Robert Pinsky Papers
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf0w1001fk No online items Guide to the Robert Pinsky Papers Processed by Christy Smith, Tim Noakes, Megan Bradley, Caro, Peterson; machine-readable finding aid created by Ryan Max Steinberg Department of Special Collections Green Library Stanford University Libraries Stanford, CA 94305-6004 Phone: (650) 725-1022 Email: [email protected] URL: http://library.stanford.edu/spc © 1998 The Board of Trustees of Stanford University. All rights reserved. Guide to the Robert Pinsky Special Collections M0697 1 Papers Guide to the Robert Pinsky Papers Collection number: M0697 Department of Special Collections and University Archives Stanford University Libraries Stanford, California Contact Information Department of Special Collections Green Library Stanford University Libraries Stanford, CA 94305-6004 Phone: (650) 725-1022 Email: [email protected] URL: http://library.stanford.edu/spc Processed by: Christy Smith, Tim Noakes, Megan Bradley, Caro, Peterson Date Completed: September, 1997 Encoded by: Ryan Max Steinberg © 1998 The Board of Trustees of Stanford University. All rights reserved. Descriptive Summary Title: Robert Pinsky Papers Collection number: Special Collections M0697 Creator: Pinsky, Robert Extent: 19 linear ft. Repository: Stanford University. Libraries. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives. Language: English. Access Restrictions: Materials generated from Jan. 1996 on are partially restricted. Please enquire. Publication Rights: Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections. Provenance: Purchased by Stanford University Libraries from Robert Pinsky, April, 1994. Addenda received after 1994 are part of purchase agreement. Preferred Citation: [Identification of item] Robert Pinsky Papers, M0697, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif. BIOGRAPHY Robert Pinsky, poet and literary critic, was born in 1940 in Long Beach, New Jersey. He studied English at Rutgers University (B.A., 1962) and Stanford University (M.A. and Ph.D., 1967). He has taught at the University of Chicago (1966-67), Wellesley College (1967-1980), and the University of California, Berkeley (1980-present). Since 1979, Pinsky has been poetry editor for The New Republic. Pinsky has published two volumes of poetry: Sadness And Happiness (1975) and An Explanation of America (1979). His other major works are Landor's Poetry (1968)-a revision of his Ph.D. dissertation, The Situation of Poetry (1977)-a discussion of "this current moment" in modern poetry, and a verse translation of Dante's Inferno (1995). Pinsky's literary Guide to the Robert Pinsky Special Collections M0697 2 Papers criticism also includes articles written for various periodicals and a large number of book reviews for the Los Angeles Times. SCOPE AND CONTENT The Pinsky Papers is a collection of 19 linear feet of materials relating to the life and literary work of Robert Pinsky. The collection includes his personal and professional correspondence, poetry, literary criticism, and academic notes and papers. Also included are published and unpublished works by other poets, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia, as well as galley proofs for three of Pinsky's most recent books. Note The Robert Pinsky Papers includes several ADDENDA, each containing correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials pertaining to Pinsky's life and career. The materials are organized within each addendum, but are not interfiled; that is, materials that came together from the author remain together. Therefore, Pinsky's poetry (for example) can be found in several different locations throughout the collection-in boxes 4-8 (original collection), 15-16 (Addendum 1), 19a-20 (Addendum 2), 20-21 (Addendum 3), 27 (Addendum 4), and 33 (Addenda 5 and 6). To ensure a thorough viewing of the entire contents of any given series or subseries, please consult the ENTIRE container listing for each series and/or CONSULT SPECIAL COLLECTIONS STAFF. Due to varying contents and time lapses between addenda, organization varies throughout the collection. Due to the nature of the collection, there is a great deal of overlap between series. For example, personal correspondence often contains poetry; some poetry files include correspondence and miscellany filed by Pinsky as "source material"; items from various categories are often filed together as they came from Pinsky or as is most logical. To avoid overlooking relevant materials, researchers should peruse the guide and browse the entire collection. Additional materials are still arriving from Pinsky, often in small installments. These addenda will be