Lawrence Ferlinghetti Papers, - California Digital Library

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Finding Aid to the Lawrence Ferlinghetti papers, 1919-2003

Processed by Thomas Fleming; merging of collections, additions, and complete revision of finding aid by Linda Jordan The Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu URL: ? 1998 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Note Arts and Humanities --Fine Arts --PhotographyHistory --History, California --History, Bay AreaArts and Humanities --Literature --American LiteratureSocial Sciences --Publishing

Finding Aid to the Lawrence

BANC MSS 90/30 c

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Ferlinghetti papers, 1919-2003

Finding Aid to the Lawrence Ferlinghetti Papers, 1919-2003

Collection number: BANC MSS 90/30 c The Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Contact Information:

The Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu URL: Processed by: Thomas Fleming Merging of collections, additions, and complete revision of finding aid by: Linda Jordan Date Completed: February 1997 Date Revised: December 1997, 1998 Encoded by: James Lake ? 1998 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Collection Summary Collection Title: Lawrence Ferlinghetti Papers, Date (inclusive): 1919-2003 Collection Number: BANC MSS 90/30 c Collector: Ferlinghetti, Lawrence Extent: Number of containers: 64 boxes, 6 oversize boxes, 26 oversize folders and 1 volumeLinear feet: [ca. 28] Repository: The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California 94720-6000 Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. Abstract: Literary manuscripts: Notes, poetry fragments, single poems, poetry collections, plays, and prose works of fiction and non-fiction, largely holograph mss. and typescripts with holograph revisions; travel journals dating from 1960-1986; notebooks; musical compositions by various composers based on poems of Ferlinghetti. Personal papers: Clippings of work by Ferlinghetti and clippings about Ferlinghetti; a small amount of correspondence;

Finding Aid to the Lawrence

BANC MSS 90/30 c

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Ferlinghetti papers, 1919-2003

posters, fliers, programs and catalogs from events in which Ferlinghetti participated. Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English,French,German,Italian,Spanish,Portuguese,Finnish,Japanese,Russian, and Yugoslavian Access Collection is open for research. Publication Rights Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. Those copyrights held by Lawrence Ferlinghetti have been retained by him. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Lawrence Ferlinghetti papers, BANC MSS 90/30 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. Title: City Lights Books records, Date: 1953-1970, Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 72/107 c Title: City Lights Books records: additions, Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 77/89 c Title: Lawrence Ferlinghetti interview with Richard A. Ogar, Date: March 25, 1967, Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 80/52 c Title: Lawrence Ferlinghetti correspondence with Tram Coombs, Date: 1957-1964, Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 88/131 c Title: Viva Ferlinghetti scrapbook : San Francisco, Calif., Date: 1994 Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 97/146 c

Printed materials have been transferred to the book collection of The Bancroft Library. Audio and video tapes have been transferred to the Microforms Division of The Bancroft Library. Photographs have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library. Selected original artwork has been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library. Acquisition Information Purchased by The Bancroft Library from the author in March 1978, with funds from various donors. Additions acquired in 1989, with funds provided by the Friends of The Bancroft Library, the Richard Henry Chabot Dieckman Fund, and the Peter and Rosell Harvey Memorial Fund. Additions were also received in 1995, and are on-going. Biography Lawrence Ferlinghetti, American poet, editor, and publisher, was born in March of 1919 in Yonkers, N.Y., the son of Charles S. and Clemence Ferling. From 1920 to 1924, he lived in France with his aunt, and after their return to the U.S., was educated in New York, at the Riverside Country School (1927-28) and Bronxville Public School (1929-33). Ferlinghetti attended high school at Mount Hermon School in Greenfield, Mass. (1933-37), then received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1941, his M.A. in Literature from Columbia University in 1948, and his Doctorat de l'Universit? from The Sorbonne, Paris in 1949. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1941 to 1945, and attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Ferlinghetti married Selden Kirby-Smith in 1951, and has two children, Julie and Lorenzo. Ferlinghetti moved to San Francisco in the early 1950s, and in 1953, after a short period as a French literature teacher, he founded City Lights Books with Peter L. Martin. In 1955, City Lights Publishing initiated the Pocket Poets Series with a collection of Ferlinghetti's own poems, Pictures of the Gone World. This was followed by publication of works by Kenneth Patchen, Kenneth Rexroth, and in 1957, Allen Ginsberg's Howl. City Lights' distribution of this controversial work provoked an obscenity trial which attracted international attention. In his struggle against censorship, Ferlinghetti became a public figure representing the San Francisco literary renaissance and the Beat Poet's movement.

