Letters to Geoffrey Elborn
Overview
James Purdy (1914-2009) was an American novelist, playwright, and poet known for his grim and surreal depictions of socially marginalized characters. This collection includes a series of letters written by Purdy between 1976 and 1981 to Scottish writer Geoffrey Elborn. The letters discuss Elborn's in-process book about British critic and poet Dame Edith Sitwell, with whom Purdy was acquainted, as well as Purdy's difficulty with publishers. An annotated typescript of Purdy's 1976 play, A Day After the Fair, is also included in the collection.
Dates
- Creation: 1976 - 1981
Creator
- Purdy, James, 1914-2009 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
Biography of James Purdy
James Otis Purdy (July 17, 1914 – March 13, 2009) was an American author of novels, short stories, plays and poetry. Purdy was born near Fremont, Ohio to William and Vera Covick Purdy. He studied English and Spanish at the University of Chicago, the University of Puebla in Mexico and the University of Madrid in Spain. Purdy went on to teach English at Lawrence University in Wisconsin until 1953, when he began writing full-time.
Purdy's works often take the perspective of an outsider and are typified by morbid and surreal characters and scenarios. His characteristic use of rural American vernacular and locales is also noteworthy. Purdy’s early work was heavily censored or rejected by American publishers, forcing him to publish privately or abroad. While critically maligned as lewd and sophomoric early in his career, Purdy’s work has been celebrated since the 1990s.
Extent
0.25 linear foot (1 document case)
Language of Materials
English
Physical Location
MS 302
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase, R.A. Gekoski, 2012
Subject
- Elborn, Geoffrey, 1950- (Person)
- Sitwell, Edith, 1887-1964 (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the James Purdy Collection
- Subtitle
- Letters to Geoffrey Elborn
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by bhm, 2012. Finding aid encoded by bhm, 2012. Finding aid revised by eear, 2012.
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in English.
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/7269624622
- Preferred citation
-
Letters to Geoffrey Elborn, MS 302, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository