Lee Anderson Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-MS-ms004

Staff Only

Dates

Creation: 1933-1972

Creator

Anderson, Lee, 1896-1972 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Open

Conditions Governing Use

Users of the collection must read and agree to abide by the rules and procedures set forth in the Materials Use Policies.

Providing access to materials does not constitute permission to publish or otherwise authorize use. All publication not covered by fair use or other exceptions is restricted to those who have permission of the copyright holder, which may or may not be Washington University.

If you wish to publish or license Special Collections materials, please contact Special Collections to inquire about copyright status at (314) 935-5495 or spec@wumail.wustl.edu. (Publish means quotation in whole or in part in seminar or term papers, theses or dissertations, journal articles, monographs, books, digital forms, photographs, images, dramatic presentations, transcriptions, or any other form prepared for a limited or general public.)

Extent

42.00 boxes

Additional Description

Biographical Information

Lee Anderson (1896-1972) was an American poet. He was born in Saxton, Pennsylvania and attended the University of Pittsburgh. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War I and spent several years as a self-employed printer and farmer in western Pennsylvania. In 1942, he published his collection of poetry, Prevailing Winds. Anderson became interested in poetry readings and the oral aspects of poetry and began to record contemporary poets reading their work onto audiotape. At first, Anderson kept the recordings for his personal collection but soon he was asked by the Library of Congress to record and submit recorded poetry readings to the library. In 1955, Yale University acquired Anderson's complete collection of more than 500 tapes of contemporary British and American poets reading from their work, including duplicates of recordings donated to the Library of Congress. In addition, Yale hired Anderson as a Research Associate. While at Yale, he helped produce the Yale Series of Recorded Poets, a collection of LP records of poets reading their work which was derived largely from Anderson's tape collection.

Arrangement

Series 1: Correspondence is divided into three subseries. Subseries 1.1. Personal correspondence, 1933-1974; letters filed chronologically by author, includes selected manuscripts, by others filed with letters, Boxes 1-7. Subseries 1.2. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1933-1972, letters filed chronologically, Box 8. Subseries 1.3. John Trimmer Journal, 1963-1969, consists of letters Lee Anderson wrote to his friend John Trimmer, which he regarded as journal entries.

Series 2: Manuscripts is divided into four subseries. Subseries 2.1. Titled Poems, arranged alphabetically, Boxes 10-11. Subseries 2.2. Untitled poems and fragments, Boxes 12-13. Subseries 2.3. Essays, Box 14. Subseries 2.4. Classroom and teaching, Box 15.

Series 3: Materials Toward Books is divided into seven subseries. Subseries 3.1. Prevailing Winds; Subseries 3.2. The Floating World and Other Poems; Subseries 3.3. Nags Head; Subseries 3.4. Bearstone Tetralogy; Subseries 3.5. The Treasure Hunt Murder; Subseries 3.6 [The Oral Interpretation of Literature]; Subseries 3.7. Miscellaneous Galleys, Boxes 16-26.

Series 4: Notebooks, Boxes 27-33.

Series 5: Audiotapes, Boxes 34-38.

Series 6: Manuscript Material by Others (excluding manuscripts located in Subseries 1. 1 and Series 5.) Includes Book of Gems, autograph book containing holograph poems by various authors, Box 39. Also includes unpublished essays by others on the work of Lee Anderson, Box 39.

Series 7: The Yale Series of Recorded Poets includes material relating to Anderson's involvement with this project, Box 40.

Series 8: Miscellaneous, Boxes 41-42.