Special Collections Department Robert A. Wilson Collection related to James Purdy 1956 - 1998 Manuscript Collection Number: 369 Accessioned: Purchase and gifts, April 1998-2009 Extent: .8 linear feet Content: Letters, cards, photographs, typescripts, galleys, reviews, newspaper clippings, publishers' announcements, publicity and ephemera Access: The collection is open for research. Processed: June 1998, by Meghan J. Fuller for reference assistance email Special Collections or contact: Special Collections, University of Delaware Library Newark, Delaware 19717-5267 (302) 831-2229 Table of Contents Biographical Notes Scope and Contents Note Series Outline Contents List Biographical Notes James Purdy Born in Ohio on July 17, 1923, James Purdy is one of the United States' most prolific, yet little known writers. A novelist, poet, playwright and amateur artist, Purdy has published over fifty volumes. He received his education at the University of Chicago and the University of Peubla in Mexico. In addition to writing, Purdy also has served as an interpreter in Latin America, France, and Spain, and spent a year lecturing in Europe with the United States Information Agency (1982). From the outset of his writing career, Purdy has had difficulties attracting the attention of both publishers and critics. His first several short stories were rejected by every magazine to which he sent them, and he was forced to sign with a private publisher for his first two books, 63: Dream Palace and Don't Call Me by My Right Name and Other Stories, both published in 1956. Hoping to increase his readership, Purdy sent copies of these first two books to writers he admired, including English poet Dame Edith Sitwell. Sitwell raved about Purdy's work and helped convince an English publisher, Gollancz, to publish and distribute Purdy's books in England. Purdy's writing was introduced in the United States a year later when his previous books were published together in one volume, Color of Darkness: Eleven Stories and a Novella (1957). Most of Purdy's work has been the subject of mixed critical response. While some, like Sitwell and book dealer Robert A.Wilson, appreciate the artistry of Purdy's work, many American publishers and critics regard his work as too daring and risque. In a 1990 letter to Wilson, Purdy wrote, "Dame Edith Sitwell once told me I was the wrong color, race, religion, and talent ever to be accepted by the New York Establishment. I didn't understand quite the full meaning of her words at the time. Now I do. I want to leave the US eventually and never come back. But I haven't earned enough money to live here, let alone depart" (F3). Many of Purdy's letters reflect this frustration. Despite his lack of commercial popularity in the United States, Purdy is not entirely without critical success. He won a National Institute of Arts and Letters grant in literature in 1958, followed by Guggenheim fellowships in both 1958 and 1962. Purdy is also the recipient of a Rockefeller grant, a Ford Foundation Grant (1961), and a P.E.N.-Faulkner Award nomination in 1985 for On Glory's Course. Most recently, he was awarded a Morten Dauwen Zabel Fiction award from the Academy of Arts and Letters (1993). Though Purdy has had much critical and commercial success abroad particularly in the Netherlands, he struggled to increase his readership in the United States. As he lamented in a 1988 letter to Wilson, "The good thing about the Dutch for me is they are very enthusiastic about my work while the American publishers seem to do everything in their power along with the New York Times to starve me to death." (F3). Robert A. Wilson For many struggling writers and poets of the latter half of the twentieth century, Robert A. Wilson was a familiar and comforting presence. As the third proprietor of the Phoenix Bookshop in New York City from 1962 to 1988, Wilson provided both encouragement and financial support to beginning writers. A great lover of literature, Wilson specialized in rare books and manuscripts and shipped his material to enthusiastic readers in all parts of the world. Through the bookshop, Wilson published the work of many notable writers, including Gertrude Stein, Marianne Moore, W.H. Auden, Allen Ginsberg, Elizabeth Bishop, and Richard Wilbur. During his twenty-six year tenure as the proprietor of the Phoenix, Wilson oversaw the publication of no less than 43 volumes. An avid collector of rare books and manuscripts for his own personal collection, Wilson himself is the author of more than a dozen volumes, many of which he published on a mimeograph machine in the back room of the Phoenix. Among these are Auden's Library (1975); Marianne Serves Lunch (1976); Robert Haggard's "She" (1977), which Purdy praises in his December 9, 1977 letter to Wilson (F1); Faulkner on Fire Island (1979); and Tea With Alice (1978), an interview with his friend, Alice Toklas. In 1988, financial difficulties forced Wilson to close the doors forever, thereby ending the Phoenix's fifty-six year history. Despite a minor misunderstanding over the price of a rare volume of Purdy's Are You in the Winter Tree translated into Dutch, the collection seems to indicate that Wilson and Purdy are longtime friends. Wilson was, and by all accounts still is, a great admirer of Purdy's work as evidenced by his diverse collection of Purdy's manuscripts, published work, and ephemera. Sources: Metzger, Linda, Ed. Contemporary Authors. New Revision Series, Volume 19. