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George Oppen Papers

Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Copyright 2005 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla 92093-0175 [email protected] URL: http://libraries.ucsd.edu/collections/sca/index.html

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 1 Descriptive Summary Languages: English Contributing Institution: Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla 92093-0175 Title: George Oppen Papers Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0016 Physical Description: 15 Linear feet(34 archives boxes, 1 flat box, and 1 map case folder) Date (inclusive): 1958-1984 Abstract: Literary papers of George Oppen (1908-1984), objectivist poet and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1969. Materials range in date from 1958-1984 and include correspondence, manuscripts and typescripts for all the poems contained in Oppen's nine published books, drafts and fragments of unpublished poems, typescripts of published and unpublished essays, and interviews, translations, and reviews of Oppen's work. Scope and Content of Collection Literary papers of George Oppen (1908-1984), objectivist poet and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1969. Materials range in date from 1958-1984 and include manuscripts and typescripts for all the poems contained in Oppen's nine published books, drafts and fragments of unpublished poems, typescripts of published and unpublished essays, transcripts of Oppen's verse, and copies of reviews of Oppen's work.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. The collection is arranged in two parts, consisting of materials processed in 1985, and a small addition processed in 1989. The accession processed in 1985 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, 9) REVIEWS AND EPHEMERA, and 10) MICROFILM. The accessions processed in 1989 are arranged in one series: 11) MISCELLANEOUS ADDITIONS. Biography Oppen was born in 1908 in New Rochelle, , the son of George A. Oppen and Elsie Rothfeld Oppen. He died in 1984 in , a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. When Oppen was 10 years old, his father remarried and moved the family to San Francisco where he opened a profitable chain of movie houses. Although his family was well-to-do, Oppen attended Californian public schools, and in 1926 he enrolled in the Agricultural College, presently , at Corvalis. Soon after his arrival at Corvalis, Oppen met Mary Colby, formerly of Grants Pass, Oregon. Both George and Mary were forced to leave the university before the end of their first semester--George for a semester and Mary for good--because of violating the girl's dormitory curfew while on their first date. Oppen returned to San Francisco to work for his father for a short time. Shortly after Mary joined him in San Francisco, the two decided not to return to university studies, or to accept the middle class comforts that Oppen's father offered. As explains in her autobiography MEANING A LIFE: We were constantly searching--searching in our travels in our pursuit of friends and in our conversation concerning all that we saw and felt about the world. We were searching for a way to avoid the trap that our class backgrounds held for us if we relented in our attempts to escape from them...We had learned at college that poetry was being written in our own times, and that in order for us to write it was not necessary for us to ground ourselves in the academic; the ground we needed was the roads we were travelling. In 1927 George and Mary left San Francisco and were married in Dallas, Texas while on their way to New York City. The Oppens arrived in New York City in 1928 and soon fell into company with and , two New York City Jewish poets who, following the example of , were intent on reclaiming Pound's

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 2 Imagism from the influence of Amy Lowell and other "Amygists." Out of the nexus of like-minded poets the Objectivist movement was born. The term was first employed in Zukofsky's essays "Program: 'Objectivist', 1931" and "Sincerity and Objectification," which Zukofsky included at the end of an issue of Poetry he had edited for Harriet Monroe. Besides Zukofski, Oppen, Williams, and Reznikoff, the issue also included work by Carl Rakosi, Kenneth Rexroth, Basil Bunting, Robert McAlmon, and several other poets whose work Zukofsky believed to exemplify the Objectivist program. In 1929 the Oppens moved to where they established To, Publishers. Though they published work by Pound, Williams and a larger version of Zukofsky's Objectivist anthology, the venture failed because American booksellers considered their books paperbacks and, thus, refused to stock them. After returning to the in 1933, the Oppens again tried their hand at publishing with the establishment of the Objectivist Press. Besides additional works by Pound and Williams, the press published Oppen's volume of poetry, Discrete Series, which had been written in 1929 before the Oppens left for France and revised shortly after their return to the States. The Objectivist Press may have succeeded if it had been the Oppen's foremost concern. However, the suffering brought on by the Depression and evident throughout the country captured their attention. "Apprehesion mixed with elation," Mary Oppen writes, "as we disembarked at Baltimore and began the drive to New York City. As we approached the first stoplight, grown men, respectable men--our fathers--stepped forward to ask for a nickle, rag in hand, to wipe our windshield. This ritual was repeated every time we paused, until we felt we were in a nightmare, our fathers impoverished." In 1935 the Oppens turned their backs on their lives as artists and for the next five years worked as strike organizers, first in and later in Utica, New York, for the Communist Party of the United States of America. According to Mary Oppen, "we decided to work with the Communist Party, not as artist or writer because we did not find honesty or sincerity in the so-called arts of the left....We said to each other, 'Let's work with the unemployed and leave our other interest in the arts for a later time'" Oppen's own explanation to L.S. Dembo in 1968 is more to the point: "If you do something politically, you do something that has political efficacy. And if you decide to write poetry, then you write poetry, not something that you hope, or deceive yourself into believing, can save people who are suffering...In a way I gave up poetry because of the pressures of what for the moment I'll call conscience." The "later time" did not occur until 1958. The years of political activism were followed by the birth of the Oppens' daughter Linda. Oppen then worked as a die cutter in a factory until 1942 when he was drafted into the United States Army. Shortly before V-E day, he suffered multiple wounds from an exploding shell. After the war, the Oppens settled in Huntington Beach, where Oppen employed himself first as a housing contractor then as a maker of hi-fi cabinets. Oppen was forced to give up his business and flee to with his family in 1950, after the FBI began to threaten him and Mary with imprisonment for their refusal to betray their friends. Soon after arriving in Mexico City, Oppen joined with a native of Mexico in operating a furniture factory and entertained thoughts of entering the Mexican real estate market. Those thoughts were put to rest when Oppen wrote his first poem in twenty-five years. In 1958, he and Mary returned to New York City where they lived until the late 1960s. Throughout the 1970s, until Oppen's affliction with Alzheimer's disease prohibited his travelling, the Oppens spent their summer months on Deer Isle, Maine and the rest of the year in San Francisco. It is difficult to say whether Oppen's return to writing poetry signifies the synthesis of his artistic and political impulses or his confession that political activism is no more useful to changing the world than art is. Regardless of how critics have responded to this question, they typically share the opinion that Oppen's return to writing resulted in the production of a formidible and important collection of poetry "whose craft and inquiring intelligence are a significant influence on contemporary ." In 1962 Oppen published THE MATERIALS, his second collection of verse. It was followed three years later by THIS IN WHICH (1965). In 1969, his third collection of verse, OF BEING NUMEROUS, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. SEASCAPE: NEEDLE'S EYE was published in 1972 and was followed in 1973 with the appearance of the Fulcrum Press edition of his COLLECTED POEMS. In 1975, New Directions brought out a more complete edition of Oppen's collected work, which also included a section of the work titled "Myth of the Blaze." Finally, Oppen's last collection, PRIMITIVE, which was edited by Mary Oppen, appeared in 1978. Preferred Citation George Oppen Papers, MSS 16. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego. Acquisition Information Acquired 1984-1989 Restrictions The George Oppen papers, with the exception of the 1989 accession, are restricted due to fragility. Materials have been microfilmed and scanned. Researchers may place requests to access digital copies of through our virtual reading room service. Researchers wishing to use the original materials must first obtain the permission of the director of Special Collections & Archives.

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 3 Subjects and Indexing Terms American poetry -- 20th century Oppen, George -- Archives Reznikoff, Charles, 1894-1976 -- Correspondence Shapiro, Harvey, 1924-2013 -- Correspondence DuPlessis, Rachel Blau -- Correspondence Mourelatos, Linda Oppen, 1940- -- Correspondence Enslin, Theodore -- Correspondence Bronk, William -- Correspondence Ignatow, David, 1914-1997 -- Correspondence Heller, Michael, 1937- -- Correspondence Martin, John, 1947- -- Correspondence Laughlin, James, 1914-1997 -- Correspondence Zukofsky, Louis, 1904-1978 -- Correspondence Weinberger, Eliot -- Correspondence Williams, William Carlos, 1883-1963 -- Correspondence Taggart, John, 1942- -- Correspondence Tomlinson, Charles, 1927-2015 -- Correspondence Degnan, June Oppen -- Correspondence Oppen, Mary, 1908-1990 -- Archives

Accession Processed in 1985

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 4 Accession Processed in 1985 CORRESPONDENCE

CORRESPONDENCE Scope and Content of Series Series 1) CORRESPONDENCE. Arranged in three subseries: family correspondence, general correspondence, and miscellaneous correspondence. The bulk of the family correspondence contains Oppen's letters to his sister and once editor June Oppen Degnan and letters from his daughter Linda Oppen Mourelatos. (The letters between Oppen and Diane [Andy] Meyer and Eve Haight, Oppen's niece and grand-niece respectfully, have been incorporated into the general correspondence since they were acquired at a later date and after microfilming of the family correspondence had occurred.) The family correspondence also includes letters from Oppen's son-in-law Alex Mourelatos and between Mary Oppen and Linda Oppen Mourelatos. The general correspondence is arranged alphabetically, and chronologically where possible, in accordance with the arrangement of Oppen's letter file. The list of correspondents is extensive and far-ranging. There are letters from many of Oppen's contemporaries such as William Bronk, David Ignatow, Charles Reznikoff, , Williams Carlos Williams, and Louis Zukofsky; and from numerous younger poets, among them Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Ten Enslin, , , and Sally Appleton Weber. The publishers of the American and English editions of Oppen's Collected Poems, Fulcrum Press and New Directions, are both substantially represented, as are the literary critics Donald Davies, L. S. Dembo, and Hugh Kenner. There are numerous letters from friends and readers expressing their admiration for Oppen's work. For Instance, there are letters from Max Pepper, whose daughter Sara is referred to in the poem "Sara in Her Father's Arm" (CP, 30): and from Robert and Carolyn Goodman, thanking Oppen for commemorating their son in his poem "The Book of Job and a Draft of a Poem to Praise the Paths of the Living" (CP, 236). Mitchell Goodman was one of the three civil rights activists murdered in Mississippi in 1964. The miscellaneous correspondence consists primarily of unidentified letters and manuscripts, but it also includes three folders of letters and materials pertaining to Oppen's death and memorial service in 1984. As expected, the chief subject of a great portion of the correspondence to Oppen concerns Oppen's poetry. Numerous letters are requests for manuscripts, while others discuss matters of typesetting, copyrights, and royalty payments. Still other letters pertain directly to the poetry, Oppen's compositional procedures and choice of themes, as well as his literary and philosophical influences. Also present are letters from Oppen to various correspondents which discuss Oppen's life: his relationship with his wife Mary, his role as a publisher of Objectivist writing in the 1930s, his and Mary's political convictions and activities, the reasons for his 25 year silence, and, finally, his response to many major events during the 1960s and 1970s such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the escalation of the Vietnam war, and the infamous Altamont rock concert. It should also be noted that many of Oppen's letters contain, or are themselves, seed poems, the most famous example being the two or three letters between Oppen and the British poet Charles Tomlinson in 1964 which resulted in the collaborative poem "To C.T." (CP, 142).

