail in 1917.

By 1918 Brennan was active with organizers for Sinn Fein and was Director of Elections in the 1918 General Election. Brennan was arrested and imprisoned once more in 1920, but his political career continued to flourish. Following service as Irish Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, he became director of publicity for the Republican Forces during the Irish Civil War.

Brennan helped found The Irish Press and served as general manager from 1930 until 1934, when he was appointed Secretary to the Irish Legation in Washington. In 1938 Brennan was appointed Charge d'Affaires and in August of that year became Irish Minister in Washington. In 1947 Brennan returned to Ireland to assume the position of Director of Broadcasting at Radio Eirann. Brennan retired from that position in 1948.

Following his retirement Brennan wrote extensively and produced fiction, including novels, short stories, and mysteries, plays, and essays. Brennan's best- known works include the novel The Man Who Walked Like a Dancer (1951), and the play Good Night Mr. O'Donnell (1951). Brennan's autobiography Allegiance, was published in 1950. Much of Brennan's writing remains unpublished. Robert Brennan died in Ireland in 1964.

Maeve Brennan was born in Dublin, Ireland, on January 6, 1917. She moved to the United States when her father, Robert Brennan, was appointed Secretary to the Irish Legation in 1934. During the 1940s Brennan worked for Harper's Bazaar and subsequently joined the staff of The New Yorker. She was married to her fellow New Yorker writer St. Clair McKelway, but the marriage ended in divorce.

Brennan wrote a substantial number of stories, essays, and short casual pieces which were published in The New Yorker, often under the pen name "The Long-Winded Lady." Brennan had several collections of her writing published, including In and Out of Never-Never Land (1969), The Long-Winded Lady (1969), and Christmas Eve (1974). Maeve Brennan died in New York City in 1993.

Scope and Content Note The Brennan papers consist of manuscripts and papers of the author and diplomat, Robert Brennan, and of his daughter, the author, Maeve Brennan. The papers are arranged in three main series:

I. Robert Brennan Manuscripts II. Maeve Brennan Papers III. Miscellaneous Papers

Related sources:

Mss 103 John Malcolm Brinnin Papers

Contents List

Box -- Folder -- Contents

Series I. Robert Brennan Manuscripts

1 Where Are the Crown Jewels? A Dublin Castle Mystery / retold by Robert Brennan [novel] Ts. [carbon], 245 pp., with 6 additional preliminary pages F1 pp. 1a - 114 F2 pp. 115 - 245

Where Are the Crown Jewels? A Dublin Castle Mystery / retold by Robert Brennan [novel] Ts. [carbon], 239 pp., lacking postscript F3 pp. 1 - 114 F4 pp. 115 - 239

The Man Who Walked Like a Dancer / by Robert Brennan [novel] Accompanied by six additional pages of autograph and typescript corrections and a letter from Robert Brennan to Maeve Brennan (1948 Jun 21, ALS, 5 pp.) Ts. [carbon], 282 pp. F5 Chpt. 1 - 11, pp. 1 - 161 F6 Chpt. 12 - 20, pp. 162 - 282

2 Autobiography Robert Brennan's autobiography, Allegiance (Dublin: Browne and Nolan, Limited) was published in 1950. The material described below consists of early drafts of the book which bear the title "Autobiography" and which contain a substantial amount of material not included in the published text.

Autobiography. Ts., Ts. [carbon], 296 pp. Accompanied by two letters from literary agent Mavis McIntosh to Maeve Brennan regarding her father's autobiography. F7 pp. 1 - 147 F8 pp. 148 - 296

F9 Chapter XXVI. Ts. [carbon], 166 pp., numbered 574-760

Series I. Robert Brennan Manuscripts (cont'd) 3 The Adventures of Oscar van Duyden [collection of stories] Ts. [carbon] Drafts for 25 stories gathered together under this title, all featuring the detective protagonist, Oscar van Duyden. Brennan has assigned individual numbers and titles to each story. The stories are arranged in numerical order as listed below:

F10 No. 1. La Belle Ferroniere No. 2. The Falcon's Egg No. 3. Telephone Call No. 4. The Dorchester Claimant No. 5. The Disappearance of Marie Morin

F11 No. 6. The Wreck of the Silver Spray No. 7. The Mystery of the CrＥit Marsellais No. 8. The Changeling No. 9. The Head of Alexander No. 10. The Crimson Narcissus

F12 No. 11. The Queen's Coronet No. 12. The Blind Man of the Carrousel No. 13. The Crooked Star No. 14. The Highwayman No. 15. The Little Angels

F13 No. 16. A Thousand Pounds Reward No. 17. The Deauville Mystery No. 18. The Second Mysterious Marauder No. 19. The Drawn Sword No. 20. The Pearl Thief

F14 No. 21. Who Killed Jules Brentano? No. 22. Gaspard the Vulture No. 23. The Brown Boots No. 24. The Marathon Runner No. 25. The Book of Mananaan Mac Lir

