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Collection Overview

Creator:
Meredith, William, 1919-2007
Title:
Selected Papers of William Meredith
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/0c483j403
Dates:
1937-1967
Size:
5 boxes and 2.5 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1-5
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists, for the most part, of letters to American poet William Meredith (Princeton Class of 1940) from American authors, most of whom have been associated with Princeton.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists, for the most part, of letters to Meredith (Princeton Class of 1940) from American authors, most of whom have been associated with Princeton University. Correspondents include Allen Tate, Caroline Gordon, Donald Alfred Stauffer, Christian Gauss, Willard Thorp, and Richard P. Blackmur. Also included are typed manuscripts of Richard P. Blackmur's poem "All's the Foul Fiend's" and Willard Thorp's review of works by Robert Penn Warren and Meredith. Autograph manuscripts of verse are a part of Donald Stauffer's letters, and many of his letters are written on the backs of discarded manuscripts and galley proofs.

The following standard abbreviations, or their variations, are used to identify materials in this collection: ALS = autograph letter signed, AMs = autograph manuscript, TMs = Typewritten Manuscript.

Collection Creator Biography:

Meredith, William, 1919-2007

A member of the Princeton Class of 1940, William Meredith worked for the New York Times before joining the U.S. Army Air Force in 1941. Meredith later transferred to the Navy, serving as a pilot during World War II. During the war, Meredith's first collection of poems, Love Letter from an Impossible Land (1944) was published. After World War II, Meredith taught English at Princeton University and the University of Hawaii before returning to the Navy for service during the Korean War. Following the war, Meredith continued to teach and write, eventually joining the faculty of Connecticut College, where he taught from 1955 to 1983. In 1964, Meredith was elected a Chancellor of the American Academy of Poets and from 1978-1980, Meredith served as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Additionally, Meredith was recognized with the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his work, Partial Accounts: New and Selected Poems (1987), and the National Book Award for Efforts at Speech (1997). Meredith's friend, Robert Drew, was an artist.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Purchased from Richard Harteis, Attorney-in-fact for William Meredith with typed copy of poem "A View of the Brooklyn Bridge", a gift of Mrs. Alan Downer.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

Biography written by Alyxandra Cullen, '09.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Selected Papers of William Meredith; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/0c483j403
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1-5

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Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of biographical note: Dictionary of Literary Biography.

Subject Terms:
Poets, American -- 20th century.
Genre Terms:
Correspondence -- 20th century
Names:
Tate, Allen, 1899-1979
Thorp, Willard, 1899-1990