Family Correspondence Box 1, Folder 1-8 Letters to June Oppen Degnan between 1957 and 1973 Box 1, Folder 9-20 Letters from Linda Oppen Mourelatos between 1957 and 1977 Box 1, Folder 21 Letters from Alex Mourelatos Box 1, Folder 22 Letters from Mary Oppen to Linda Oppen Mourelatos Box 1, Folder 23 Letters from Mary Oppen to George Oppen General Correspondence Box 2, Folder 1 Abbot, Steve 1978 Box 2, Folder 2 Ackerson, David 1973 Box 2, Folder 3 Adams, Betsy 1975-1976 Box 2, Folder 4 Adams, Michael 1980 Box 2, Folder 5 Albiach, Anne-Marie 1969-1970 Box 2, Folder 6 Aldridge, Richard 1969 Box 2, Folder 7 Alpert, Barry 1974

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 5 Accession Processed in 1985 CORRESPONDENCE

Box 2, Folder 8 American Academy Award 1980 Box 2, Folder 9 American Poetry Archive 1977 Box 2, Folder 10 American Poetry Review 1975-1976 Box 2, Folder 11 Amirkhanian, Charles 1967-1977 Box 2, Folder 12 Antin, David Box 2, Folder 13 Apodaca, David 1974 Box 2, Folder 14 Arizona State University Student Association 1974 Box 2, Folder 15 The Ark 1979 Box 2, Folder 16 Armantrout, Rae undated Box 2, Folder 17 Armstrong, Bonnie 1969 Box 2, Folder 18 Arnett, Carroll 1968 Box 2, Folder 19 Arnold, David 1977 Box 2, Folder 20 Artman, Carol Box 2, Auster, Paul between 1973 and 1980 Folder 21-22 Box 2, Folder 23 Bancroft Library 1973 Box 2, Folder 24 Bardona, Carlin 1972-1974 Box 2, Barnett, Anthony between 1967 and 1978 Folder 25-27 Box 2, Barrows, Anita between 1973 and 1979 Folder 28-31 Box 2, Folder 32 British Broadcasting Company 1973 Box 2, Folder 33 Beauvais, Phyllis undated Box 2, Folder 34 Bedoian, Victor 1972 Box 2, Folder 35 Berlinger, B. N. 1976 Box 2, Folder 36 Bishop, Jim 1971-1973 Box 2, Folder 37 Black Mesa Press (includes Mary Oppen typescript) 1981 Box 2, Blau DuPlessis, Rachel between 1968 and 1983 Folder 38-49 Box 3, Folder 1 Bonazzi, Rochelle and Robert undated Box 3, Folder 2 Bontempi, Art 1976 Box 3, Folder 3 Booth, Phillip 1967-1973 Box 3, Folder 4 Bose, Buddhadeva 1961-1964 Box 3, Folder 5 Boundary 2 1975 Box 3, Folder 6 Breit, Luke W. 1977 Box 3, Folder 7 Bristow, Mark 1974 Box 3, Folder 8 Britton, Burt undated Box 3, Folder 9-11 Bronk, William between 1962 and 1981 Box 3, Folder 12 Browning, Don undated Box 3, Folder 13 Berl, Christine 1976-1980 Box 3, Folder 14 Buel, Jack 1978 Box 3, Buel, Nellie between 1969 and 1980 Folder 15-16 Box 3, Folder 17 SUNY - Buffalo, Irving Feldman 1967 Box 3, Folder 18 Bunting, Basil 1973 Box 3, Folder 19 Burbank, Jim 1974-1976 Box 3, Folder 20 Caddel, Richard 1977 Box 3, Folder 21 Cadnum, Michael 1977, 1979 Box 3, Folder 22 Cambridge Poetry Festival, Paul Johnstone 1977 Box 3, Caplan, Ron between 1965 and 1970 Folder 23-24 Box 3, Folder 25 Cardoza, Sucha 1974-1978 Box 3, Folder 26 CCLM 1974 Box 3, Folder 27 Chapman, Abraham and Belle 1974-1977 Box 3, Folder 28 Chicago Review 1978 Box 3, Folder 29 Chilton, Randolph 1979 Box 3, Folder 30 Clark, Thomas 1965 Box 3, Folder 31 Clayton, Jay 1970

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Box 3, Folder 32 Cody's 1978 Box 3, Folder 33 Colby, Noel 1978 Box 3, Folder 34 Colby, Wendell 1978 Box 3, Folder 35 Cookson, William 1965 Box 3, Cooper, Jane 1972-1977 Folder 36-37 Box 3, Folder 38 Corbett, Bill 1971 Box 3, Folder 39 Corman, Cid 1960, 1980-1981 Box 3, Folder 40 Cox, Ed 1976-1978 Box 3, Folder 41 Cox, Martin 1966 Box 3, Crawford, John between 1965 and 1981 Folder 42-44 Box 3, Folder 45 Crawford, John, Andrew Hoyen, W. Kaplan 1966 General note Letters concerning GO's "Another Language of New York."

Box 3, George Oppen to John Crawford (photocopied letter files) approximately Folder 46-48 1960-1980 Box 3, Folder 49 Creeley, Robert 1965, 1967 Box 3, Folder 50 Crozier, Andrew 1965 Box 3, Cuddihy, Michael between 1971 and 1980 Folder 51-53 Box 3, Folder 54 Cunningham, Carol 1978 Box 4, Folder 1 Dahlen, Beverly 1975, 1978 Box 4, Folder 2 Dakota Territory - Tom McGrath 1973 Box 4, Folder 3 Daley, John 1974 Box 4, Folder 4 Davidson, Michael 1978 Box 4, Folder 5 Davie, Donald 1969-1979 Box 4, Folder 6 Deitch, Dave (Daytop) undated Box 4, Folder 7-9 Dembo, L. S. between 1968 and 1980 General note Includes letters from Dembo's secretary C. N. Pondrom, and letters to J. Laughlin.

Box 4, Folder 10 Deutsch, Babette 1976 Box 4, Folder 11 Dietrich, Frank 1974 Box 4, Folder 12 Directory of American Poets 1974 Box 4, Folder 13 Dodd, Wayne 1977, 1981 Box 4, Folder 14 Duerdan, Richard 1978 Box 4, Folder 15 Duncan, Robert 1974-1978 Box 4, Folder 16 Early, Joe 1968 Box 4, Folder 17 Eaton, Richard 1974-1981 General note Includes essay on GO.

Box 4, Folder 18 Economou, George 1973 Box 4, Folder 19 Edwards, Michael 1973-1975 Box 4, Einzig, Barbara between 1973 and 1975 Folder 20-21 Box 4, Folder 22 Englebert, Michael 1976-1977 Box 4, Enslin, Ted between 1965 and 1979 Folder 23-24 Box 4, Folder 25 Eshleman, Clayton 1968 Box 4, Faucherau, Serge between 1966 and 1978 Folder 26-27 Box 4, Folder 28 Feld, Ross 1968-1971 Box 4, Folder 29 Field, Edward 1976-1978 Box 4, Folder 30 Finlayson, Doug undated

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 7 Accession Processed in 1985 CORRESPONDENCE

Box 4, Folder 31 Fisher, David 1975-1980 Box 4, Folder 32 Fixel, Lawrence 1968 Box 4, Folder 33 Ford, Hugh 1978 Box 4, Folder 34 Four Zoas Press undated Box 4, Folder 35 Franklin, Albert undated Box 4, Folder 36 Fraser, Kathleen 1966-1978 Box 4, Folder 37 Fredman, Steve 1973 Box 4, Folder 38 Freeman, John 1977-1979 Box 4, Folder 39 Freeman, Peter C. 1976 Box 4, Folder 40 Frelicher, Melvyn 1976 Box 4, Folder 41 Fresno State College 1967 Box 4, Folder 42 Friendly Local Press 1968-1970 Box 4, Folder 43 Fulcrum Press, Stuart and Deirdre Montgomery 1967-1973 General note 14 TLs, 3 TLcs and 1 TLc from Laurence Pollinger to Fulcrum Press, 3 TLsc and 2 TLc to Laurence Pollinger from Fulcrum Press, 2 TLs from Carol McNair to GO, 7 TLs from Laurence Pollinger to GO, 1 contract, 2 acknowledgement pages, contents pages, 10 R (59 lvs.).

