Paul Merchant Papers, 1963-2011

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Title:

Paul Merchant Papers

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/cz30q017m

Dates:

1963-2011

Size:

0.6 linear feet and 2 boxes

Storage Note:

Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes B-001819, B-002075

Language:

English Greek, Modern

Abstract: Consists of Merchant's manuscript drafts, correspondence, photographs, inscribed books, and other materials relating to the Greek poet Helenē Vakalo (1921-2001), and his English translation of Genealogia. The collection also contains writings by Giannēs Ritsos, Kimon Friar, and materials of other authors and publishers.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Content Description

Consists of Vakalo's autograph and typescript manuscripts of "Geneaologia" in Greek; Merchant's typescript drafts of the English translation with annotations; correspondence: Helene Vakalo to Paul Merchant (1967-1978); Vakalo with William Moelwyn Merchant (1971-1972) concerning the Rougemount Press edition "Genealogy"; Merchant's correspondence with Giannēs Ritsos, Kimon Friar, and Peter Dent, as well as some editorial correspondence; typescript of the talk "The Importance of Translation from Greek"; related materials regarding the honorary doctorate Ritsos awarded from the University of Birmingham in 1978, together with a single-poem memento of the occasion inscribed to Merchand by Ritsos and a photo with Ritsos; an offprint inscribed by Ritsos including manuscript alterations on pages 11 and 16 (1966); two books inscribed to Merchand by Vakalo and a few photographs of Helene and George Vakalo, slides and photo negatives; one recording of Ritsos reading and two recordings of the BBC Radio 3 Program. There are also two notebooks/diaries from Merchant's time in Athens, Greece from 1966-1967.

Collection Creator Biography:

Merchant

Paul Merchant is a poet, editor, and translator. He edited Modern Poetry In Translation 4 (1968), which included the first selection of Ritsos published in England. He is also the translator of Eleni Vakalo's Genealogy (1971). He taught for many years at Warwick University before becoming William Stafford Archivist at Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon. His collection of poems Bone from a Stag's Heart was a 1988 British Poetry Book Society Recommendation. His fourth collection of poems, Some Business of Affinity (2006), was a finalist for an Oregon Book Award. His recent translations from Yannis Ritsos are Monochords (Trask House Press 2007), and Twelve Poems about Cavafy (Tavern Books, 2010). (Entry from Oregon Poetic Voices http://oregonpoeticvoices.org/poet/77/).

Collection History

Acquisition:: Gift of Paul Merchant in July 2019 (AM 2020-10).
Appraisal: No materials were removed from the collection during 2019 processing.
Processing Information: This collection was processed by Kalliopi Balatsouka in August 2019. Finding aid written by Kalliopi Balatsouka in November 2019.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is 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.

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