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1984. pp.389-395. Wilson, Robert A. et al. Phoenix Bookshop: A Nest of Memories. Candia, NH: John LeBow, 1997. Scope and Content Note Originally the private collection of book dealer Robert A. Wilson, this collection spans the years 1956-1998 and includes .8 linear feet of letters, manuscripts, galleys, publicity fliers, publishers' announcements, and ephemera related to the work of James Purdy. It is organized into three groups of material: Letters from Purdy to Wilson, 1966-1998; Writings by Purdy, 1957-1992; and Publicity and Promotion, 1956-1992. Series I. Letters from Purdy to Wilson, 1966-1998, are arranged chronolgically. These letters are generally brief and usually describe where and from whom Wilson might purchase copies of Purdy's new volumes, many of which were difficult to find in the United States. Though they may have begun their correspondence for business reasons, the letters indicate that their relationship was amicable; they sent Christmas and Easter cards back and forth and inquired about each other's health. Series II. Writings by Purdy comprises nine subseries (F1-F12), Color of Darkness; Scrap of Paper; Macolm; poems, 1974-1984; Sleep Tight; Mud Toe the Canibal; Dawn; On Glory's Course; and In a Shallow Grave (film version). Arranged chronologically by the publication date of the work, each folder contains Purdy's manuscripts or galleys as well as reviews, publishers' announcements, publicity fliers and other ephemera related to that particular work. Series III. Publictity and Promotion, 1956-1992 comprises eleven folders: 63: Dream Palace; The Nephew; Children is All; The House of the Solitary Maggot; Narrow Rooms; Garments the Living Wear; Out With the Stars; Publishers' Announcements, 1964-n.d.; Other Reviews, 1977-1991, n.d.; and Observations of American Writers, 1972. It is arranged chronologically by the publication date of the work. The last folders contain miscellaneous publishers' announcements and reviews for which there is only one piece in the collection. This series also includes Observations of American Writers, a loose leaf collection of brief essays by well known American writers in commemoration of International Book Year (1972). Related collections: Ms 370 James Purdy Manuscripts Series Outline I. Letters from Purdy to Wilson, 1966-1998 II. Writings by Purdy, 1957-1992 III. Publicity and Promotion, 1956-1992 Contents List Box -- Folder -- Contents 1 Series I. Letters from James Purdy to Robert A. Wilson, 1966-1998 Includes letters from Purdy to Wilson, mostly detailing the availablity of certain rare or out of print copies of Purdy's publications. Also provides an interesting glimpse into the politics of the publishing world. F1 Letters, Purdy to Wilson, 1966-1979 7 items 7 pp. F2 Letters, Purdy to Wilson, 1980-1989 6 items 8 pp. F3 Letters, Purdy to Wilson, 1990-1998 13 items 14 pp. 1 Series II. Writings by Purdy, 1957-1992. Includes material from or related to his novels, short stories, poems, and plays. Most of the items are either signed or inscribed. F4 Color of Darkness, 1957 (13 items) Includes undated script bound in limp leatherette, inscribed "For Robert Wilson, James Purdy," a 14x22" display card for the original New York production, six 8x10" photographs taken by Alix Jeffrey, and other newspaper clippings and publicity fliers F5 Scrap of Paper, 1967 (4 items) Including typed manuscript with holograph notations, Evergreen Review contributor's questionnaire with holograph notations, and two typed letters signed by Jack Phelps, Purdy's agent F6 Malcolm, 1969 (2 items) Set of 8 sample page proofs Uncorrected long galleys F7 Poems, 1974-1984 (5 items) Includes "Gossamer Noons," a single leaf of sheet music insert for Lincoln Center program, March 1978; "She Came Out of the Morning Mists," (1975) postcard inscribed, "For Robert Wilson, James Purdy," and galley proofs for "Olyphant" signed by Purdy F8 Sleep Tight, 1979 (2 items) Ts with holograph notation Uncorrected long galleys for NADJA F9 Mud Toe the Cannibal, 1983 (1 item) Published story inscribed