Box 4, Folder 44 Fulton, Theresa ca. mid-1970s Box 4, Folder 45 Gach, Garry undated Box 4, Folder 46 Ganick, P. 1976 Box 4, Folder 47 Genesis West 1962 Box 4, Folder 48 Gitin, David and Joyce 1968-1981 Box 4, Folder 49 Glide 1970 Box 4, Folder 50 Goldblatt, Eli 1977-1979 Box 4, Folder 51 Goodman, Robert and Carolyn 1964 Box 4, Folder 52 Green, Galen 1973 Box 4, Folder 53 Green, Laurence 1977 Box 4, Folder 54 Gregg, Linda 1979 Box 4, Folder 55 Griffin, Jonathan 1977-1980 Box 4, Folder 56 Grosseteste 1971-1978 Box 4, Folder 57 Gruber, Ruth 1973 Box 4, Guedalla, Roger and Vicki between 1968 and 1973 Folder 58-59 Box 4, Folder 60 Guerrard, Philip 1978 Box 5, Folder 1 Haight, Eve 1960s Box 5, Folder 2 Halpern, Seymour 1972 Box 5, Folder 3 Hamburger, Michael 1973-1975 Box 5, Folder 4 Hanzlicek, Charles 1966-1968 Box 5, Folder 5-9 Heller, Michael between 1968 and 1980 Box 5, Folder 10 Henkin, Bill 1968-1971 Box 5, Folder 11 Hindus, Milton 1976-1980 Box 5, Folder 12 Hirshman, Jack 1973 Box 5, Folder 13 Hofstadter, Mark ca. 1970s Box 5, Folder 14 Homberger, Eric 1973-1975 Box 5, Folder 15 Howe, Susan 1977 Box 5, Folder 16 Howie, Harry 1977, 1979 Box 5, Folder 17 Human Handkerchief 1974 Box 5, Folder 18 Huot, Robert undated Box 5, Folder 19 Ignatow, David 1962-1981 Box 5, Folder 20 Inquiry 1978 Box 5, Folder 21 Iowa Review 1971-1975 Box 5, Folder 22 Jaffe, Sherril 1978 Box 5, Jaffer, Frances ca. 1975-1985 Folder 23-29 Box 5, Folder 30 James, John 1964 Box 5, Folder 31 Jevremovic, George 1976

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 8 Accession Processed in 1985 CORRESPONDENCE

Box 5, Johnstone, George between 1964 and 1981 Folder 32-33 Box 5, Folder 34 Johnstone, Paul 1975-1976 Box 5, Folder 35 Jolins, Judith 1972 Box 5, Folder 36 Jordan, Donald M. 1979 Box 5, Folder 37 Justice, Donald 1967 Box 6, Folder 1 Kaplan, Lenore 1960-1972 Box 6, Folder 2 Kaplan, Paul 1965 Box 6, Folder 3 Kaplan, William 1963-1978 Box 6, Folder 4 Kaufman, Shirley 1973-1977 Box 6, Folder 5 Kelley, Robert 1975 Box 6, Folder 6 Kenner, Hugh 1963-1978 Box 6, Folder 7 Klein, Arnold 1977 Box 6, Folder 8 Kleinzahler, August 1979 Box 6, Folder 9 Knopf, Alfred A. 1974-1975 Box 6, Folder 10 KPBS-FM San Diego 1978 Box 6, Kray, Elizabeth between 1963 and 1973 Folder 11-13 Box 6, Folder 14 Kulchur 1963 Box 6, Folder 15 KPFA-FM Berkeley 1968 Box 6, Folder 16 Lampeter Muse undated Box 6, Folder 17 Lattimore, Alexander 1976 Box 6, Folder 18 Laughlin, Anne and James (see also New Directions) 1974 Box 6, Folder 19 Layten, Meredith 1976 Box 6, Folder 20 Lazarus 1974 Box 6, Folder 21 Levertov, Denise 1963-1970 Box 6, Folder 22 Levick, Hugh undated Box 6, Folder 23 Levine, Phil 1967-1974 Box 6, Folder 24 Lewis, Peter 1976 Box 6, Liljefelt, Stanley 1974 Folder 25-26 Box 6, Lippe, Jane between 1974 and 1979 Folder 27-32 Box 6, Folder 33 J. B. Lippincott, Co. 1970 Box 6, Folder 34 Logan, John undated Box 6, Folder 35 Loney, Alan 1977 Box 6, Folder 36 Low, Madelaine M 1965 Box 7, Folder 1-3 McAleavy, David between 1974 and 1980 General note Third folder contains GO bibliography.

Box 7, Folder 4 McCarthy, Eugene J. 1969 Box 7, Folder 5 McClure, Michael 1963-1974 Box 7, Folder 6 McDonough, Paul 1977 Box 7, Folder 7 McGuire, Mike 1974 Box 7, Folder 8 McHugh, Heather ca. late 1960s Box 7, Folder 9 McMillen, R. Paul 1978 Box 7, Folder 10 McWilliams, Carey 1977 Box 7, Folder 11 Maderos, Tom 1977 Box 7, Folder 12 Mailer, Norman ca. early 1960s Box 7, Folder 13 Malanga, Gerard 1963, 1974 Box 7, Folder 14 Malone, Collie 1969 Box 7, Folder 15 Mariah, Paul 1962 Box 7, Folder 16 Marshall, Jack 1969 Box 7, Martin, John (includes Black Sparrow Press) between 1974 and 1979 Folder 17-20 Box 7, Folder 21 Massachusetts Review 1962 Box 7, Folder 22 Mendel, Mark 1975

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 9 Accession Processed in 1985 CORRESPONDENCE

Box 7, Folder 23 Merlin Press 1976 Box 7, Meyer, Diane (Andy) between 1961 and 1980 Folder 24-29 Box 7, Folder 30 Mezey, Bob 1973 Box 7, Folder 31 Miles, Josephine Box 7, Folder 32 Missouri Review undated Box 7, Folder 33 Morrow, Bradford 1979 Box 7, Folder 34 Montgomery Seminar of the Arts 1973-1978 Box 7, Folder 35 Mottram, Eric 1973 Box 7, Folder 36 Mundhenk, Michael 1981 Box 7, Folder 37 Museum of Modern Art 1974 Box 7, Folder 38 Mycue, Edward Box 7, Folder 39 Nancarrow, Conlon 1978 Box 7, Folder 40 National Endowment for the Arts Box 7, Folder 41 Navaro, Bud 1978 Box 7, Folder 42 Navaro, William 1977 Box 7, Folder 43 Neigehauer, Sasha Box 8, Folder 1 New Directions - Publishing contracts for Collected Poems 1975 Box 8, Folder 2 New Directions - Proof notations for last two sections of Collected Poems 1975 Box 8, Folder 3-10 New Directions - Correspondence with James Laughlin between 1959 and 1981 Box 8, New Directions - Correspondence with Robert MacGregor (includes Laurence Folder 11-19 Pollinger, Gerald Pollinger) between 1966 and 1973 Box 8, Folder 20 New Directions - Martin, Fredrick Box 8, Folder 21 New Directions - Miscellaneous correspondence Box 8, Folder 22 New Directions - Permissions 1968-1974 Box 8, Folder 23 New Directions - Permissions 1975-1978 Box 8, Folder 24 New Directions - Royalty statements Box 8, Folder 25 New York City Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Administration 1969 Box 8, Folder 26 New York State Council of the Arts 1970 Box 8, Folder 27 New Yorker 1963 Box 8, Folder 28 University of North Carolina, Greensboro 1976 Box 8, Folder 29 Obituaries (published) 1984 Box 8, Folder 30 O'Brien, Joseph M. 1977 Box 8, Folder 31 O'Brien, Michael 1970-1978 Box 8, Folder 32 Occident ca. mid-1970s Box 8, Folder 33 O'Conner, Jean undated Box 8, Folder 34 Olds, Sharon 1976-1980 Box 8, Folder 35 Oppenheimer, Joel 1975-1978 Box 8, Folder 36 Orlen, Steven ca. early 1960s Box 8, Folder 37 Oxford University Press 1972, 1974 Box 9, Folder 1 Pacheco, Jo ca. late 1960s Box 9, Folder 2 Paganetti, Jo Ann 1975 Box 9, Folder 3-5 Paideuma - between 1978 and 1981 Box 9, Folder 6 Paper Air - Gill Ott 1978-1979 Box 9, Folder 7 Paris Review 1965 Box 9, Folder 8 Parker, Frank 1975 Box 9, Folder 9 Perkins, Mark ca. mid-1970s Box 9, Folder 10 Pepper, Max ca. early 1960s Box 9, Folder 11 Perfect Bound 1978 Box 9, Perishable Press - Walter Hamady (includes Robert MacGregor) between 1968 Folder 12-13 and 1972 Box 9, Folder 14 Peterson, Don 1970 Box 9, Folder 15 Pettet, Simon 1976-1977 Box 9, Folder 16 Phelps, Donald 1966 Box 9, Folder 17 Plank, Richard 1976 Box 9, Folder 18 Planz, Allen 1964-ca. 1970 Box 9, Folder 19 Playboy 1971-1972 Box 9, Folder 20 Pn Review 1977

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 10 Accession Processed in 1985 CORRESPONDENCE

Box 9, Folder 21 Poetry Box 9, Folder 22 Poetry 1963-1978 Box 9, Poetry Center between 1968 and 1978 Folder 23-24 Box 9, Folder 25 Poetry in Public Places 1974-1976 Box 9, Folder 26 Polis. 1980 Box 9, Folder 27 Pompidou Centre (Paris) 1977 Box 9, Folder 28 Pound, Ezra undated Box 9, Folder 29 Power, Kevin 1975-1977 Box 9, Folder 30 Powers, David 1978 Box 9, Folder 31 Prynne, Jeremy 1973 Box 9, Folder 32 Pulitzer Prize- Certificate; 3 partial drafts of acceptance speech 1969 Box 9, Folder 33 Quasha, George 1969-1977 Box 9, Folder 34 Rain 1972 Box 9, Folder 35 Rakosi, Carl 1969-1978 Box 9, Folder 36 Randall, Margaret undated Box 9, Folder 37 Rector, Liam 1978 Box 9, Folder 38 Rector, Ron undated Box 9, Folder 39 Red Cedar Review - Michael McCormick undated Box 9, Folder 40 Reisman, Jerry 1969 Box 9, Folder 41 Replansky, Naomi 1973 Box 9, Reznikoff, Charles between 1959 and 1980 Folder 42-44 Box 9, Folder 45 Rice, Stan 1976 Box 9, Folder 46 Richardson, Robert 1975 Box 9, Folder 47 Riley, Peter 1975 Box 9, Folder 48 Robbins, William undated Box 9, Folder 49 Roditi, Edward 1980 Box 9, Folder 50 Rodefer, Steven ca. 1968, 1978 Box 9, Folder 51 Rogers, Del Marie 1978 Box 9, Rorty, Amelie Oksenberg - Letters mainly addressed to Mary Oppen between Folder 52-56 1970 and 1980 Box 9, Folder 57 Rosachacki, Don 1972 Box 9, Folder 58 Rosenblum, Martin J. 1974 Box 9, Folder 59 Ross-Erickson, Inc. 1 Calling Card Box 9, Folder 60 Rothenberg, Jerome 1968-1977 Box 9, Folder 61 Rothfeld, Tracy 1976 Box 9, Folder 62 Royet-Journand, Claude 1978 Box 9, Folder 63 Rozinante - Allen Kimball 1977 Box 9, Folder 64 Rudman, Mark 1978 Box 9, Folder 65 Rudolf, Anthony ca. late 1970s Box 9, Folder 66 Ryan, Dennis 1976 Box 9, Folder 67 Ryan, Sister Patricia 1974, 1976 Box 9, Folder 68 Rye, Judy Sexton 1980 Box 10, Folder 1 St. James Press 1979 Box 10, Folder 2 Samer, Paul Yuri 1978 Box 10, Folder 3 San Francisco Board of Supervisor 1969 Box 10, Folder 4 San Francisco Public Library 1963-1964 Box 10, Folder 5 Santos, Mary D. 1974 Box 10, Folder 6 Sarton, May undated Box 10, Folder 7 de Sayogo, Irene 1978 Box 10, Folder 8-9 Schneider, Steve and Toby approximately 1960-1980 Box 10, Schneider, Steve between 1962 and 1981 Folder 10-18 Box 10, Folder 19 Schmitz, Axel 1968 Box 10, Folder 20 Schultz, Philip 1968-1971 Box 10, Folder 21 Schwabacher, Ethel 1967 Box 10, Folder 22 Schwartz, Howard 1977

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 11 Accession Processed in 1985 CORRESPONDENCE

Box 10, Folder 23 Schwerner, Armand 1964-1976 Box 10, Folder 24 Seabury Press 1974 Box 10, Folder 25 Seidman, Hugh 1968-1973 Box 10, Folder 26 Seigman, Ataxia and Judith undated Box 10, Folder 27 Shahar, David and Shula 1975 Box 10, Folder 28 Shapiro, Abbie 1978 Box 10, Shapiro, Harvey between 1967 and 1972 Folder 29-33 Box 10, Folder 34 Sharp, Tom 1977-1980 Box 10, Folder 35 Sharpe, Jr. Charles H. undated Box 10, Folder 36 Shein, Keith 1978 Box 10, Folder 37 Shoemaker, Jack 1972 Box 10, Folder 38 Silk, Dennis 1976 Box 10, Folder 39 Simic, Charles 1973 Box 10, Folder 40 Simon and Schuster 1970 Box 10, Folder 41 Solt, Mary Ellen 1961-1962 Box 10, Folder 42 Sorrentino, Gil 1963-1965 Box 10, Folder 43 Spingarn, Lawrence 1972 Box 10, Folder 44 Station Hill Press 1978 Box 10, Folder 45 Strasser, Edna 1965, 1967 Box 10, Folder 46 Stein, Sherman 1967, 1969 Box 10, Folder 47 Stewart, Alexander 1977 Box 10, Folder 48 Stock, Doreen 1974-1977 Box 10, Folder 49 Stock, Ron undated Box 10, Folder 50 Seuss, Penelope 1971 Box 10, Folder 51 Sullivan, III, Arthur G. undated Box 10, Folder 52 Sumac Press - Jim Austin between 1972 and 1973 Box 10, Sumac Press - Dan Gerber between 1970 and 1980 Folder 53-55 Box 11, Folder 1-6 Taggart, John between 1967 and 1981 Box 11, Folder 7 Taylor, Andrew 1975-1978 Box 11, Folder 8 University of Texas, Austin 1977 Box 11, Folder 9 Thayler, Carl 1980 Box 11, Folder 10 Thin Line Press 1962 Box 11, Tomlinson, Charles between 1963 and 1981 Folder 11-15 Box 11, Folder 16 Torrance, Chris undated Box 11, Folder 17 Valentine, Jean 1975 Box 11, Folder 18 Van Der Hallen, Marijke 1978 Box 11, Folder 19 Vas Dias, Robert 1969-1978 Box 11, Folder 20 Waessner, Warren 1970 Box 11, Wakoski, Diane between 1964 and 1978 Folder 21-22 Box 11, Folder 23 Waldrop, Rosemarie and Keith 1972, 1977 Box 11, Folder 24 Walsh, Joe 1977 Box 11, Folder 25 Watershed Foundation 1981 Box 11, Weber, Sally Appleton between 1969 and 1981 Folder 26-30 Box 11, Folder 31 Weaver, Judith 1977 Box 11, Folder 32 Webster, Brenda undated Box 11, Folder 33 Webster, Tom 1970-1971 Box 11, Folder 34 Weil, James L. 1963-1980 Box 11, Weinberger, Eliot between 1968 and 1980 Folder 35-39 Box 11, Folder 40 Weinfield, Henry ca. mid-1970s Box 11, Folder 41 West, Michael ca. late 1970s Box 11, Folder 42 Whelen, Christopher 1981 Box 11, Folder 43 Whitney, John 1965

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 12 Accession Processed in 1985 CORRESPONDENCE

Box 11, Folder 44 Will, Fred 1967-1968 Box 11, Folder 45 Williams, Jonathan 1971-1979 Box 11, Folder 46 Williams, William Carlos and Floss 1960, 1962 Box 11, Folder 47 Wilson, John 1975-1977 Box 11, Folder 48 Wilson, Keith 1968-1976 Box 11, Folder 49 Wilson, Mark 1971 Box 11, Folder 50 Wolf, Douglas 1978 Box 11, Folder 51 Woolf, Eleanor ca. mid-1960s Box 11, Folder 52 Worth, Doug 1970-1974 Box 11, Folder 53 Wright State University 1978 Box 11, Folder 54 Yoken, Melvin B. 1970 Box 11, Folder 55 Young, Alan 1979 Box 11, Folder 56 Young, Pete undated Box 11, Folder 57 Younger, Irving undated Box 11, Folder 58 Zebrun, Gary 1979 Box 11, Folder 59 Zekeli, Peter 1980 Box 11, Folder 60 Zimet, Julian undated Box 11, Folder 61 Zukofsky, Louis 1959-1962 Miscellaneous Correspondence Box 12, Folder 1-7 Miscellaneous approximately 1960-1980 Box 12, Folder 8 Miscellaneous typescripts and manuscripts sent to GO Box 12, Letters of condolence to MO Folder 9-10 Box 12, Folder 11 Program and guest list for GO memorial service

NOTES, JOTTINGS, ETC. Scope and Content of Series Series 2) NOTES, JOTTINGS, ETC.: Consists of single unbound leaves or slips of paper on which diverse notes have been written. For the most part, these materials date from 1960-1980, though there are a few leaves that can be dated as late as 1982 while others might have been written as early as 1958. Oppen appears to have used blank yellow and white standard size typing paper during ca. 1958-1962. From 1962 to 1966, he seems to have favored cheap 8 1/2 x 11 pulp paper. After 1966, he began to write primarily on fine quality letterhead, first for his New York address and subsequently for his San Francisco address. However, there are numerous instances of pulp paper being used in the 1970s and of the New York letterhead being used well after the Oppens had relocated in San Francisco; notes remain in the sequence in which they were received by the Library. Notes received in later accessions or discovered elsewhere in the collection were simply filled in at the end of the series. The notes and jottings, as well as the daybooks, reveal many facets of Oppen's work and life which are not readily evident in his poetry and only hinted at in some of the interviews. They include reflections about his poetic career and writing practices, and about the work of contemporaries such as , Charles Olson, Robert Duncan, Charles Reznikoff, and especially Louis Zukofsky. A number of the notes reflect on Oppen's philosophical positions and his reading of Heidegger, Wittgenstein, and other philosophers.

Box 13, Miscellaneous Folder 1-20 Box 14, Miscellaneous Folder 1-15 Box 15, Miscellaneous Folder 1-12 Box 16, Miscellaneous Folder 1-13

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 13 Accession Processed in 1985 NOTES, JOTTINGS, ETC.

Box 17, Miscellaneous Folder 1-11 Box 18, Folder 1-6 Miscellaneous

DAYBOOKS (Notes bound by Oppen) Scope and Content of Series Series 3) DAYBOOKS: Collections of notes and drafts of poems which Oppen bound together. The daybooks are distinct from the reading manuscripts listed in series five. The former contain discrete notes much like those found in the notes and jottings series. But they also contain drafts and fragments of poems, as well as drafts of letters. They have the definite feel of a journal composed over an extended period of time. In contrast, the reading manuscripts were constructed for the occasion of a particular reading. The daybooks have been named according to their bindings, e.g. "Pipe Stem Cleaner Daybook," and are arranged in chronological sequence. However, the chronology, as well as the suggestion that the groupings constitute meaningful units, must be eyed with a certain degree of suspicion as it is entirely possible that Oppen bound discrete leaves of material together to make their handling and storage more manageable.

Box 19, Folder 1 Stapled Daybook 1961 - 1962 General note It consists of 22 leaves, mostly foolscap paper. Primarily notes, it contains only a few drafts of poems. A letter concerning the protest of blacks in Little Rock , Arkansas in 1954 and with a return address for Mexico suggests that at least some of these papers were carried back to the U.S. by GO. Other leaves suggest that the packet is of a later date.

Box 19, Folder 2-6 Pipe-Stem Cleaner Daybook 1963 General note This is one of two daybooks that GO bound with pipe-stem cleaners. It consists of 147 leaves, most of which are foolscap paper.

Box 19, Folder 7 Nailed Daybook 1963 - 1964 General note 105 leaves nailed to a 14 x 9.6 cm. irregular rectangular piece of pine board; the leaves consist almost entirely of white typing paper (without letterhead) and foolscap. A few sheets of lined theme book paper and onion-skin paper are included also. Ca. 1963-1964 (according to GO's references to being 55 years old and to the assasination of John Kennedy).

Box 19, Pipe-Stem Cleaner Daybook Folder 8-11 General note This is the second of two collections of notes, letters, poems, etc. that GO bound at the top with pipe stem cleaners. It consists of 110 leaves numbered by either MO or Rachel Blau DuPlessis and prefaced by note in either of their hands that is dated 2 May 1982. The packet begins with what appears to be notes for an introduction to a poetry reading given by GO, William Bronk, and Diane Wakoski at the Guggenheim Museum. And since it contains more drafts of poems than the other daybooks, it could be classed as a reading manuscript. Nevertheless, the bulk of the daybook is made up of notes and letters. Its date may be ca. 1964-1965 since it includes drafts of "Another Language of New York," the serial poem GO later titled "Of Being Numerous." However, it also includes transcriptions of poems from The Materials, which, if worksheets, would place the daybook ca. 1960-1961.