Series I. Robert Brennan Manuscripts (cont'd) 3 F15 [Stories] "by Patrick Allen" [ca. 1953] Ts. [carbon], 58 pp. Drafts of 12 stories with accompanying letter from Robert Brennan to Maeve Brennan (1953 Jan 5, TLS, 1 p). Individual titles are listed below:

The Telephone The Widow Byrne's Prize Cow The Donkey The House on the Green Rath The Cotton Bonnet The Seaman's Card The Bishop Woman of Three Cows American Legacy Boy Bandit Old Man's Darling

F16 [Stories], n.d. Ts. [carbon], 61 pp. Drafts of 7 stories. Individual titles listed below:

Death of a Spy The Lost Tribes of Bangkok The Murder of Asterfold A Visit to Margaret's House Hagio The House of the Rath And So They Were Married

F17 The Start of the Irish Press [essay], n.d. Ts. [carbon], 9 pp. Possibly a section of Brennan's autobiography; focuses upon the founding of The Irish Press, a newspaper, in 1931.

F18 Miscellaneous unidentified manuscripts, presumably by Robert Brennan. Autograph and typescript, 32 leaves. 4 items.

Series II. Maeve Brennan Papers Consists of a small group of correspondence and a collection of manuscripts and galley proofs of work by Maeve Brennan. 4 Series II. 1. Correspondence. F19 Includes several of Maeve Brennan's letters to her father written when she was a child, letters from other family members, and letters from three of her New Yorker colleagues, R. Hawley Truax, Howard Moss, and William Maxwell. 12 items.

Series II. 2. Herbert's Retreat [novel] Two typescript drafts and partial galleys for this unpublished novel. They are both unnumbered and have been retained in the order in which they were received.

Ts., ca. 560 leaves Contains numerous corrections, annotations, and inserted text. F20 44 leaves F21 86 leaves F22 93 leaves F23 63 leaves F24 96 leaves F25 77 leaves 5 Ts., ca. 430 leaves Contains numerous corrections, annotations, and inserted text. This draft was originally housed in pink file folders each of which was labeled "Herbert's Retreat Unfinished" F26 60 leaves F27 101 leaves F28 39 leaves F29 108 leaves F30 120 leaves

F31 "The Servant's Dance" Galleys, 52 loose leaves, numbered 1-52, 1954 A set of galleys for a portion of this novel. Series II. Maeve Brennan Papers (cont'd) 6 Series II.3. The New Yorker galleys. Loose galley proofs of stories and other pieces Maeve Brennan wrote for The New Yorker, ca. 1953-1966. Arranged chronologically by date printed on individual galleys. 23 items.

F32 The Devil in Us. 1953 April 9. 6 leaves

F33 The Lie. 1953 May 4. 3 leaves

F34 The Old Man of the Sea. 1953 June 15. 5 leaves

F35 The Barrel of Rumors. 1953 July 23. 5 leaves

F36 The Beginning of a Long Story. 1960 June 28. 13 leaves Accompanied by a memo (TL, 1960: October 31) to William Maxwell containing queries from William Shawn concerning this piece.

F37 An Attack of Hunger. 1960 October 19. 17 leaves

F38 An Attack of Hunger. 1960 October 19. 17 leaves This draft contains autograph corrections.

F39 An Attack of Hunger. 1960 October 19. 16 leaves This draft contains extensive autograph corrections, as well as a pasted-in change.

F40 A Young Girl Can Spoil Her Chances. 1961 March 15. 24 leaves

F41 The Drowned Man. 1961 October 24. 12 leaves

F42 A Free Choice. 1961 December 28. 19 leaves

F43 A Free Choice. 1962 January 26. 20 leaves

F44 Lessons and Lessons and Then More Lessons. 3 leaves

F45 The Bohemians. 1962 February 7. 8 leaves

F46 The Children Are Very Quiet When They Are Away. 1962 March 13. 2 leaves

F47 Family Walls. 1962 December 3. 19 leaves

Series II. Maeve Brennan Papers (cont'd) 6 F48 Family Walls. 1962 December 3. 19 leaves Contains minor autograph corrections.

F49 The Drowned Man. 1963 July 27. 8 leaves Printed heading "Proof of Editorial or Makeup." Contains autograph corrections and proofs of illustrations.

F50 [Untitled]. 1963 October 17. 2 leaves

F51 The Talk of the Town. 1964 April 25. 5 leaves. Proof of the "Talk of the Town" column with printed heading "Proof of Editorial or Makeup."

F52 The Twelfth Wedding Anniversary. 1965 July 28. 13 leaves

F53 A Snowy Night on West Forty-Ninth Street. 1966 March 7. 15 leaves

F54 Stories of Africa. 1966 April 12. 21 leaves

F55 The Talk of the Town. 1967 July 22. 6 leaves Proof of the "Talk of the Town" column with autograph note at the top "Brennan to Miss Rogers."

7 Series III. Miscellaneous Papers

Series III.1. Manuscripts by others.