Finding Aid to the Lawrence

BANC MSS 90/30 c

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Ferlinghetti papers, 1919-2003

Throughout his career Ferlinghetti has championed the avant-garde, opting for social engagement and literary experimentation in both his own work and that of the authors he publishes. His own poetry reflects the raw, uninhibited style common to the Beat generation. Ferlinghetti's best-known volume is A Coney Island of the Mind (New Directions, 1958); other poetry collections include Starting from San Francisco (1961), The Secret Meaning of Things (1969), Open Eye, Open Heart (1973), Landscapes of Living and Dying (1979), Endless life: The Selected Poems (1981), Over all the Obscene Boundaries (1984), and These are My Rivers (1995).

Ferlinghetti is also the author of two novels, Her (1960) and Love in the Days of Rage (1988), as well as two collections of experimental theater pieces. His interest in oral poetry has made him a favorite of audiences world-wide; several examples of his public readings and jazz/poetry collaborations are available commercially. A lifelong interest in painting in recent years has led to gallery showings of his works and the publication of a collection of drawings, Leaves of Life: Fifty Drawings from the Model (1984). In 1988, Ferlinghetti, in collaboration with Nancy J. Peters, published Literary San Francisco: A Pictorial History from the Beginning to the Present.

In the Dictionary of Literary Biography, biographer Larry Smith sums up Ferlinghetti's achievements: "as a poet and publisher, as a catalyst for cultural and literary innovation for several generations, [Ferlinghetti] is one of the key forces of contemporary writing. He extends the significance of the Beat perspective by the engaged stance of his life and work and by the powerful and popular art he has wrought."

Scope and Content

The Lawrence Ferlinghetti Papers, 1919-2003, contain a wealth of manuscript material, some of it never published, spanning the entire creative output of this San Francisco-based poet and publisher. The bulk of the collection dates from the 1970s to 1980s, but also includes Ferlinghetti's early prose works from 1948 to 1954, significant works from the late 1960s, and a variety of materials from 1990 to the present. These papers complement The Bancroft Library's other extensive holdings documenting the life and work of Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

The collection consists chiefly of literary manuscripts, including poetry and prose, both fiction and non-fiction, in various stages of completion. Bill Morgan's, Lawrence Ferlinghetti: A Comprehensive Bibliography to 1980 (New York, 1982) was used to establish titles and publication dates. All titles in this collection have been indexed under final title, as well as all variant and working titles. Among Ferlinghetti's writings are also numerous journals and notebooks documenting Ferlinghetti's travels from 1947 to 1994, along with a small amount of original art work.

An extensive array of correspondence, both family and professional, includes letters from fans, professional colleagues, and literary agents. Ferlinghetti's personal papers provide information about his early life and evolving career. This is expanded in his professional papers, which includes significant materials documenting his professional contributions and the impact of his work on society. Finally, the collection includes numerous clipping files which span the full range of Ferlinghetti's career.

Boxes 1-13; Oversize Boxes 1-2

Series 1: Poetry, 1948-1994 Scope and Content Note Arrangement Arranged chronologically. Divided into 3 sub-series: Individual Poems, Collections, and Poetry Notes. Includes over 300 individual poems and 30 poetry collections. Most of the individual poems are holograph or typescript with holograph revisions, and include numerous versions and revisions by Ferlinghetti. Poetry Collections includes the original manuscript for Coney Island of the Mind. This series is a comprehensive examination of the evolution of a poem as a work of art. All titles have been indexed under final title, as well as all variant and working titles.