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 14 Accession Processed in 1985 DAYBOOKS (Notes bound by Oppen)

Box 19, Folder 12 Discussion of Another Language of New York 1965 - 1966 General note A prefatory note written by Rachel Blau DuPlessis in 1982 describes this packet as a long meditation of the serial poem eventually titled "Of Being Numerous." GO apparently intended to send this or an edidted version of it to DuPlessis and John Crawford. DuPlessis, however, cannot recall seeing it or anything like it before 1982. It is not known whether GO had ever sent it to Crawford. The packet consists of 56 leaves numbered by DuPlessis or Mary Oppen in 1982.

Box 19, Folder 13 New Year: Pasted Daybook 1968 - 1968 General note It consists of 23 more or less whole leaves of light-weight typing paper. There are also a number of partial slips pasted partially or completely to one of the larger leaves. The penultimate page is a title page for Seascape: Needle's Eye. One loose leaf of yellow light-weight typing papers is also in the folder.

Box 19, Folder 14 Legal pad (8.5 x 14) undated General note It consists of 10 lined leaves, on which eight are written.

Box 19, Folder 15 Miscellaneous and undated tablets Box 19, Folder 16 Legal pad (8.5 x 14) ca. late 1970s General note It consists of eight bound sheets and 11 unbound sheets.

Box 19, Folder 17 Last Words of George Oppen ca. early 1980s General note A 5 inch x 7 3/4 inch spiral notebook (with wire binding removed). It contains four lined leaves on which Mary Oppen has transcribed the statements that GO pasted to the wall of his study.

Box 19, Folder 18 Last Words of George Oppen ca. early 1980s General note 26 various size pieces of paper with GO's statements on them. These slips were glued to the walls of Oppen's study. They have been numbered by Mary Oppen. Numbers 2 and 16 are missing and are taken from the notebook of Mary Oppen's transcriptions (see 19.17).

Box 19, Folder 19 Primitive ca. early 1980s General note A copy of GO's last book (wrappers) with his writing on the front and inside front covers.

Box 19, Folder 20 Self-portrait (photocopy) undated

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 15 Accession Processed in 1985 POETRY

POETRY Scope and Content of Series Series 4) POETRY: Manuscripts and typescripts are filed in series four, POETRY, and are arranged in three sub-series. Those of poems collected in one of Oppen's nine published books make up the first subseries; they are arranged first chronologically according to the date of their first publication, and then according to where they appear in the book. Those of poems published in magazines but not collected in a book constitute the second sub-series; they are too arranged chronologically according to their dates of publication. The third subseries consists of manuscripts and typescripts of unpublished poems; they are listed alphabetically by title or first significant word. The three sub-series overlap to some extent, since group manuscripts (collections of several poems in a "dummy book") occasionally include poems that were later excluded from the book. Group manuscripts are listed chronologically, usually after individual poems and before the photocopy of the published book.

Published Poetry (1932-1978) DISCRETE SERIES (1934, 1966) Box 20, Folder 1 Photocopy of a carbon TS General note Carbon TS contained in the Charles Reznikoff Papers (Box 18, Folder 17) at UCSD. 16 lvs.

Box 20, Folder 2 Photocopy of TS carbon described in 20.1. Presumably sent to GO by John Martin. 16 lvs Box 20, Folder 3 Preface by Ezra Pound. New York: The Objectivist Press, 1934. Photocopy. 19 lvs Box 20, Folder 4 Reprint of 1934 Objectist Press edition, without preface by Ezra Pound. Cleveland: Asphodel Bookshop, 1966. Photocopy. 18 lvs MATERIALS Box 20, Folder 5 "Eclogue." M 1, CP 17 (1 lf.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 6-8 "Image of the Engine" - Sections 2, 4 and 5 1962 Box 20, Folder 9 "Population." M 6, CP 22 (2 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 10 "Resort." M 7, CP 23 (3 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 11 "Travelogue." M 9, CP 25 (3 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 12 "Return." M 10-12, CP 26-28 (3 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, "Blood from the Stone" - Sections 1-4 1962 Folder 13-14 Box 20, Folder 15 "Birthplace: New Rochelle." M 18, CP 34 (3 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 16 "Myself, I Sing." M 19-20, CP 35-36 (2 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 17 "Stranger's Child." M 21, CP 37 (9 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 18 "Ozymandias." M 22, CP 38 (6 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 19 "Debt." M 23, CP 39 (3 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 20 "Product." M 24, CP 40 (3 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 21 "Workman." M 25, CP 41 (2 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 22 "The Undertaking in New Jersey." M 26, CP 42 (2 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 23 "Tourist Eye." M 28, CP 44 (1 lf.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 24 "From a Photograph." M 31, CP 47 (12 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 25 "The Tugs of Hull." M 32, CP 48 (1 lf.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 26 "Time of the Missile." M 33, CP 49 (2 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 27 "Antique." M 35, CP 51 (4 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 28 "Coastal Strip." M 36, CP 52 (3 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 29 "O Western Wind." M 37, CP 53 (4 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 30 "The Hills." M 38, CP 54 (9 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 31 "The Source." M 39, CP 52 (14 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 32 "Chartres." M 40, CP 56 (1 lf.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 33 "Daedalus: The Dirge." M 42, CP 58 (2 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 34 "Part of the Forest." M 43, CP 59 (2 lvs.) 1962

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 16 Accession Processed in 1985 POETRY

Box 20, Folder 35 "Survival Infantry." M 44, CP 60 (4 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 36 "Squall." M 45, CP 61 (2 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 37 "California." M 46, CP 62 (2 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 38 "Sunnyside Child." M 47, CP 63 (1 lf.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 39 "Pedestrian." M 48, CP 64 (6 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 40 "To Memory." M 49-50, CP 65-66 (2 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 41 "Still Life." M 51, CP 67 (2 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 42 "Leviathan." M 52, CP 68 (9 lvs.) 1962 Box 20, Folder 43 Manuscript 1959 Box 20, Folder 44 Manuscript, Part I 1960 Box 20, Folder 45 Manuscript, Part II 1960 Box 20, Manuscript 1960 Folder 46-47 Box 20, Folder 48 Page proofs, dated "Nov. 1961" Box 20, Folder 49 Assorted page proofs 1961 Box 20, Folder 50 Corrected page proofs, dated "Feb. 13, 1962" Box 20, Folder 51 Photocopy of the published book 1962 THIS IN WHICH Box 21, Folder 1 Dedication to June Oppen Degnan. TIW iii (1 lf.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 2 "Technologies." TIW 13-14, CP 71-72 (2 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 3 "Armies of the Plain." TIW 15-16, CP 73-74 (1 lf.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 4 "Philai Te Kou Philai." TIW 17-19, CP 75-77 (1 lf.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 5 "Psalm." TIW 20, CP 78 (5 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 6 "The City of Keansburg." TIW 21, CP 79 (1 lf.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 7 "Five Poems About Poetry." TIW 22-27, CP 80-85 (4 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 8 "The Gesture." No. 1 of "Five Poems About Poetry." TIW 22, CP 80 (1 lf.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 9 "That Land." No. 3 of "Five Poems About Poetry." TIW 24, CP 82 (5 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 10 "Parousia." No. 4 of "Five Poems About Poetry." TIW 25, CP 83 (1 lf.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 11 "From Virgil." No. 5 of "Five Poems About Poetry." TIW 26-27, CP 84-85 (1 lf.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 12 "Guest Room." TIW 29-32, CP 87-90 (3 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 13 "Giovanni's Rape of the Sabine Women at Wildenstein's." TIW 33-35, CP 91-93 (3 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, "A Language of New York" - Sections 1-5 1965 Folder 14-18 Box 21, Folder 19 "Eros." TIW 44-45, CP 102-103 (5 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 20 "Boy's Room." TIW 46, CP 104 (2 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 21 "Penobscot." TIW 47-49, CP 105-107 (12 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 22 "Carpenter's Boat." TIW 52, CP 110 (3 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 23 "Of This All Things..." TIW 53, CP 111 (2 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 24 "The People, The People." TIW 54, CP 112 (2 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 25 "Bahamas." TIW 55, CP 113 (15 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 26 "The Founder." TIW 56, CP 114 (2 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 27 "Alpine." TIW 58, CP 116 (3 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 28 "The Mayan Ground." TIW 61-63, CP 119-121 (3 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, "Quotations" - Nos. 2-3 1965 Folder 29-30 Box 21, Folder 31 "The Bicycles and the Apex." TIW 67, CP 125 (4 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 32 "Monument." TIW 69, CP 127 (2 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 33 "Niece." TIW 71, CP 129 (3 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 34 "The Zulu Girl." TIW 72, CP 130 (3 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 35 "The Building of the Skyscraper." TIW 73, CP 131 (1 lf.) 1965 Box 21, "A Narrative" - Sections 1-11, 3, and 10 1965 Folder 36-38 Box 21, Folder 39 "To C.T." TIW 84, CP 142 (2 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 40 "World, World." TIW 85, CP 143 (5 lvs.) 1965 Box 21, Folder 41 Manuscript, dated April 1963

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 17 Accession Processed in 1985 POETRY