F56 Isherwood, Christopher Prater Violet [autobiographical sketch], n.d. Ts. [carbon], 98 pp. Originally bound into a grey clip binder on which "Harper's Bazaar" is printed. Title is typed onto cover, as is the number "3" in the top right corner, possibly indicating that this is a third copy of the manuscript. Title page bears Isherwood's typed address "1946 Ivar Avenue / Hollywood 28, Calif."

F57 Lucey, Michael The Boy and the Sensible Clown [story], n.d. Galley proof, 3 pp.

Series III. Miscellaneous Papers (cont'd) Series III.1. Manuscripts by others (cont'd) 7 F58 Martz, Charles Typescript drafts of two stories which Martz apparently submitted to Brennan in her editorial capacity at The New Yorker. Accompanied by mailing envelope postmarked 1964 April 28; return address "Dorsoduro 73 / Venice, Italy"

Kentucky Justice [story], ca. 1964. Ts., 12 pp. Milly [story], ca. 1964. Ts., 9 pp.

F59 Martz, Charles Typescript drafts of stories and a poem which Martz apparently submitted to Brennan in her editorial capacity at The New Yorker. Accompanied by mailing envelope postmarked 1964 April 10; return address "Dorsoduro 73 / Venezia, Italia"

Energies [story], ca. 1964. Ts., 9 pp. Clamdigger's Haul [story], ca. 1964. Ts., 19 pp. The Villa [story], ca. 1964. Ts., 12 pp. Lyrics After Eichendorff [poem], ca. 1964. Ts., 2 pp.

F60 Series III. 2. Personal Miscellany. Brennan family documents, including Maeve Brennan's elementary school grade reports and birth registration, maps, and photographs. 15 items.

F61 Series III. 3. Printed ephemera. Consists of a variety of printed ephemera and artwork. Includes a pamphlet (in Irish) regarding Eamon De Valera; two watercolor sketches, apparently for Cuala Press broadsides; tearsheets of illustrations of members of the Yeats family; an offprint from Harper's Bazaar; and two programs for the Dublin Gate Theatre. 9 items. Series III. Miscellaneous Papers (cont'd) 7 Series III. 4. Cuala Press broadsides. Two groups of A Broadside, published by the Cuala Press. 11 items.

F62 A Broadside (New Series), 1935 Edited by W.B. Yeats and F.R. Higgins; Musical editor: Arthur Duff. Published monthly at the Cuala Press, Lower Baggot Street, Dublin No. 1 January No. 2 February No. 3 March No. 8 August No. 9 September No. 11 November

F63 A Broadside (New Series), 1937 Editors: Dorothy Wellesley and W.B. Yeats. Published monthly at the Cuala Press, One Hundred and Thirty Three Lower Baggot Street, Dublin No. 4 April No. 6 June No. 10 October No. 11 November No. 12 December Series III. Miscellaneous Papers (cont'd)

Series III. 5. Pamphlets and magazines. Includes a small group of books, pamphlets, Cuala Press broadsides, and periodicals. Books and pamphlets have been transferred to the Special Collections printed collection. Following is a list of items in this series. Items not cataloged for Special Collections printed collection are housed in Box 7.

Apocalypse. Monkstown, Dublin : Runa press, 1944. Anthology. Quarto No. 5. March, 1944 Cataloged for the Special Collections printed collection: Spec PR1175 .A66x 1944

The Lady of the House [magazine]. Dublin. 2 issues. Extra Christmas (1909) Number. Extra Christmas (1919) Number.

MacDonagh, Donagh. The Ballad of Jane Shore. Dublin, Ireland : Dolmen Press, 1954. "75 special copies printed for the friends of Donagh & Nuala MacDonagh"--Colophon. Inscribed by the author. Cataloged for the Special Collections printed collection: Spec PR6025 .A218 B35 1954

Magasinet (Copenhagen) No. 12 (23 March 1957). Danish tabloid magazine. This issue includes "En Endelse for Fugle," a translation of an essay by St. Clair McKelway, who was Maeve Brennan's husband.

Marriott, Ernest. Jack B. Yeats: His Pictorial and Dramatic Art. London: Elkin Mathews, [1911]. Cataloged for the Special Collections printed collection: Spec PR6047 .E3 Z767 1911

Moss, Howard. The Magic lantern of Marcel Proust. London : Faber & Faber, 1963. Author's autograph presentation copy inscribed for Maeve, dated September 27, 1963. Cataloged for the Special Collections printed collection: Spec PQ2631 .R63 A84 1963

The New Yorker [magazine] 2 November l963. Cover marked "Rough Copy."

Yeats, W. B. The pity of love. Dundrum, Dublin : Cuala Press, <1908?> [broadside]. Cataloged for the Special Collections printed collection: Spec folio PR5904 .P43 1908

Yeats, W. B. Plays for an Irish theatre; with designs by Gordon Craig. London ; Statford-upon-Avon : A. H. Bullen, 1911. Cataloged for the Special Collections printed collection: Spec PR5904.P5 1911