Samuel Greenlee Papers
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on September 27, 2021. English. Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester Rush Rhees Library Second Floor, Room 225 Rochester, NY 14627-0055 [email protected] URL: https://www.library.rochester.edu/spaces/rbscp Samuel Greenlee Papers
Table of Contents
Summary Information ...... 3 Biographical/Historical note ...... 3 Scope and Contents note ...... 4 Arrangement note ...... 4 Administrative Information ...... 4 Controlled Access Headings ...... 5 Collection Inventory ...... 5 Series I. Writings ...... 5 Series II. Biographical and Printed Materials ...... 8
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Summary Information
Repository: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester Creator: Greenlee, Sam, 1930-2014 Title: Samuel Greenlee Papers ID: D.342 Date [inclusive]: ca. 1965-2005 Physical Description: 7 boxes 4 manuscript boxes, 1 flat box, 2 audio visual materials boxes Language of the English Material:
Preferred Citation
(Name of item, if applicable), Samuel Greenlee Papers, ca. 1965-2005. Dept. of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester.
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Biographical/Historical note
Samuel Greenlee (1930-2014), novelist, poet, screenwriter, teacher, journalist, and talk show host, was born in Chicago on July 13, 1930. He was educated in Chicago public schools and received his B.S. in political science in 1952 from the University of Wisconsin. He attended law school the following year, but, deciding against a career in law, he transferred to the University of Chicago where he received his M.A. in international relations from 1954 through 1957. He was a foreign services officer with the U.S. Information Agency for the next seven years. In 1958, Greenlee won the Meritorious Service Award for bravery during the Baghdad revolution.
Greenlee's writing typically reflects the African American experience. His first novel, The Spook Who Sat By the Door, was published in 1968, and he co-wrote a screenplay adaption of this novel, which was released in 1974. He spent several years of voluntary exile in Europe and West Africa before moving back to Chicago.
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Scope and Contents note
The Samuel Greenlee Papers consists of Greenlee's typescripts, printed material, correspondence, photographs and awards. Biographical material in the collection highlights Greenlee's life and published works. The correspondence featured contains many letters written by Greenlee to his close friend, "Smalley," Mike Cook. In the letters, Greenlee discusses his work and travels in Europe. Ephemera in this collection includes magazines, newspapers, and reviews of Greenlee's work. The photographs in this colleelction show Greenlee as an older man surrounded by friends and family.
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Arrangement note
Series List
Series I. Writings
Series II. Biographical and Printed Materials
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Administrative Information
Publication Statement Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Rush Rhees Library Second Floor, Room 225 Rochester, NY 14627-0055 [email protected] URL: https://www.library.rochester.edu/spaces/rbscp
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Restrictions on Access The Samuel Greenlee Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note The Samuel Greenlee Papers were purchased through special allocation in 2005.
Restrictions on Use In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.
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Controlled Access Headings
• Authors, American • African American authors • Correspondence • Manuscripts • Photographs • Awards • Greenlee, Sam, 1930-2014
Collection Inventory
Series I. Writings Title/Description Instances
Box 1: Works: Novels, Non-Fiction, Plays Television Scripts, Short Stories, and Articles Title/Description Instances
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1. Djakarta Blues, excerpt, novel in progress, original typescript, unnumbered draft, pages 14-61, 72-75, 77-129, 131-137, 157-170, 175-195, and 205-206.
2. Djakarta Blues, pages 219-262, 264-265, 282-294, and 317-448.
3. Mykonos Blues, excerpt, novel in progress, original typescript.
4. Hard Head Blues, autobiography, excerpt, draft, original typescript.
5. "Don't Call Us Girls", TV Pilot Script, Reviews, and Interviews.
6. "Lisa Trotter", a modern screen adaptation of "Lysistrata," first draft, original typescript.
7. "Lisa Trotter", second draft, original and photocopied typescript.
8. "Lisa Trotter", final draft, original typescript.
9. Short Stories and Articles Title/Description Instances "Autumn Leaves," Negro Digest, January 1967, pages 69-73, photocopy.
"Blues for Little Prez," Black World, August 1973, pages 54-62, photocopy.
"The D.C. Blues," excerpt, Negro Digest, June 1969, pgs. 86-92, photocopy.
"Iraq's Army of Occupation," Chicago Observer, Volume 1, Issue 6, June 2003, page 4, original newsprint, 2 copies.
"Lies, Alibis the White House Gang," Chicago Observer Community Voices, August 2003, page 3, original newsprint.
"The Making of The Spook Who Sat by the Door," original typescript, 2 pages.
"The Sign," Negro Digest, February 1966, pgs. 61-63, photocopy.
"Sonny's Seasons," Black World, October 1970, pgs 58-63, photocopy.
"Summer Sunday," Negro Digest, September 1966, pages 60-61, photocopy.
"Yes, We Can Sing," Negro Digest, December 1965, pgs. 65-69, photocopy.
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Box 1a: "Sam's Blues" The Adventures of a Traveling Man a Memoir Title/Description Instances
1. "Sam's Blues" The Adventures of a Traveling Man a Memoir, typed manuscript
2. "Sam's Blues" The Adventures of a Traveling Man Volume One, typed manuscript (1 of 4)
3. "Sam's Blues" Volume One (2 of 4)
4. "Sam's Blues" Volume One (3 of 4)
5. "Sam's Blues" Volume One (4 of 4)
6. "Sam's Blues" The Adventures of a Traveling Man Volume Two, typed manuscript (1 of 2)
7. "Sam's Blues" Volume Two (2 of 2)
8. "Sam's Blues", typed manuscript fragment
9. Screenplay and Background Materials, The Spook Who Sat by the Door
Box 2: Works: Be-Bop Man/Be-Bop Woman: Poetry Other Raps Title/Description Instances
1. Be-Bop Man/Be-Bop Woman: Poetry Other Raps, self-published print-out, first edition, 1995, original typescript.
2. Be-Bop Man/Be-Bop Woman: Poetry Other Raps ["South Side Blues"], second edition, draft, unpublished, original typescript.
3. Be-Bop Man/Be-Bop Woman: Poetry Other Raps, draft, original typescript.
4. Be-Bop Man/Be-Bop Woman, corrected draft, April 1, 2005, original typescript, with manuscript revisions.
5. Be-Bop Man/Be-Bop Woman, corrected draft, May 25, 2005, original typescript, with manuscript revisions.
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6. Be-Bop Man/Be-Bop Woman: Poetry Other Raps, final draft, June 13, 2005, original typescript.
7. Draft Fragment
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Series II. Biographical and Printed Materials Title/Description Instances
Box 3: Correspondence, Printed Ephemera, Photographs, Awards, and Other Miscellaneous Ephemera Title/Description Instances
1. Biographical Materials
2. Correspondence: Smalley Mike Cook and Sam Greenlee, December 4, 1985, through October 24, 2000.
3. Reviews of Published Works
4. Printed Ephemera: The Spook Who Sat by the Door: Reviews, Interviews, and Other Ephemera.
5. Printed Ephemera
6. Photographs
7. Awards and Notices of Appearances
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