Box 21, Manuscript 1964 Folder 42-43 Box 21, Folder 44 Manuscript, Part I 1964 Box 21, Folder 45 Manuscript, Part II 1964 Box 21, Folder 46 Galleys 1965 Box 21, Folder 47 Photocopy of the published book 1965 Box 21, Folder 48 Mock-up 1965 OF BEING NUMEROUS Box 22, Folder 1 Dedications and acknowledgments, with contents page 1968 Box 22, "Of Being Numerous" - Sections 1-40 1968 Folder 2-38 Box 22, Folder 39 Manuscript titled "Another Language of New York." 16 lvs., 19 numbered sections 1966 Box 22, Folder 40 Photocopy of manuscript titled "Another Language of N.Y." 21 lvs., 30 numbered sections 1967 Box 22, Folder 41 "A Kind of Garden: A Poem for My Sister." OBN 44-45, CP 182-183 (10 lvs.) 1968 Box 22, "Route" - Sections 1-14 1968 Folder 42-54 Box 22, "Power, The Enchanted World" - Sections 1, 2 and 5 1968 Folder 55-57 Box 22, Folder 58 "After This." Transitional manuscript between "This In Which" and "Of Being Numerous." 26 lvs. 1965 Box 22, Folder 59 Photocopy of the published book 1968 ALPINE Box 22, Folder 60 Photocopy of the published book 1969 Box 22, Folder 61 "A Barbarity" 1969 SEASCAPE: NEEDLE'S EYE Box 23, Folder 1 Title page 1972 Box 23, Folder 2 "The Extremes" 1972 Box 23, Folder 3 "From a Phrase of Simone Weil's and Some Words of Hegel's." SNE 9, CP 205 (8 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 4 "The Occurrences." SNE 10, CP 206 (4 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 5 "Animula." SNE 11-12, CP 207 (10 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 6 "West." SNE 13-14, CP 208-209 (8 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 7 "Of Hours." SNE 15-17, CP 210-212 (8 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 8 "Song: The Winds of Downhill." SNE 18, CP 213 (8 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 9 "Some San Francisco Poems." SNE 19-36, CP 214-228 (9 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 10 "Moving over the hills,...," Section 1 of "Some San Francisco Poems." SNE 19, CP 214 (10 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, "A Morality Play: Preface." Section 2 of "Some San Francisco Poems." SNE Folder 11-12 20-22, CP 215-216 1972 Box 23, Folder 13 "Question The Uses." Precursor to "'And Their Winter and Night In Disguise,'" section 3 of "Some San Francisco Poems." SNE 23-25, CP 217-218 (30 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 14 "And Their Winter and Night in Disguise." Section 3 of "Some San Francisco Poems." SNE 23-25, CP 217-218 (28 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 15 "Anniversary Poem." SNE 26-27, CP 219-220 (21 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 16 "Silver as / The needle's eye..." Section 6 of "Some San Francisco Poems." SNE 30-31, CP 223 (23 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 17 "O withering seas..." Section 7 of "Some San Francisco Poems." SNE 32, CP 224 (5 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 18 "The Taste." Section 8 from "Some San Francisco Poems." SNE 33, CP 225 (7 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 19 "The Impossible Poem." Section 9 from "Some San Francisco Poems." SNE 34, CP 226 (9 lvs.) 1972 Box 23, Folder 20 "But So As By Fire." Section 10 of "Some San Francisco Poems." SNE 35-36, CP 227-228 (6 lvs.) 1972

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 18 Accession Processed in 1985 POETRY

Box 23, Folder 21 Photocopy of published book 1972 COLLECTED POEMS (Fulcrum Press) - Photocopy of published book Box 23, Folder 22 Pages 1-53 plus title, acknowledgements, and dedication pages. 26 lvs. 1972 Box 23, Folder 23 Pages 54-99. 23 lvs. 1972 Box 23, Folder 24 Pages 100-137. 19 lvs. 1972 Box 23, Folder 25 Pages 138-160. 12 lvs. 1972 MYTH OF THE BLAZE Box 24, Folder 1 Front pages for a projected volume. Published only as the final part of COLLECTED POEMS, New Directions. 5 lvs. 1975 Box 24, Folder 2 Fragments and drafts of several poems that appear to be ur-poems to the collection Myth of the Blaze (some of the drafts are also related to poems collected in Seascape: Needle's Eye and Primitive). Published only as the final part of Collected Poems, New Directions. 36 lvs. 1975 Box 24, Folder 3 "The Speech At Soli." Published only as the final part of Collected Poems, New Directions. CP 234 (28 lvs.) 1975 Box 24, "The Book of Job and a Draft of a Poem to Praise the Paths of the Living" - Folder 4-11 Early published versions, drafts, and sections 1-6 1975 General Published only as the final part of Collected Poems (New Directions).

Box 24, Folder 12 "Myth of the Blaze." CP 242-244 (12 lvs.) 1975 Box 24, Folder 13 "Inlet." CP 245 (14 lvs.) 1975 Box 24, Folder 14 "Semite." CP 246-249 (15 lvs.) 1975 Box 24, Folder 15 "The Little Pin: Fragment." CP 248-249 (15 lvs.) 1975 Box 24, Folder 16 "The Lighthouses." CP 250-251 (5 lvs.) 1975 Box 24, Folder 17 "Confession." CP 252 (6 lvs.) 1975 Box 24, Folder 18 "Who Shall Doubt." CP 253 (4 lvs.) 1975 Box 24, Folder 19 "To the Poets: To Make Much of Life." CP 254 (9 lvs.) 1975 Box 24, Folder 20 "Two Romance Poems," Poem 1. CP 255 (2 lvs.) 1975 Box 24, Folder 21 "Res Publica," Poem 2 of "Two Romance Poems." CP 256 (6 lvs.) 1975 COLLECTED POEMS (New Directions) Box 25, Folder 1 Assorted page proofs. Page proofs from section of The Materials. 21 lvs. 1975 Box 25, Folder 2-4 Manuscript for Collected Poems 1975 Box 25, Page proofs for Collected Poems 1975 Folder 5-12 Box 25, Photocopy of Collected Poems 1975 Folder 13-18 PRIMITIVE Box 26, Folder 1 "If it All Went Up In Smoke" 1978 Box 26, Folder 2 Signature page for signed edition 1978 Box 26, Folder 3 Contents page, MS 1978 Box 26, Folder 4 "A Political Poem." P 9-10 (5 lvs.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 5 "Disasters." P 11-13 (20 lvs.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 6 "The Poem." P 14 (5 lvs.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 7 Early drafts of "To Make Much" 1978 Box 26, Folder 8 "To Make Much." P 15-16 (16 lvs.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 9 "Waking Who Knows." P 17 (2 lvs.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 10 "If it All Went Up In Smoke." P 18 (5 lvs.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 11 "The Tongues." P 19 (4 lvs.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 12 "Populist." P 20-22 (6 lvs.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 13 "Gold On Oak Leaves." P 23-24 (1 lf.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 14 "The Natural." P 25 (5 lvs.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 15 "Till Other Voices Wake Us." P 30-31 (7 lvs.) 1978 Box 26, Folder 16 Manuscripts for PRIMITIVE, dated December 1976 Box 26, Folder 17 Manuscripts for PRIMITIVE. One dated 16 January 1977 and the other 20 January 1977 Box 26, Folder 18 Typescripts of poems included in PRIMITIVE 1978

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 19 Accession Processed in 1985 POETRY

Box 26, Folder 19 Photocopy of the published book 1978 Uncollected Published Poetry (1932-1978) Box 26, Folder 20 Discrete Series, I-IV Box 26, Folder 21 Brain Box 26, Folder 22 Biblical Tree Box 26, Folder 23 Monument Box 26, Folder 24 Memory at "The Modern" Box 26, Folder 25 Preface Box 26, Folder 26 From the Friendly Local Press Box 26, Folder 27 Voyage Box 26, Folder 28 Students Gather Box 26, Folder 29 Epigram Box 26, Folder 30 Modern Incident Box 26, Folder 31 Theological Question Box 26, Folder 32 Astray Over Earth - Translation of Parmenides' "Moon Fragment" Box 26, Folder 33 Song Box 26, Folder 34 Poem about the Garden Box 26, Folder 35 Artist Box 26, Folder 36 Law of Poetry Box 26, Folder 37 Beautiful as the Sea - Poetry in Public Places Box 26, Folder 38 Sympathy Coincidence Box 26, Folder 39 To Find a Way - Distant relative of "The Lighthouses" (CP 250-251) Box 26, Folder 40 Fear Box 26, Folder 41 Image Box 26, Folder 42 In Memoriam Charles Reznikoff Box 26, Folder 43 He De Dark Box 26, Folder 44 Probity Box 26, Folder 45 Whirl Wind Must Unpublished Poetry and Fragments Box 27, Folder 1 Absurd, absurd we looked.. Box 27, Folder 2 Acapulco - Distant relative of "Return," (CP 26-28) Box 27, Folder 3 Accident Box 27, Folder 4 advantages of smut.. Box 27, Folder 5 Aesthetic Box 27, Folder 6 Air is cold now.. Box 27, Folder 7 Air makes me.. Box 27, Folder 8 Alien spirits we are alas.. Box 27, Folder 9 All our hidden history.. Box 27, Folder 10 All the fancy things.. Box 27, Folder 11 Amalgamated Box 27, Folder 12 Anmesiac Children - Distant relative to "The Theological Question" Box 27, Folder 13 And Yet the Things Box 27, Folder 14 Another: A Dark Song Box 27, Folder 15 Another Quotation Box 27, Folder 16 Any Way But Back Box 27, Folder 17 Approaching a third book.. Box 27, Folder 18 Apology for Love Box 27, Folder 19 Archaic Fact - Omitted from "Of Being Numerous" Box 27, Folder 20 Bahaman Box 27, Folder 21 Belvedere Box 27, Folder 22 Bill before his death.. Box 27, Folder 23 Bird is tame.. Box 27, Folder 24 Birthday Poem: Unease Box 27, Folder 25 Blind Horrors Box 27, Folder 26 Boat.. Box 27, Folder 27 Bob, Dick Box 27, Folder 28 Book of days.. Box 27, Folder 29 Brief

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 20 Accession Processed in 1985 POETRY

Box 27, Folder 30 buried (a.. Box 27, Folder 31 By Air Box 27, Folder 32 carved / of that air... - Omitted from PRIMITIVE Box 27, Folder 33 Casual poets.. Box 27, Folder 34 Cat Boat Repeated Box 27, Folder 35 Children of France Box 27, Folder 36 Church Interior Box 27, Folder 37 Committee Box 27, Folder 38 Of Contingency: A Faulty Sonnet Box 27, Folder 39 Cultural Triumph Box 27, Folder 40 Day Box 27, Folder 41 Daytop Box 27, Folder 42 Dear Sally the year.. Box 27, Folder 43 Decades Box 27, Folder 44 December 1964 Box 27, Folder 45 Dedication Box 27, Folder 46 Desert Fathers Box 27, Folder 47 Dialogue Box 27, Folder 48 Difference Box 27, Folder 49 Difficulty is.. Box 27, Folder 50 Disoriented Box 27, Folder 51 Dithyramb Box 27, Folder 52 Dog - An arrangement of a poem by Buddhaveda Bose Box 27, Folder 53 Domestic Poem Box 27, Folder 54 Do you know I've got hips and bones.. Box 27, Folder 55 Dream - Omitted from PRIMITIVE Box 27, Folder 56 Epithalamium Box 27, Folder 57 Ethnic Box 27, Folder 58 Etymology Box 27, Folder 59 Eyes / close down.. Box 27, Folder 60 Faces I have.. Box 27, Folder 61 Facts on the Bay Box 27, Folder 62 Fame - Distant relative of "The Book of Job and a Draft of a Poem to Praise the Paths of the Living," Section 1, (CP 236-237). 2 lvs. pasted Box 27, Folder 63 Fetish Box 27, Folder 64 Fields language.. Box 27, Folder 65 Flathead Lake Box 27, Folder 66 Flight 162 Box 27, Folder 67 For Example Box 27, Folder 68 For Julian Box 27, Folder 69 For my gentlemen.. Box 27, Folder 70 France Box 27, Folder 71 From the Chillam Ballam Box 27, Folder 72 From Up-State Box 27, Folder 73 Gap in the world.. Box 27, Folder 74 Generation of Drivers Box 27, Folder 75 George Box 27, Folder 76 Gift - Possible relative to "The Gift, The Gifted" Box 27, Folder 77 Girl Smoking Box 27, Folder 78 The Good Box 27, Folder 79 Good Marriage Box 27, Folder 80 Had entered her life.. Box 27, Folder 81 Happiness and the Bronx Zoo Box 27, Folder 82 Harbor View Box 27, Folder 83 Haphaestus Box 27, Folder 84 Having killed too many people.. Box 27, Folder 85 His own blood.. Box 27, Folder 86 Houses