Box 1, folder 1

Individual Poems, 1948-1994

A Discourse on Free and Blank Verse 1948 Feb. Physical Description: 1

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BANC MSS 90/30 c

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Ferlinghetti papers, 1919-2003

Series 1: Poetry, 1948-1994 Individual Poems, 1948-1994

folder 2

folder 3

folder 4

box Oversize Box 1, folder 1 folder 2

folder 3

Box 1, folder 5

folder 6

box Oversize Box 1, folder 4 Box 1, folder 7

box Oversize Box 1, folder 5 Box 1, folder 8

folder 9

box Oversize Box 1, folder 5 Box 1, folder 10-11 folder 12

folder 13

And all these things about 1948 Physical Description: 1

Poem on My Thirty-Fourth Year 1953 July 24 Physical Description: 1

London [1955] Physical Description: 1

The World... [1955] Physical Description: 1

The World is a Beautiful Place... [1955] Physical Description: 1

Constantly Risking Absurdity 1955-58 Physical Description: 2

The Morris Graves Poem 1956 Physical Description: 1

Dog 1957 Feb. 7 Physical Description: 3

Dog 1957 Feb. 7 Physical Description: 1

Autobiography 1957 Feb. 10-Sept. 22 Physical Description: 7

Autobiography 1957 Feb. 10-Sept. 22 Physical Description: 1

Rooks 1957 Feb. 23 Physical Description: 1

Junk Man's Obligato 1957 Apr. 22 Physical Description: 3

Junk Man's Obligato 1957 Apr. 22 Physical Description: 1

I Am Waiting 1957 Dec. 2 Physical Description: 2

Miss Subways 1958 Jan. 8 Physical Description: 2

Tentative Description of a Dinner Given to Promote the Impeachment of President Eisenhower 1958 May 5-1962 Sept.

Physical Description: 3

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BANC MSS 90/30 c

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Ferlinghetti papers, 1919-2003

Series 1: Poetry, 1948-1994 Individual Poems, 1948-1994 folder 14 folder 15 box Oversize Box 1, folder 6 Box 1, folder 16 folder 17 box Oversize Box 1, folder 7 Box 1, folder 18 folder 19 folder 20 folder 21 folder 22 folder 23 folder 24 folder 25 folder 26 folder 27 folder 28 folder 29

Museum of Objects Depicting the History of My Race 1958 June 10-1975 Dec. Physical Description: 7

Drunk Again In [1958] Physical Description: 1

We Squat Upon the Beach of Love [1958] Physical Description: 1

He 1959 May 1 Physical Description: 4

Loud Prayer [1959 May 30] Physical Description: 2

Let Us Pray [1959 May 30] Physical Description: 1

Euphoria 1959 Oct.-1960 Sept. Physical Description: 2

Overpopulation 1959 Dec. 7-1960 Aug. 10 Physical Description: 6

The Great Chinese Dragon 1959-80 Physical Description: 1

Cigarette Butts undated [1950s?] Physical Description: 1

Snatched Up Upon A Mountaintop undated [1950s?] Physical Description: 2

Hidden Door 1960 Jan.-July 16 Physical Description: 7

Big Fat Hairy Vision of Evil 1960 June 15-July 4 Physical Description: 10

Starting from San Francisco 1960 Nov. 10-1961 Feb. Physical Description: 1

Underwear 1960 Dec. 16-29 Physical Description: 3

One Thousand Fearful Words for Fidel Castro 1961 Jan. 11-14 Physical Description: 4

Bicycle Riders, East Side Concourse 1961 Sept. 28 Physical Description: 1

The Insoluble Problem [1961] Physical Description: 2

Finding Aid to the Lawrence

BANC MSS 90/30 c

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Ferlinghetti papers, 1919-2003

