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Irving Malin Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Irving Malin (1934-2014) was an American literary critic and professor of literature at the City College of the City University of New York, where he taught from 1960 until his retirement in 1996. Malin was the author or editor of twenty critical works on authors including Saul Bellow, William Styron, William Faulkner, Thomas Pynchon, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Don DeLillo, and others. Initially gaining recognition as a critic of American Jewish literature, Malin subsequently became interested in authors who practiced innovative techniques. A frequent book reviewer, particularly for the Review of Contemporary Fiction, his criticism garnered respectful appreciation from many writers, several of whom became long-time friends, such as James Purdy, Cynthia Ozick, and Gordon Lish.
This collection consists primarily of American literary critic and literature professor Irving Malin's incoming correspondence from a wide range of professors, critics, and authors, such as Philip Roth, Paul Bowles, Don DeLillo, James Merrill, William Styron, James Purdy, Cynthia Ozick, Raymond Carver, Gordon Lish, and Joyce Carol Oates, among others. Some of the correspondence from authors is revealing in that many provide insight about their own artistic and, sometimes, emotional struggles as writers. Much of the incoming correspondence from fellow English professors, such as Harold Bloom and Leslie Fiedler, deals with the routine matters of academic life, such as rights and permissions for books, requests for contributions to critical collections or symposia, and university gossip; but also offer insight on how particular critics viewed certain authors.
Also included in the collection are some writings and manuscripts along with publisher files consisting primarily of legal and financial documents.
Glenn Horowitz Bookseller acquired the collection from Irving Malin's wife, Ruth Lief Malin, after her husband's death.
Purchased in 2017. (AM 2018-46)
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Faith Charlton in December 2017 with assistance from Julia English '19, Fiona Bell '18, and Matthew Oakland '20. Finding aid written by Faith Charlton in December 2017.
A couple of official faculty-related records for Irving were removed from the collection.
People
Subject
- American literature—History and criticism. -- Sources
- American literature—Jewish authors—History and criticism. -- Sources
- Authors, American -- 20th century. -- Sources
- City College of New York -- Faculty. -- Sources
- Criticism—United States—History. -- 20th century -- Sources
- Publishers and publishing—United States—History. -- Sources
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Faith Charlton
- Finding Aid Date
- 2017
- Access Restrictions
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Open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
Consists primarily of incoming correspondence with a variety of literary professors and scholars, critics, authors, and publishers.
Physical Description6 boxes
Includes correspondents that are significantly represented in the collection, particularly James Purdy, Gordon Lish, and Cynthia Ozick.
Physical Description3 boxes
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Most of the letters pertain to Malin's proposal to compile a critical reader on Bowles's works, of which Bowles was skeptical.
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Many of the notes are hastily written, sometimes (by Lish's admission) under the influence of alcohol, and are expressive of Lish's outsized if troubled ego.
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Ozick's letters are more of a personal nature. She often expresses her admiration for other writers, as well as her own struggles and lack of confidence.
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Many letters are rich in literary and biographical detail, as Purdy reports to Malin about new works commenced or completed. A dominant and frequently expressed theme of the correspondence is Purdy's bitterness at what he perceived as the neglect of his work by the New York literary establishment, especially The New York Times.
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Includes letters from W.D. Snograss's wife, Kathy.
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Several letters shed interesting light on Styron's reaction to the controversy over his work, The Confessions of Nat Turner.
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Includes correspondence from various authors and publishers: Dick Langford, Jane Langford, Lewis A. Lawson, Dale Edmonds, William Nance, Robert K. Morris, George Core, Ruth Van de Kieft, Edward Stone, Hervena Richter, Brom Weber, Jack De Bellis, David S. Wilson, Art Edelstein, Donald Emerson, Alfred Appel, Ray B. West, Jr., and Melvin Friedman.
Physical Description1 folder
Correspondence with contributors and McGraw-Hill Publishing along with royalty statements.
Physical Description1 folder
Includes correspondents that are represented by only one or a couple of letters, such as Donald Barthelme, Harold Bloom, James Dickey, William Gass, Herbert Gold, Irving Howe, Richard Kostelanetz, Wendy Lesser, Kenneth Lynn, Walker Percy, Chaim Potok, Philip Rahv, John Crowe Ransom, Philip Roth, Henry Nash Smith, Helen Vendler, Gore Vidal, and Angus Wilson, among others.
Physical Description4 boxes
Including correspondence from William Abrahams, Marguerite Adair, Jerome Agel, John Aldridge, Donald Ayre, and others.
Physical Description1 folder
Including correspondence from Albert Balch, Vincent Balitas, Robert Ball, William Bernhardt, Nicholas Burns, Joan Bolwell, Purvis Boyette, Paul Bowers, Curtis Brown, Jill Butterfield, and others.
Included is a postcard from Nick Burns to Ruth Malin along with a copy of a letter from Kurt Vonnegut to "Jerry."
Physical Description1 folder
Including correspondence from Edwin Cady, George Caldwell, Warren Coffey, Marcus Cunliffe, and others.
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Including correspondence from Philip Daghlian, Kay Daley, Leah Daniels, Jeremy Davies, Gigi Dawson, Jack De Bellis, Larry Dembo, Martin Dreyer, and others.
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Including correspondence from O.B. Emerson, James Ethridge, John Evans, Robert Evett, and others.
