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Series 2: General Correspondence, 1949-1999

3 boxes
Collection Creator:
Motherwell, Robert and Rudikoff, Sonya (1927)
Dates:
1949-1999
Extent:
3 boxes
Languages:
English
Scope and Contents

This series includes Rudikoff's personal and professional correspondence from 1949 through 1997, along with some related correspondence of her husband, Robert Gutman, following her death in 1997. The original groups into which correspondence was filed were preserved and are reflected in the three file groups within this series, which include two distinct alphabetical runs of correspondence, divided by function into editorial and personal correspondence, along with a group of Robert Gutman's correspondence, both with Rudikoff throughout their courtship and marriage, as well as his correspondence regarding Rudikoff and her work, after her death.

Editorial correspondence regards Rudikoff's work as a writer, literary critic, editor, and committee member for various literary awards. A significant group of correspondence between Rudikoff and editors at The Hudson Review, including Paula Deitz, is present, along with correspondence with editors at The American Scholar, Daedalus, The New Yorker, The New Criterion, The New York Times, and other periodicals. Correspondence is also present regarding Rudikoff's roll in selecting candidates for the National Book Award and the Bennett Award, as well as a small amount of correspondence with writers Irving Howe, Nadine Gordimer, and Stanley Kunitz, and with relatives of Virginia Woolf, including Quentin Bell and Angelica Garnett. Personal correspondence primarily includes letters from various family friends, along with a small group of letters from Rudikoff to her parents, accounting her travels in London in 1952. Robert Gutman's correspondence includes love letters between Rudikoff and her husband, Gutman's correspondence with various parties regarding the posthumous publication of Rudikoff's book, Ancestral Houses: Virginia Woolf and the Aristocracy, and condolence letters sent to Gutman following Rudikoff's death in 1997.

Rudikoff's extensive correspondence with Helen Frankenthaler was filed separately and can be found in Series 1.

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

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.

Credit this material:

Series 2: General Correspondence; Sonya Rudikoff Papers, C1493, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (rcpxm): Box 2-4
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.

Processing Information

Some of the papers exhibit soot stains around the edges and other minor fire damage from a 1997 fire at the Gutman home, although their legibility is not compromised.

This collection was processed by Kelly Bolding in December 2014. Finding aid written by Kelly Bolding in December 2014.

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

This series includes Rudikoff's personal and professional correspondence from 1949 through 1997, along with some related correspondence of her husband, Robert Gutman, following her death in 1997. The original groups into which correspondence was filed were preserved and are reflected in the three file groups within this series, which include two distinct alphabetical runs of correspondence, divided by function into editorial and personal correspondence, along with a group of Robert Gutman's correspondence, both with Rudikoff throughout their courtship and marriage, as well as his correspondence regarding Rudikoff and her work, after her death.

Editorial correspondence regards Rudikoff's work as a writer, literary critic, editor, and committee member for various literary awards. A significant group of correspondence between Rudikoff and editors at The Hudson Review, including Paula Deitz, is present, along with correspondence with editors at The American Scholar, Daedalus, The New Yorker, The New Criterion, The New York Times, and other periodicals. Correspondence is also present regarding Rudikoff's roll in selecting candidates for the National Book Award and the Bennett Award, as well as a small amount of correspondence with writers Irving Howe, Nadine Gordimer, and Stanley Kunitz, and with relatives of Virginia Woolf, including Quentin Bell and Angelica Garnett. Personal correspondence primarily includes letters from various family friends, along with a small group of letters from Rudikoff to her parents, accounting her travels in London in 1952. Robert Gutman's correspondence includes love letters between Rudikoff and her husband, Gutman's correspondence with various parties regarding the posthumous publication of Rudikoff's book, Ancestral Houses: Virginia Woolf and the Aristocracy, and condolence letters sent to Gutman following Rudikoff's death in 1997.

Rudikoff's extensive correspondence with Helen Frankenthaler was filed separately and can be found in Series 1.

Arrangement

This series is arranged into three file groups, based on original order.

Collection History

Appraisal

Nothing was removed from the collection during 2014 processing.

Processing Information

Some of the papers exhibit soot stains around the edges and other minor fire damage from a 1997 fire at the Gutman home, although their legibility is not compromised.

This collection was processed by Kelly Bolding in December 2014. Finding aid written by Kelly Bolding in December 2014.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

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:

Series 2: General Correspondence; Sonya Rudikoff Papers, C1493, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
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Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (rcpxm): Box 2-4