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A Guide to the Additional Papers of Charles Wright 1951-2003> Wright, Charles, Additional Papers 11437-b, -c

A Guide to the Additional Papers of Charles Wright 1951-2003>

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Special Collections
The University of Virginia Library
Accession Number 11437-b, -c


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Processed by: Special Collections Staff

Repository
Special Collections, University of Virginia Library
Accession number
11437-b, -c
Title
Additional Papers of Charles Wright 1957-2003
Physical Characteristics
This addition to the papers of University of Virginia English professor and poet Charles Wright, Charlottesville, Virginia, consists of ca. 2,000 items (9 Hollinger boxes, 4 linear feet).
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Additional Papers of Charles Wright, Accession #11437-b, -c, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

These additions to the papers of Charles Wright were purchased from the poet by the University of Virginia Library in May 2002 and May 2003.

Biographical/Historical Information

Charles Wright was born in Pickwick Dam, Hardin County, Tennessee on August 25, 1935, to Charles Penzel and Mary Castleman (Winter) Wright, and was educated at Davidson College (B.A., 1957), the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop (M.F.A., 1963) and the University of Rome (1963-1964). He served in the United States Army Intelligence Corps, 1957-1961, where he studied at the Army Language School, Monterey, California, the first year. He spent the remaining three years of service in and around Verona, Italy, returning there to study on a Fulbright grant in 1963-1964.

Since 1966, Wright has been an English professor, first at the University of California, Irvine (1966-1983), and then at the University of Virginia (1983 until the present). He married Holly McIntire in 1969, and published his first book of poems, The Grave of the Right Hand , in 1970. Other titles of poetry include: Hard Freight (1973); Bloodlines (1975); China Trace (1977); The Southern Cross (1981); Country Music: Selected Early Poems (1982); The Other Side of the River (1984); Zone Journals (1988); The World of Ten Thousand Things: Poems 1980- 1990 (1990); Chickamauga (1995); Black Zodiac (1997) and Appalachia (1998).

During his entire career, Wright has won national recognition for his poetry. Several of these awards include the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Academy of American Poets for Bloodlines (1976), the National Book Award in poetry for Country Music: Selected Early Poems (1983), the Ruth Lilly Poetry prize (1993), the Academy of American Poets Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize for Chickamauga (1996), and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Black Zodiac (1998). He has also received awards for his work in translation, notably the PEN Translation Prize for his translation of the Italian poet Eugenio Montale's The Storm and Other Things . Wright has also published translations of the Italian poet Dino Campana ( Orphic Songs , 1984).

For more complete biographical and professional information consult the Gale Literary Database on Contemporary Authors and the web site for the Pulitzer Prizes on the Internet, Wright's essay in The Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series , the essay about Wright by George F. Buttrick in The Dictionary of Literary Biography , the volume The Point Where All Things Meet: Essays on Charles Wright collected and edited by Tom Andrews, and the biographical folder in Box 36. Also helpful are the two collections of critical essays and interviews about Wright published in Halflife: Improvisations and Interviews, 1977-1987 , University of Michigan Press (1988) and Quarter Notes: Improvisations and Interviews , University of Michigan Press (1995).

Scope and Content

This addition to the papers of University of Virginia English professor and poet Charles Wright, Charlottesville, Virginia, consist of ca. 2,000 items (9 Hollinger boxes, 4 linear feet), ca. 1951-2003, chiefly correspondence and manuscripts, but also includes an honorary degree from Tusculum College, Greenville, Tennessee; a Who's Who certificate; poster; and a few photographs.

The correspondence series has three sub-groups, the first is the letters from Charles Wright to his family, chiefly his mother, 1958-1965, arranged chronologically. The second group consists of an alphabetical arrangement of correspondence to Wright from colleagues, friends, editors, and publishers. Some of the more frequent correspondents have been placed in their own separate folder. A third group contains correspondence concerning invitations to attend conferences, poetry readings, workshops, and other events, invitations to contribute to poetry magazines and anthologies, and requests for recommendations for students or colleagues, permissions to use his poems, and requests for Wright to judge poetry competitions.