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 21 Accession Processed in 1985 POETRY

Box 27, Folder 87 Hypothesis - Omitted from PRIMITIVE Box 28, Folder 1 If I Stood Box 28, Folder 2 If you can't love.. Box 28, Folder 3 If you would taunt the creature.. Box 28, Folder 4 I have found.. Box 28, Folder 5 I move.. Box 28, Folder 6 Impossible to know.. Box 28, Folder 7 In and for itself.. Box 28, Folder 8 Inheritance - An arrangement of a poem by Arabinda Guna Box 28, Folder 9 In Homage Box 28, Folder 10 In Praise of Learning Box 28, Folder 11 In the coming battle I.. Box 28, Folder 12 In the Park Box 28, Folder 13 IN THIS ROOM Box 28, Folder 14 It Box 28, Folder 15 I think / And am.. Box 28, Folder 16 Itself a draft.. Box 28, Folder 17 John the Great Box 28, Folder 18 Knowledge is an instrument.. Box 28, Folder 19 Laced gaiter... - Omitted from DISCRETE SERIES Box 28, Folder 20 Legend.. Box 28, Folder 21 Line Box 28, Folder 22 Long streets.. Box 28, Folder 23 Lost.. Box 28, Folder 24 Lovely Articulate Song Box 28, Folder 25 Love of the open.. Box 28, Folder 26 Love oneself.. Box 28, Folder 27 Magnificent Head, the Nostrils, the Eyes Box 28, Folder 28 Man like a landscape.. Box 28, Folder 29 Men Working Box 28, Folder 30 Married Couple Box 28, Folder 31 Mary Box 28, Folder 32 Maudit Box 28, Folder 33 Mau's Time Box 28, Folder 34 Meaning Box 28, Folder 35 Meditation Box 28, Folder 36 Me meaning.. Box 28, Folder 37 Memory of Oars Box 28, Folder 38 Moon.. Box 28, Folder 39 Mother and Child Box 28, Folder 40 Mount Desert Island Box 28, Folder 41 Move Box 28, Folder 42 Music of the Times Box 28, Folder 43 Naked the body.. Box 28, Folder 44 Nails. Possibly not GO's text Box 28, Folder 45 Name Box 28, Folder 46 Narrative Box 28, Folder 47 Nation Box 28, Folder 48 Near / and difficult.. Box 28, Folder 49 Near the Beginning Box 28, Folder 50 New Age Box 28, Folder 51 New People Box 28, Folder 52 Newton.. Box 28, Folder 53 New Year's Box 28, Folder 54 Nomad.. Box 28, Folder 55 Nostalgia, nostalgia.. Box 28, Folder 56 Not a virtue, not a social virtue.. Box 28, Folder 57 Not by our strength..

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 22 Accession Processed in 1985 POETRY

Box 28, Folder 58 No they would not open.. Box 28, Folder 59 Not virtue.. Box 28, Folder 60 Of that poem.. Box 28, Folder 61 Of those on whom the full.. Box 28, Folder 62 Of you not seeing.. Box 28, Folder 63 Old man not being read.. Box 28, Folder 64 Old man.. Box 28, Folder 65 Omega Point - Omitted from PRIMITIVE Box 28, Folder 66 One well cannot.. Box 28, Folder 67 On 69th Street.. Box 28, Folder 68 On the Quality of Politics Box 28, Folder 69 Orpheus Box 28, Folder 70 Outside Box 28, Folder 71 Paris seeming soft.. Box 28, Folder 72 Park Box 28, Folder 73 Parkway - Distant relative of "Return," CP 26-28 Box 28, Folder 74 Pascal's Gamble Box 28, Folder 75 Patrimony of Desires Box 28, Folder 76 Philosopher Box 28, Folder 77 Phonemes Box 28, Folder 78 Pigeons fly from the dark bough... - Omitted from DISCRETE SERIES Box 28, Folder 79 Pitch of the words echo.. Box 28, Folder 80 Platitude Box 28, Folder 81 Poem Box 28, Folder 82 Poem about an Article Box 28, Folder 83 Poem Called Rather Bravely Liberality Box 28, Folder 84 Poem Including World Box 28, Folder 85 Poem Box 28, Folder 86 Poem begins with this.. Box 28, Folder 87 Poet Lectures on Creative Writing Box 28, Folder 88 Poetry, learning everything, leaves.. Box 28, Folder 89 Program Box 28, Folder 90 Pro Vita - Distant relative of "Return," CP 26-28 Box 28, Folder 91 Questioning Box 28, Folder 92 Rebellious One Box 28, Folder 93 Recognition 1962 - 1962 Box 28, Folder 94 Regions Box 28, Folder 95 Rembrandt's Old Woman Cutting Her Nails Box 28, Folder 96 Renee's Room Box 28, Folder 97 Report: The Sense of Thinking Box 28, Folder 98 Resolve Box 28, Folder 99 Ritual - Distant relative of "World, World," CP 143 Box 28, Role Folder 100 Box 29, Folder 1 Safety Razor Box 29, Folder 2 Say Box 29, Folder 3 Passenger / sees nothing.. Box 29, Folder 4 Senior Citizens Box 29, Folder 5 Seven.. Box 29, Folder 6 Shack.. Box 29, Folder 7 Sharp waves shove and worry.. Box 29, Folder 8 She Steals Birds Box 29, Folder 9 She tosses her hair.. Box 29, Folder 10 Shore Box 29, Folder 11 Simple Life Box 29, Folder 12 Slowly over islands events.. Box 29, Folder 13 Small Words Box 29, Folder 14 Snail... [Illegible script]

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 23 Accession Processed in 1985 POETRY

Box 29, Folder 15 Soliloquy Box 29, Folder 16 Sometimes sometimes.. Box 29, Folder 17 Sorrow almost overcome by the glory.. Box 29, Folder 18 Space Box 29, Folder 19 Squirrel's Stance Box 29, Folder 20 Statuette Box 29, Folder 21 Steamer at the Pier,... - Omitted from DISCRETE SERIES Box 29, Folder 22 Stone, steel, concrete, asphalt.. Box 29, Folder 23 Storm Box 29, Folder 24 Story Box 29, Folder 25 Story of Orpheus Box 29, Folder 26 Strained now, the poem, poet.. Box 29, Folder 27 Style Box 29, Folder 28 Sunday Box 29, Folder 29 Sun-lit it was no dream all's wild.. Box 29, Folder 30 Surface Box 29, Folder 31 Swimming Fish Box 29, Folder 32 Tears of the mourning.. Box 29, Folder 33 That host of beings, aspects, events.. Box 29, Folder 34 That nothing can be done.. Box 29, Folder 35 That Passion Box 29, Folder 36 Therefore I talked too much.. Box 29, Folder 37 There is a mobilization.. Box 29, Folder 38 These things.. Box 29, Folder 39 The Test Box 29, Folder 40 They snicker at the names of Aphrodite.. Box 29, Folder 41 This center, this small burden.. Box 29, Folder 42 Three Visions Box 29, Folder 43 Thing that gathers, not the words.. Box 29, Folder 44 Times is good my boy.. Box 29, Folder 45 This In Which we are.. Box 29, Folder 46 This is not home.. Box 29, Folder 47 To declare a motive.. Box 29, Folder 48 To Dream Box 29, Folder 49 Totally unhappy when I am unable to write well.. Box 29, Folder 50 To the Muse Box 29, Folder 51 The Town Box 29, Folder 52 Truck Stop Box 29, Folder 53 Truth.. Box 29, Folder 54 Turn in the soft dark.. Box 29, Folder 55 Turn from the watery edge.. Box 29, Folder 56 Twenty five years we feared.. Box 29, Folder 57 Therapy Box 29, Folder 58 Unemployed Box 29, Folder 59 Unknowable / In which we are.. Box 29, Folder 60 Unprintable Poems Box 29, Folder 61 Untitled Box 29, Folder 62 Us Box 29, Folder 63 Vedanta Box 29, Folder 64 Violence, in violence.. Box 29, Folder 65 Visit Box 29, Folder 66 Visit Box 29, Folder 67 Voice Box 29, Folder 68 Volkswagen Box 29, Folder 69 Walk Box 29, Folder 70 Waters wet bank of the low.. Box 29, Folder 71 We are speaking here.. Box 29, Folder 72 Wedding

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 24 Accession Processed in 1985 POETRY

Box 29, Folder 73 We had our lives.. Box 29, Folder 74 What does not.. Box 29, Folder 75 Whatever feelings mouse has got.. Box 29, Folder 76 What is beautiful.. Box 29, Folder 77 Wheelers and Dealers: The Theory of Games Box 29, Folder 78 Where does it take me?.. Box 29, Folder 79 Where were the poets?.. Box 29, Folder 80 Whether we found.. Box 29, Folder 81 Whether one reaches.. Box 29, Folder 82 Which Also We Know Box 29, Folder 83 Will.. Box 29, Folder 84 Wind Makes Up Box 29, Folder 85 Without self-mutilation there can be no.. Box 29, Folder 86 WISELY the sluggard.. Box 29, Folder 87 Woman, said Diane, speaking wisely.. Box 29, Folder 88 Women Box 29, Folder 89 Words.. Box 29, Folder 90 Words said over.. Box 29, Folder 91 Wry, wreched space of the television.. Box 29, Folder 92 You come seeking arms and that is not.. Box 29, Folder 93 Young Mother Box 29, Folder 94 Four illegible manuscripts

READING MANUSCRIPTS Scope and Content of Series Series 5) READING MANUSCRIPTS: Series 5 consists of collections of poems, usually bound in some manner, which Oppen prepared for several readings he gave during the 1960s and 1970s. They consist of manuscripts, annotated typescripts, and, most often, page proofs of published poems pasted onto standard typing paper. Directions noting time allotted for reading a poem, and poems that might be omitted if necessary, are written on the manuscripts, while introductory remarks are usually written on separate leaves and interspersed among the manuscripts or pasted to the covers of the grouping. (NOTE: the manuscript for the reading at the Guggenheim, one of the more interesting bindings fashioned by Oppen, was unwittingly disassembled during microfilming of the collection.)

