Edward Dahlberg Papers

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MS-MS-ms032

Staff Only

The Edward Dahlberg Papers consists of correspondence from Dahlberg to Charles Winston and Ed Sanders. Also, correspondence from Michael Blankfort, Anthony Burgess, William O’Rourke, Gilbert Sorrentino, and Jonathan Williams to Dahlberg. The collection also contains galley proofs of Reasons of the Heart, tear sheets of a published poem by Stanley Burnshaw, two printed cards from Daniel Haberman, a pamphlet announcing an exhibit at Grippi Gallery, and invoices for Dahlberg’s purchases from various London booksellers.

Dates

Creation: 1964-1974

Creator

Dahlberg, Edward, 1900-1977 (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

1.00 boxes

Additional Description

Biographical Information

Edward Dahlberg (July 22, 1900 – February 27, 1977) was an American novelist, essayist and autobiographer. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Dahlberg enlisted in the Army in 1918 in the last few weeks of World War I. He attended the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University. In the late 1920s, Dahlberg became part of the expatriate group of American writers living in Paris.

Dahlberg’s first novel, Bottom Dogs, was based on his childhood experiences at the orphanage and his travels in the American West. With his advance money, Dahlberg returned to New York City and resided in Greenwich Village. He visited Germany in 1933 and in reaction briefly joined the Communist Party but left the Party by 1936. From the 1940s onwards, Dahlberg made his living as an author and also taught at various colleges and universities. In 1948, he taught briefly at the experimental Black Mountain College.

He moved to the Danish island of Bornholm in 1955 while working on The Flea of Sodom. The Sorrows of Priapus was published in 1957, becoming his most successful book thus far. He later moved to Mallorca, while working on Because I Was Flesh, an autobiography which was published in 1964. During the 1960s and 1970s, he became quite prolific and further refined his unique style through the publication of poetry, autobiographical works, fiction and criticism.

In 1968, Dahlberg was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters. Also, in 1976, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.