The second series consisting of manuscripts and miscellaneous papers contains the manuscripts for Wright's books, Crepuscolo Americano , a selection of poems by Charles Wright and their translation, Negative Blue (2000), and A Short History of the Shadow . Other materials include photographs of Charles Wright with other individuals, two bound poetry notebooks belonging to Wright containing his original hand- written poetry, a folder of individual poems by Wright, the typescript for Uncollected Prose: Six Guys and a Supplement The Jordan Lectures 1999-2000 by Charles Wright, a Who's Who certificate for Wright, an honorary degree from Tusculum College, Greeneville, Tennessee awarded in 1986, and a typescript by Bonnie Costello, "Charles Wright, Giorgio Morandi and the Metaphysics of the Line."

Arrangement

This collection is organized in two basic series, Series I: Correspondence (Boxes 1-7), and Series II: Manuscripts and Miscellaneous Papers (Boxes 7-9). The correspondence series is arranged in three sub- groups. These consist of letters from Charles Wright to his family in chronological order (Boxes 1-2), an alphabetical arrangement of correspondence from colleagues, other poets, etc. (Boxes 2-6), and professional correspondence concerning speaking appearances, permissions, poetry readings, and other events arranged chronologically (Boxes 6-7).

Contents List

Series I: Correspondence
  • Boxes 1-2
    Correspondence to Family 1957-1965

    Chronological

    • Box-folder 1:1
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1957, 1958 May-Jul.
    • Box-folder 1:2
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1958 Aug.-Dec.
    • Box-folder 1:3
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1959 Jan.-Mar.
    • Box-folder 1:4
      4) Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1959 Apr.-Jun.
    • Box-folder 1:5
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1959 Jul.-Sep.
    • Box-folder 1:6
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1959 Oct.-Dec.
    • Box-folder 1:7
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1960 Jan.-Jun.
    • Box-folder 1:8
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1960 Jul.-Oct.
    • Box-folder 1:9
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1960 Nov.-Dec.
    • Box-folder 2:1
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1961 Jan.-May
    • Box-folder 2:2
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1961 Jul.-Dec.
    • Box-folder 2:3
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1962 Jan.-Apr.
    • Box-folder 2:4
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1962 May-Aug.
    • Box-folder 2:5
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1962 Sep.-Dec.
    • Box-folder 2:6
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1963 Jan.-Jun.
    • Box-folder 2:7
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1963 Jul.-Dec.
    • Box-folder 2:8
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1964
    • Box-folder 2:9
      Letters from Charles Wright to his family 1965
  • Boxes 2-6
    Correspondence from Colleagues 1978-2003

    Alphabetical

    • Box-folder 2:10
      Correspondence: A 1994-2002

      includes: Gary Adelman, Chris Agee, Debra Allbery, George Amabile, John Amen (The Pedestal Magazine), American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Poetry Review

    • Box-folder 2:11
      Correspondence: Academy of American Poets 1996-2002
    • Box-folder 2:12
      Correspondence: American Academy of Arts and Letters 2000-2002
    • Box-folder 2:13
      Correspondence: Tom Andrews 1994-2002
    • Box-folder 3:1
      Correspondence: Ba-Be 1995-2002

      includes: Massimo Bacigalupo, Aaron Baker, David Baker, Edward L. Baker, Jim Barnes, Lee Bassett, Ann Beattie, Dan Becker, Molly Bendall, Eleanor Benedict, David Berman

    • Box-folder 3:2
      Correspondence: Bl-By 1991-2002

      includes: Helena Blavatsky, Michael Blumenthal, Robert Bly, Deborah Bogen, Don Bogen, Shane Book, Phillip Booth, David Bottoms, Robert Bowie, Lucie Brock-Broido, Ron Brooks, Olga Broumas, Stephen Ford Brown, Christopher Buckley, Esther and Don Burch, Michael A. Burke