organized as they are received and added at the end of the collection. Check with Special Collections staff for contents updates. Processor: September, 1996 Series I. Correspondence: Scope and Content Note Note This series consists of alphabetically arranged personal and professional correspondence. In the original collection, correspondence from relatives (including Pinsky's parents, grandparents, and siblings) is filed together. Other major personal correspondence includes letters from other contemporary writers such as David Bromwich, Alan Cheuse, Donald Davie, Digby Diehl, Edwin Honig, James McMichael, and John Peck. The professional correspondence is alphabetized by organization or topic. Under The New Republic correspondence are both Pinsky's correspondence with the magazine and drafts of poetry submitted to Pinsky in his position as poetry editor, organized alphabetically by author. Another large section of professional correspondence consists of Pinsky's files on his poetry readings, arranged by the names of the host institutions. Corrspeondence in the addenda is generally kept all together, organized alphabetically by last name or institution name, and occasionally by subject. Series II. Poetry: Scope and Content Note Note Drafts of Pinsky's Sadness And Happiness and An Explanation of America are arranged in order of refinement, from the first draft to the final manuscript. The drafts of Sadness And Happiness are listed under various titles as the book progresses, and all copies of poems which have been deleted are to be found following the draft in which they last appeared. The drafts of An Explanation of America are organized according to the internal sections of the book itself. Miscellaneous poetry is arranged alphabetically by title. Translations by Pinsky (of work by Boris Christov and Czeslaw Milosz, and of Dante's Infemo) are also inluded. Guide to the Robert Pinsky Special Collections M0697 3 Papers Series III. Criticism: Series III. Criticism: Scope and Content Note Note Included in this series are articles by Pinsky, as well as book reviews for the Los Angeles Times, arranged alphabetically by the last name of the author being reviewed. The notes, drafts, and revisions of The Situation of Poetry are organized by chapters, in order of refinement. Series IV. Academic Papers: Scope and Content Note Note These undergraduate and graduate papers and notes remain in the order in which Pinsky arranged them. Major papers included are his undergraduate honors thesis, "The Plays of T. S. Eliot," and his graduate thesis, "The Poetry of Walter Savage Landor." Materials from Pinsky's 1981 trip to Eastern Europe are also included in this series. Series V. Memorabilia: Scope and Content Note Note The items in this series include invitations to readings, newspaper clippings, and other miscellaneous material. Series VI. Poetry and Prose by Other Writers: Scope and Content Note Note Included in this series are published and unpublished works by other writers, sent to Pinsky by his friends and former students. This includes large quantities of work by poets such as Frank Bidart, Carl Dennis, David Ferry, Barry Goldensohn, Donald Hall, Robert Hass, John Hollander, Kathryn Hellerstein, James McMichael, Lloyd Scwartz, and David Thorburn. Series VII. Galley Proofs and Oversized: Scope and Content Note Note Included in this series are oversized materials and the galley proofs for Pinsky's three most recent books. Series VIII. Interviews: Scope and Content Note Note This series consists of interviews with Pinsky. Series I. Correspondence Subseries: General A, misc.: Box 1, Folder 1 Agenda (Michael Collier) Box 1, Folder 1 Allen, Dick Box 1, Folder 1 The American Poetry Review Box 1, Folder 1 The American Review (Richard Howard) Box 1, Folder 1 American Scholar Box 1, Folder 1 Antæus (Daniel Halpern) Box 1, Folder 1 Arion Guide to the Robert Pinsky Special Collections M0697 4 Papers Series I. Correspondence Subseries: General Box 1, Folder 1 Ascent Box 1, Folder 1 Ashbery, John Box 1, Folder 1 Ashbury Park Press Box 1, Folder 1 Aswell, Duncan Box 1, Folder 1 The Atlantic Monthly B, misc.: Box 1, Folder 2 Babb, Howard Box 1, Folder 2 Bailey, Sam Box 1, Folder 2 Barth, Fred Box 1, Folder 2 Bates, Karen Box 1, Folder 2 Baum, Beth Box 1, Folder 2 Bedient, Calvin Box 1, Folder 2 Beloit Journal Box 1, Folder 2 Bernstein, Richard (Pepper, Hamilton & Sheetz) Box 1, Folder 2 Black, Helene [?] Box 1, Folder 2 Boston Public Library Box 1, Folder 2 boundary 2 (William Spanos/Philip Dow) Box 1, Folder 2 Brandeis University Box 1, Folder 2 Braude, Ben Box 1, Folder 2 Burns, Gerald Box 1, Folder 3 Blacksmith Poetry Newsletter (Gail Mazur, Judith Baumel)