Series 1: Poetry, 1948-1994 Individual Poems, 1948-1994 folder 30 folder 31 folder 32

folder 33 folder 34 box Oversize Box 1, folder 8 Box 1, folder 35 folder 36 folder 37 folder 38 folder 39

folder 40 folder 41 folder 42 Box 2, folder 1 folder 2-3 box Oversize Box 1, folder 9

Sea Poem 1962 Feb. Physical Description: 1

Unspoken Hoboken 1962 Oct. 12 Physical Description: 1

Several Litanies for a Film by Stan Brakhage 1962 Oct. 19

Physical Description: 1

A Parade Tirade (Early Versions) 1962 Nov. 5-1962 Nov. Physical Description: 4

You spider... [untitled] 1963 May Physical Description: 1

Thoughts to a Concerto of Telemann 1963 Physical Description: 1

To Fuck Is To Love Again 1964 Sept. 24-25 Physical Description: 2

The Situation in the West, Followed by a Holy Proposal 1964 Oct. 1-1965 Sept. Physical Description: 6

A Bit of False History for Mon General 1965 May 13 Physical Description: 1

Riding the Cab with Cool 1965 June-1965 Physical Description: 2

Trois Po?mes Spontan?s sur la Force de Frappe de l'Amour ? Six Heures du Matin 1965 July 14-16

Physical Description: 1

Outside, Looking In 1965 July 17 Physical Description: 1

Sitting in New York... [untitled] 1965 July 27 Physical Description: 1

Pound at Spoleto 1965 Physical Description: 1

Like Us 1966 Jan. 5 Physical Description: 1

After the Cries of the Birds 1966 June 19-July 4 Physical Description: 5

After the Cries of the Birds 1966 June 19-July 4 Physical Description: 1

Finding Aid to the Lawrence

BANC MSS 90/30 c

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Ferlinghetti papers, 1919-2003

Series 1: Poetry, 1948-1994 Individual Poems, 1948-1994 Box 2, folder 4

folder 5

folder 6

folder 7

folder 8

folder 9

folder 10

box Oversize Box 1, folder 10 Box 2, folder 11

folder 12

box Oversize Box 1, folder 11 Box 2, folder 13

folder 14

folder 15

folder 16

folder 17

box Oversize Box 1, folder 12 Box 2, folder 18

Chez Allegria 1966 June 26-27 Physical Description: 1

Horoscope for Sept. 24 1966 July 4 Physical Description: 1

Play Poem, For Fun 1966 Sept. 9 Physical Description: 1

Only To Have Forgotten 1966 Sept. Physical Description: 1

A New Attempt at Autobiography 1966 Dec. Physical Description: 1

Where Is Vietnam? 1966 Physical Description: 1

Moscow in the Wilderness, Segovia in the Snow 1967 Mar. 6-20 Physical Description: 2

Moscow in the Wilderness, Segovia in the Snow 1967 Mar. 6-20 Physical Description: 1

La Criada? 1967 May 3 Physical Description: 1

A Bird Wound Its Watch in a Tree...[untitled] 1967 Oct. 12 Physical Description: 1

Temporary Flight 1967 Oct. Physical Description: 1

Santa Rita Blues 1968 Jan. Physical Description: 3

What Looks Like... [untitled] 1968 Feb. 23 Physical Description: 1

All Too Clearly 1968 Mar. 1 Physical Description: 1

Poem to Answer Late Poet 1968 Mar. 2 Physical Description: 1

Bickford's Buddha 1968 Apr. 17-June 24 Physical Description: 4

Meditation on Observation Affliction 1968 Apr. 17-June 24 Physical Description: 1

Poem for Old Walt 1968 Apr. 23 Physical Description: 2

Finding Aid to the Lawrence

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Ferlinghetti papers, 1919-2003

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