    • Box-folder 3:3
      Correspondence: James Brasfield 1999-2002
    • Box-folder 3:4
      Correspondence: Aldo Buzzi 1997-2000
    • Box-folder 3:5
      Correspondence: C 1995-2003

      includes: Christopher Cahill, Laurie Callahan, Ann Campanella, Anne Candelaria, Karen Cangialosi, Alberto Caramella, Italian poet (1928- ), Jennifer Casale, Martin Caseley, Vincent Castagnacci, John Casteen IV, Michael Chitwood, Nicholas Christopher, James A. Churchill, Jeffrey Cobb, Anne Coray, Bonnie Costello, Tony Crunk

    • Box-folder 3:6
      Correspondence: Killarney Clary 2000-2002
    • Box-folder 3:7
      Correspondence: D 1997-2003

      includes: Mangalesh Dabral, Hindu poet (1948- ), Kyle Dargar, Davidson College, Samuel Davis, William V. Davis, Alfredo de [Beldi ?], Philip F. Deaver, Nicholas Delbanco, Matthew Deming, Robert D. Denham (Iron Mountain Press), Alfredo Giop DePalchi, Annette V. Dew, Garrett Doherty, Catherine Doty, Rita Dove, Lynn Dow, Stephen Dunn

    • Box-folder 3:8
      Correspondence: E-F 1996-2003

      includes: Allan D. Elder, Jessica Engels, Stephen Enniss, Robert Evans, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Chris Forhan, Harry Ford, Antonella Francini

    • Box-folder 3:9
      Correspondence: G 1994-2003

      includes: Jonathan Galassi, George Garrett, Ted Genoways, Monica Germino, Matthew and Debra Gildea, James S. Gilmore, III, Robert Giroux, Rebecca Givens, Elton Glaser, Cary Goldstein, Judith Gleason, Norman A. Graebner, [Jorie Graham], Loren Graham, [Jerrie] Graybill, Arthur Gregor, Eamon Grennan

    • Box-folder 3:10
      Correspondence: H 1991-2003

      includes: Donald Hall, Daniel Halpern, David Hamilton, Michael S. Harper, David Harris, Henry Hart, Kevin Hart, Richard Harteis, John Hawkes, Kathleen Hellen, Mike Heller, Peter R. Henry, Brenda Hillman, Gill Holland, John Hollander, Garrett Hongo

    • Box-folder 3:11
      Correspondence: William Harmon 1995-2000
    • Box-folder 4:1
      Correspondence: Brian Henry 1998-2000
    • Box-folder 4:2
      Correspondence: Charles Hood 1996-1999
    • Box-folder 4:3
      Correspondence: I-J 1990-2001

      includes: Paul Jacobs, Mark Jarman, Nicholas Jenkins, Dan Jordan, Steve Juscik, Don Justice

    • Box-folder 4:4
      Correspondence: K 1992-2002

      includes: Marilyn Kallet, Megan Kaminski, Deborah Abbey Kelly, John Kenna, Sr., Robert Hunter Kennedy, III, Ruth Kessler, James Kimbrell, Doug King, Lauren Kingsley, Elizabeth Kirschner, Janet D. Knepper, Joseph W. Knittle, Del Kolve, Elena Kondracki, Nicole Krauss

    • Box-folder 4:5
      Correspondence: L 1994-2002

      includes: John Lang, David Lehman, Jill Leininger, Graham Leonard, Michael Levenson, Leatrice Lifshitz, James Longenbach, Jon Loomis, Richard Lyons

    • Box-folder 4:6
      Correspondence: Philip Levine 1994-2002
    • Box-folder 4:7
      Correspondence: Mc 1999-2002

      includes: J.D. McClatchy ("Sandy"), Davis McCombs, Jeanne McDonald, Kevin McFadden, Michael McFee, John McKernan, Lynne McMahon, Nellie Miller McNeil

    • Box-folder 4:8
      Correspondence: Ma-Me 1991-2003

      includes: Gerard Malanga, Paul Mariani, Boyce F. Martin, Jr., Dave and Jynne Martin, Gary W. Mayne, Nahum Medalia, Stephen [Meffeni ?]