Box 30, Folder 1 Reading selection from THE MATERIALS Box 30, Folder 2 Reading selection from THE MATERIALS and THIS IN WHICH Box 30, Folder 3 Manuscript for reading at the Guggenheim 1963 - 1964 Box 30, Folder 4 Manuscript for reading for The Academy of American Poets Box 30, Folder 5 Manuscript for reading 1964 - 1965 Box 30, Folder 6 Manuscript for reading , ca. early 1970s Box 30, Folder 7 Chapbook 1977. Possible reading manuscript of poems from PRIMITIVE

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 25 Accession Processed in 1985 PROSE, 1962-1984

PROSE, 1962-1984 Scope and Content of Series Series 6) PROSE, 1962-1984: Photocopies of the few essays, reviews, and statements that Oppen published after returning to the United States in 1959. There are no complete manuscripts or original typescripts of these works in the collection. Statements related, and perhaps seminal to a particular prose work, are scattered throughout the correspondence, notes, and daybooks. The prose works have been arranged chronologically according to date of the first publication. This would seem to approximate closely the chronology composition with the exception of "Statement of Poetics," written in 1975 for an interview by Reinhold Schiffer but not published until 1984. Also included in this series is a draft of an unfinished and unpublished essay titled "The Romantic Virtue." Not included are the several blurbs Oppen wrote for books by William Bronk, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, David Fisher, Jonathon Griffin, David McAleavey, and Sally Appleton Weber.

Box 31, Folder 1 Three Poets. Review of work by Allen Ginsberg, Charles Olson, and Michael McClure Box 31, Folder 2 Mind's Own Place Box 31, Folder 3 Letter from George Oppen Box 31, Folder 4 On Armand Schwerner Box 31, Folder 5 Letter Box 31, Folder 6 Note on Tom McGrath Box 31, Folder 7 Letter Box 31, Folder 8 Letter Box 31, Folder 9 Non-Resistance, Etc. Or: The Guiltless Box 31, Folder 10 Letter Box 31, Folder 11 Foreward Box 31, Folder 12 Note on Charles Tomlinson Box 31, Folder 13 Letter Box 31, Folder 14 My Debt to Him Box 31, Folder 15 Statement on Poetics Box 31, Folder 16 Romantic Virtue. Unpublished

INTERVIEWS, 1968-1980 Scope and Content of Series Series 7) INTERVIEWS, 1968-1980: Typescripts and photocopies of the interviews Oppen permitted during the last 15 years of his life. These are perhaps the best source for his comments on his poetic practices and contemporary poetry in general. The interviews are listed in chronological order according to the reported date of their occurrence. The Englebert-West interview probably took place in 1976 shortly after the death of Charles Reznikoff (see Englebert's correspondence to Oppen); however, in the version published in the American Poetry Review (1985), the interviewers date the conversation as taking place during the spring of 1975.

Box 31, Folder 17 George Oppen. Interviewed by L.S. Dembo Box 31, Folder 18 Conversation with George Oppen. Excerpt of interview by Charles Amirkhanian and David Gitin Box 31, Folder 19 Interview with George Oppen and Ted Berrigan. Interviewed by Ruth Gruber 1973 Box 31, Folder 20 Interview with George Oppen. Interviewed by Reinhold Schiffer Box 31, Folder 21 Conversation with George and Mary Oppen. Interviewed by Kevin Powers Box 31, Folder 22 George and Mary Oppen: An Interview. Interviewed by Michael Englebert and Michael West 1975 Box 31, Folder 23 Poetry and Politics: A Conversation with George and Mary Oppen. Interviewed by Burton Hatlen and Tom Mandel 1980

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 26 Accession Processed in 1985 TRANSLATIONS OF GEORGE OPPEN'S POETRY

TRANSLATIONS OF GEORGE OPPEN'S POETRY Scope and Content of Series Series 8) TRANSLATIONS: Translations of Oppen's poetry which were present in his papers or his library. The list is arranged chronologically according to date of publication, and the translator and publication in which the translations appeared have been identified.

Box 32, Folder 1 Jorge Guitart and Kevin Power, trans. Two Poems in EL UROGALLO, 5, 27-28, pp. 16-17 1974 Box 32, Folder 2 Serge Fauchereau, trans., QUELQUES TEXTES (Paris: Centre Georges Pompidou) 1977 Box 32, Folder 3 Marijke van der Hallen, trans., GEORGE OPPEN: GEDICHTEN. Bound thesis for German Philology. Bilingual text. A letter from Marijke van der Hallen to Mary Oppen has been inserted into the front of the thesis 1977 Box 32, Folder 4 Jacques Roubaud, trans. 24 Poems in UNE LITTERATURE MECONNUE DES U.S.A.; EUROPE: REVUE LITTERAIRE MENSUELLE, pp. 109-121 1977 Box 32, Folder 5 Claude Royet-Journoud, trans., 10 Poems in ARGILE XV (Spring 1978), pp. 18-41 Box 32, Folder 6 Friedhelm Kemp and Hoyt rogers, trans. Four Poems in ENSEMBLE 10: INTERNATIONALES JAHRBUCH FUR LITERATUR, ed. Heinz Piontek (Munchen: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag) pp.22-31. Bilingual publication in the autograph letter from Hoyt Rogers is included in the folder 1979 Box 32, Folder 7 Poemas, LA TORRE DE LOS TIEMPOS SIETE. Miguel Angel Flores (Mexico, D.F.) 1980

REVIEWS AND EPHEMERA Scope and Content of Series Series 9) REVIEWS AND EPHEMERA: Primarily comprised of reviews sent to Oppen by the reviewers themselves or, more often, by the Literary Clipping Service. The reviews are arranged alphabetically by name of reviewer. Rather than duplicate David McAleavey's bibliography of works about George Oppen's writings, only a short description of each folder's contents has been provided, noting the type and quantity of materials and the reviewers represented in the folder.

Box 33, Folder 1 A-G. Newspaper clippings, tear sheets from magazines, and photocopies, as well as some book lists in which George Oppen titles appear Box 33, Folder 2 H-M. Newspaper clippings, tear sheets from magazines, and photocopies. Includes a TL, presumably from Michael Heller and another one signed from Paul Mariah Box 33, Folder 3 N-S. Newspaper clippings, tear sheets from magazines, and photocopies. Includes TLs from Joel Oppenheimer Box 33, Folder 4 T-Z. Newspaper clippings, tear sheets from magazines, galley proofs, and photocopies Box 33, Folder 5 Reviews published in England. Newspaper clippings and photocopies Box 33, Folder 6-7 Ephemera. Includes announcements, programs, book lists, and advertisements

MICROFILM

Oversize FB-070 Microfilm version of George Oppen collection General note There are 33 rolls of microfilm, corresponding to the box-folder sequence of boxes 1-33.

Accessions Processed in 1989

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 27 Accessions Processed in 1989 MISCELLANEOUS ADDITIONS

MISCELLANEOUS ADDITIONS Scope and Content of Series Series 11) MISCELLANEOUS ADDITIONS: Includes correspondence, a typescript of a poem based on a phrase written by Charles Reznikoff, a 1973 interview transcript, reviews and ephemera. The 1989 additions are not microfilmed.

Correspondence Box 34, Folder 1 Streetfare Journal - Typed letter to Mary Oppen Box 34, Folder 2 Weinfield, Henry - Mostly undated letters written by George Oppen. ML, TL 1980 Box 34, Folder 3 Typescript of a poem based on a line by Charles Reznikoff undated Box 34, Folder 4 BBC Interview of Oppen, 21 August 1986 - Recorded 22 May 1973 - Two photocopies of typed transcript Reviews and ephemera Box 34, Folder 5 American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters brochures 1979 - 1980 Box 34, Folder 6 Catalogue of Exhibit, "This In Which: Materials and Vectors - George Oppen - A Prospect," Starr Library, Middlebury College 1986 Oversize MC-037, Certificate of Honor - Issued by the City of San Francisco 1969 Folder 11 Box 34, Folder 8 George Oppen, 75th Birthday Tribute - Poetry Center of San Francisco brochure Box 34, Folder 9 Kenner, Hugh, "George Oppen - In Memorium" - Poetry Project newsletter, TL to Mary Oppen 1984 Box 34, Folder 10 National Endowment for the Arts. TL, certificate 1980 - 1981 Box 34, Folder 11 Newspaper articles about George Oppen 1980 - 1988 Miscellaneous Box 34, Folder 12 Bronk, William, two letters to Oppen. Holograph. The two letters are dated 8 May 1968 (to George and Mary) and 23 July 1976 (to George). Both letters contain poems by Bronk 1968 - 1976 Box 34, Folder 13 Linenthal, Mark, GROWING LIGHT mock-up. Contains typescript insert of the poem "Coming To" General note Linenthal is the husband of Frances Jaffer; see Oppen's correspondence with Jaffer for more on Linenthal.

Box 34, Folder 14 Oppen, George, letter to John Crawford inscribed in "West End." "West End" vol. 1, no. 2, Spring-Summer 1972. Magazine contains one of Oppen's personalized green bookmarks 1972 Box 34, Folder 15 Oppen, George, published volume, THE MATERIALS. Volume contains author's editions and annotations 1962 Box 34, Folder 16 Oppen, George, published volume, THIS IN WHICH. Volume contains author's editions and annotations 1965 Box 34, Folder 17 Replansky, Naomi, "The Darkening Green." Typescript poems. Inscribed to George and Mary, April 1976. Contains author's hand-written editions 1976

George Oppen Papers MSS 0016 28