Contents and Arrangement
Online

Correspondence, 1967-2016

4 boxes

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of correspondence of John Ennis from the 1960s through the 2010s, much of which has to do with matters related to poetry, both his own work and the work of others. Correspondents include fellow poets and authors, editors, publishers, and friends. Among them are Seamus Heaney, John F. Deane, Des Hogan, Dennis O'Driscoll, Brendan Kennelly, Macdara Woods, Neil Jordan, Michael Hartnett, Chris Agee, Noel Monahan, Seán Dunne, Paul Durcan, Frank Ormsby, Padraic Fiacc, Seán Lucy, Francis Stuart, Michael Longley, Peter Fallon (The Gallery Press), David Marcus (New Irish Writing, The Irish Press), James and Janice F. Simmons (The Poets House, Ireland), and others. There are both incoming letters, as well as copies of outgoing letters, often in the form of handwritten drafts.

Of note is a lengthy exchange between John Ennis and Peter Fallon, who published Ennis's first four books of poetry for The Gallery Press in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Much of the correspondence between Fallon and Ennis pertains to a dispute over the publication of Ennis's first book, Night on Hibernia, which was later resolved. Included alongside their correspondence is a copy of a memorandum of agreement for the book's publication. While most correspondence is arranged by correspondent, there is also a topical file of outgoing letters from Ennis and related materials pertaining to the Guest Lecture Series at Waterford Regional Technical College in the 1970s.

Additional correspondence that Ennis kept with his files on Poetry Ireland and the Irish-Canadian anthologies he edited can also be found in those file groups.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent.

Collection History

Appraisal

No materials were separated during 2017 processing.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Kelly Bolding in Spring-Summer 2017, with assistance from Kathryn Antonelli, Julia English '19, Fiona Bell '18, Sophia Alvarez '18, and Rachel Dubin '17. Finding aid written by Kelly Bolding in Spring-Summer 2017, with assistance from Julia English '19.

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:

Correspondence; John Ennis Papers, C1563, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (mss): Boxes B-000958 to B-000961