    • Box-folder 4:9
      Correspondence: Mi-Mu 2000-2002

      John Milbank, Wilmer Mills, Mary Molinary, Gil Moody, Diana Moreira, Robert Morgan, Mario Moroni, Richard B. Morris, Joshua Morison, Andrew Mulvania

    • Box-folder 4:10
      Correspondence: Lynn Martin 1999-2001
    • Box-folder 4:11
      Correspondence: Sue Ann Mead and Dalouge Smith ca. 1994-1996
    • Box-folder 4:12
      Correspondence: Carol Muske-Dukes 2000-2003
    • Box-folder 4:13
      Correspondence: N-O 1981, 1990-2002

      includes: Patty Nicholas, Nancy Norelli, Debra Nystrom, Dennis O'Driscoll, Anthony Oldcorn, Chad Oness, Barbara Orlovsky

    • Box-folder 5:1
      Correspondence: P 1996-2003

      includes: Geraldine Palastrant, Jay Parini, Joseph Parisi, Kelli Rae Patton, Lu Peck, Jacqueline Penn, J. Perez, James E. Pitts, Stan Plumly, Gaetano Prampolini, Steve Price, Betsy Pritchard

    • Box-folder 5:2
      Correspondence: Don Platt 1996-2002
    • Box-folder 5:3
      Correspondence: R 1992-2002

      includes: Robert Randolph, John Reed, Anne Reed, Melanie Rehak, David Remnick, David Rifenburgh, David Rigsbee, John Ridland, Robert Rogers, Steven H. Rubin, Michael Ryan, John Rybicki

    • Box-folder 5:4
      Correspondence: Maggie Ross 1984, 1994-2002
    • Box-folder 5:5
      Correspondence: Mark Rudman 2000-2002
    • Box-folder 5:6
      Correspondence: Sa-Sp 1978-2002

      includes: Ira Sadoff, Howard L. Salyer, M.D., Mary Ann Samyn, Leonard Sandridge, Sherod Santos, Tom Sheehan, Deborah Sheer, Bill Sheppard, Gary Short, Jane R. Shippen, Kennett L. Simmons, Maurya Simon, Lea Simonds, Jeffrey Skinner, Dave Smith, Dean Smith, Rod T. Smith, Ron Smith, Ellison A. Smyth, Thomas W. Solter, Willard Spiegelman

    • Box-folder 5:7
      Correspondence: St-Sz 1994-2002

      includes: Sophia Starnes, George M. Steele, Jean Stein, Rene Steinke, Lisa Stendig, Stefan Stoenesen, Anne Strachan, Dabney Stuart, Adrienne Su, David Summers, Elisabeth Swain, Mary Szybist, Larissa Szporluk

    • Box-folder 5:8
      Correspondence: Harold Schimmel 1995-2002
    • Box-folder 5:9
      Correspondence: Stride Publications 1996-2001
    • Box-folder 5:10
      Correspondence: T 1980-2003

      includes: John Tagliabue, Eleanor Ross Taylor, Phillip Taylor, Mac Test, Mike Theune, Harry Thomas, Nye Thuesen, [Hope ?] Tschopik, Michelle Turner

    • Box-folder 5:11
      Correspondence: Unidentified 1995-2003
    • Box-folder 5:12
      Correspondence: U-V 1992-2002

      includes: University of Michigan Press, Helen Vendler, Claude Vidal, Robert C. Von Bargen

    • Box-folder 5:13
      Correspondence: W 1994-2003

      includes: M. Walsh, Rosanna Warren, Susan Weinberg, Susan Wheeler, Betsy Tice White, Karen Whitehill, Anne Whitehouse, Richard Wilbur, C.K. Williams, Lisa Williams, Amy Wilson, Karin Wittenborg, J. Howard Woolmer, Shannon Worrell, Jay Wright, Luke Wright, Moorhead Wright

    • Box-folder 5:14
      Correspondence: Y-Z 1989, 2000-2002

      includes: Mel Yoken, C. Dale Young, David Young, Gary Young, Karl P. Zender, Jan Zwicky

    • Box-folder 6:1
      Correspondence: Andrew Zawacki 1997-2003
  • Boxes 6-7
    Professional Correspondence 1993-2003
    • Box-folder 6:2
      Correspondence concerning Invitations to Conferences, Workshops, Poetry Readings, etc. 1999
    • Box-folder 6:3
      Correspondence concerning Invitations to Conferences, Workshops, Poetry Readings, etc. 2000
    • Box-folder 6:4
      Correspondence concerning Invitations to Conferences, Workshops, Poetry Readings, etc. 2001
    • Box-folder 6:5
      Correspondence concerning Invitations to Conferences, Workshops, Poetry Readings, etc. 2002
    • Box-folder 6:6
      Correspondence concerning Poetry Magazine and Anthology Contributions by Wright, including Permissions 1993-1999
    • Box-folder 6:7
      Correspondence concerning Poetry Magazine and Anthology Contributions by Wright, including Permissions 2000
    • Box-folder 6:8
      Correspondence concerning Poetry Magazine and Anthology Contributions by Wright, including Permissions 2001
    • Box-folder 6:9
      Correspondence concerning Poetry Magazine and Anthology Contributions by Wright, including Permissions 2002-2003, n.d.
    • Box-folder 6:10
      Correspondence concerning Requests for Recommendations, Evaluations of Colleagues and to Judge Poetry Contests 1995-1999
    • Box-folder 7:1
      Correspondence concerning Requests for Recommendations, Evaluations of Colleagues and to Judge Poetry Contests 2000-2003, n.d.
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Series II: Manuscripts and Miscellaneous Papers
  • Box-folder 7:2
    "Charles Wright, Giorgio Morandi and the Metaphysics of the Line" by Bonnie Costello ca. 1998
  • Box-folder 7:3
    Crepuscolo Americano , a selection of poems by Charles Wright and their translation 2001 Jan. 28
    Page Proofs with corrections by Wright (1 of 2 folders)
  • Box-folder 7:4
    Crepuscolo Americano , a selection of poems by Charles Wright and their translation 2001 Jan. 28
    Page Proofs with corrections by Wright (2 of 2 folders)
  • Box-folder 7:5
    Honorary Degree from Tusculum College, Greeneville, Tennessee, with Wright's Remarks and Program 1986 May 4
  • Box-folder 7:6
    Miscellaneous Papers 1951-2002
  • Box-folder 7:7
    Negative Blue [ca. 1999]
    Setting Copy
  • Box-folder 8:1
    Negative Blue 1999 Oct. 4
    Page Proofs, with corrections by the author
  • Box-folder 8:2
    Negative Blue 1999 Oct. 4
    First Pass Pages Master
  • Box-folder 8:3
    Negative Blue 1999 Nov. 8
    Page Proofs, Master Pages
  • Box-folder 8:4
    Negative Blue 1999 Nov. 8
    Author's Proof, with author's corrections added on November 22, 1999
  • Box-folder 9:1
    Photographs 1969-2001
  • Box-folder 9
    Poetry 2001, n.d.
    Miscellaneous manuscripts, typescripts, and page proofs
  • Box-folder 9:3
    Poetry Notebook 1999 Mar.-2003 May

    containing original hand-written poetry by Wright

  • Box-folder 9:4
    Poetry Notebook 1999 Nov. 10-2002 Oct. 19

    containing original hand-written poetry by Wright

  • Box-folder 9:5
    A Short History of the Shadow [ca. 2001 ?]
    Typescript
  • Box-folder 9:6
    A Short History of the Shadow [2001] Oct. 22
    Page Proofs
  • Box-folder 9:7
    A Short History of the Shadow 2001 Nov. 21
    Page Proofs with author's corrections
  • Box-folder 9:8
    A Short History of the Shadow Dust Jackets 2002
  • Box-folder 9:9
    A Short History of the Shadow Reviews 2002
  • Box-folder 9:10
    Uncollected Prose: Six Guys and a Supplement The Jordan Lectures 1999-2000 by Charles Wright 2000
  • Box-folder 9:11
    Who's Who certificate 2001
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