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Including correspondence from Philip Finkelpearl, John Hurt Fisher, Howard Frank, Reuben Frodin, Daniel Fuchs, Michele Fussell, and others.
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Including correspondence from Meg Galipault, John Gallagher, Helen Garson, William Gass, Doris Grumbach, Albert Guerard, Philip Goodman, and others.
Physical Description1 folder
Including correspondence from Diether Haenicke, Hillel Halkin, Melissa Hall, John Hammond, James Neil Harris, Robert Hatch, John Hawkes, Elton F. Henley, C. Hugh Holman, Roy Huss, and others
Physical Description1 folder
Including correspondence from Marc Jaffe, Olive James, Cornell Jaray, Beverly Jarrett, Katsuhiro Jinzaki, Edgar Johnson, Pyke Johnson, and others.
Physical Description1 folder
Including correspondence from Jacob Kabakoff, Paul Q. Kane, Lou Kannenstine, Stanley Kauffmann, Bernhard Kendler, John H. Kendrick, Carolyn B. Kenny, Walter L. Kent, Oleg Kerensky, Edith Kern, Normen Kiell, Leon King, Robert Kirschten, Jerome Klinkowitz, George Knotek, Myron Kolatch, and others.
Physical Description1 folder
Including correspondence from Lawrence Langer, Jane Langford, Richard Langstaff, Thomas Lask, John Lawlor, Lewis Lawson, Lewis Leary, James W. Lee, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, Herbert Leibowitz, Jeffrey Lependorf, Wendy Lesser, Doris Levene, George Looney, David H. Lynn, and others.
Physical Description1 folder
Including correspondence from Robie Macauley, Maynard Mack, John F. Mahoney, Paul Maliszewski, Terence Malley, Robert A. Mandel, Jerre Mangione, Wallace Markfield, James E. McSherry, Joseph Mersand, Steven Moore, Judy Murray, and others.
Physical Description2 folders
Including correspondence from James Nagel, Melissa Nichols, Hugh H. Nissenson, Lola Norris, and Susan Nover.
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Including correspondence from S.K. Oberbeck, John O'Brien, Griselda Ohannessian, Dan O'Hara, Sean O'Keefe, Karen K. Orchard, Rose Orente, Mark Osteen, Shirley Otto, and Robert Overstreet.
Physical Description1 folder
Including correspondence from John G. Parks, Richard Parker, Arthur Pell, Bernard B. Perry, Walker Percy, Sanford Pinsker, Murray Polner, Gilbert Porter, Chaim Potok John Clark Pratt, and Peggy Prenshaw.
Physical Description1 folder
Including correspondence from Jonathan D. Rabinowitz, Philip Rahv, T.W. Raines, Bin Ramke, John Crowe Ransom, D. Lakshmana Rao, Kevin Ray, John R. Reed, Elaina Richardson, Dorothy O. Riedel, Carol Rigsby, Yvette Riviere, J. Albert Robbins, Craig M. Robie, Douglas Robillard, Eusebio L. Rodrigues, Alan Rose, Alan Ross, Philip Roth, Abraham Rothberg, Paul Ruffin, and others.
The single letter from Roth praises Malin's reaction to his 1983 novel, The Anatomy Lesson.
Physical Description1 folder
Including correspondence from Hajimu Sasaki, Harold Schechter, Eliot Fremont-Smith, Theodore Solotaroff, Ted Spivey, Anne Sullivan, Tree Swenson and others.
Physical Description2 folders
Including correspondence from Nan A. Talse, Roger Texier, Jac L. Tharpe, Girlie Thelmon, Ricard Turek, Arlin Turner and Ralph W. Tyler.
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Including correspondence from Richard Can Der Beets, Fred Van Der Zee, Eugenop Villicaña, James Vinson, Robert Vlach, and Joe Voelker.
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Including correspondence from Charles Child Walcutt, Benjamin Weintroub, Jim Wheeler, Angus Wilson, Charles Wright, and others.
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Including correspondence from Greg W. Zacharias, Paul Zimmer, and Lesser Zussman.
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Sorted by first name.
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Consists of some manuscripts by Irving, including a setting copy of Contemporary American-Jewish Literature: Critical Essays, and print versions of book reviews by Irving as well as reviews about Irving's publications. There are also some publisher files that primarily include financial and legal documents as well as some correspondence. A smattering of research materials is also included.
Physical Description2 boxes
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Includes copy-editor's and typesetter's marks; pages 1-334.
Physical Description1 folder
Includes several annotated handwritten and typescript drafts by Malin, primarily book reviews and sections of his monographs, such as the index to Jews and Americans.
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Clippings, offprints, etc.
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Includes a typescript copy of Carson McCuller's "Books I Remember" published by Harper's Bazaar in April 1941; and a typescript of "The Materal Father: Speculations on the Failure of of Love in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Jack De Bellis (1971).
Physical Description1 folder
Primarily includes some financial and legal papers as well as some correspondence, book announcements, and ephemera.
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Includes materials from proposal response though reviews.
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(contracts, royalty statements, permissions (copyright, reprint), etc.)
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(also press releases and calls for papers)
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Includes a small number of index cards and loose pages of notes, some relating to quoted material in Malin's works, clippings, and papers related to fellowships and research at libraries.
Physical Description1 folder
Includes a few items such as documents related to Who's Who in America and other encyclopedic entries, clippings, and ephemera.
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