Douglas Woolf papers

The Douglas Woolf papers represent the literary life work of this American novelist and short story writer. Spanning the dates 1922 to 1997 (bulk dates 1944-1992), the collection comprises 21 linear feet of autograph and typescript drafts of Woolf’s novels, short stories, and poems; as well as the author’s personal papers, correspondence files, files related to Wolf Run Books, and printed material. The final segment of the collection is a group of papers related to Woolf’s second wife and literary executor, Sandra Braman.

The papers document Douglas Woolf’s dedication to his writing and the sacrifices that that vocation entailed, both for himself and his family. The contents of the collection also clearly develop a picture of Woolf’s lifestyle. Woolf’s varied employment, his need for solitude, his isolation from established professional enterprises, his challenges with the publishing world, and his personality are all variously chronicled in these papers.

The papers are divided into six series: I. Manuscripts written by Douglas Woolf, II. Wolf Run Books, III. Printed material, IV. Correspondence, V. Personal papers, and VI. Sandra Braman papers. Each of these series has an introductory series note that describes the content of the material, as well as giving dates, extent, and type of material available.

The literary legacy of Douglas Woolf is preserved in Series I. Manuscripts written by Douglas Woolf. This series contains most, if not all, of the professional writing completed by Woolf prior to his death in 1992. From Woolf’s first published novel, Hypocritic Days, to his yet unpublished final work, “Woolf’s Guide to New York,” a variety of autograph and typescript drafts are available. The drafts display the author’s revision techniques; sometimes Woolf made dramatic shifts in the text and at other times he changed single words in particular phrases. Some of the novels and stories appear in autograph notebooks, some with clean text almost identical to the typescripts that followed. In some cases there are original notes, handwritten drafts, typescript drafts, and galley or page proofs for a single work.

In addition to writing novels and short stories, Woolf also penned brief poems; hundreds of pages of autograph and typescript drafts of these poems are available in the collection. Drafts and supporting material are also present for Woolf’s introduction to Larry Eigner’s Country, Harbor, Quiet, Act, Around (1978), a screenplay on which Woolf and Sandra Braman collaborated, and for Braman’s interview of Woolf which was published in Future Preconditional.

In January of 1980 Douglas Woolf tape-recorded a series of sessions, possibly for use in writing his autobiographical novel. Some of the sessions were in the form of interviews conducted by Sandra Braman. Other sessions were monologues by Woolf in which he conveyed whatever was on his mind at the time of the recordings. Woolf recorded his thoughts on personal influences of acting and the theater, his war experiences, and other writers, as well as musings on the economy, religion, music, aging, his parents, and a variety of other topics.

In the miscellaneous section are hundreds of scraps of paper on which Woolf jotted ideas, quotes, phrases, fragments of dialogue, or a line or two of poetry, suggesting that Woolf was constantly observing and connecting his world to his writing.

Wolf Run Books, the press and book-selling enterprise established by Douglas Woolf and Sandra Braman is the focus of Series II. Established in 1974, the press ultimately published six books, all written or edited by Braman and Woolf, and three issues of their journal Vital Statistics. Although the publishing arm of Wolf Run discontinued in 1979, the sale of books, including non-Wolf Run imprints, continued into the 1990s.

Business correspondence, original manuscripts submitted for inclusion in Vital Statistics, advertising material, proofs for publications, mailings from other small presses, stationery, invoice books, lists of inventory, and even the trademark Wolf Run paw print stamp (carved by Douglas Woolf from an electrical plug) document both functions of Wolf Run Books.

Series III. Printed material complements Series I. In this series are found published versions of many of Woolf’s novels, and short stories, as well as an interview, a review, and his ink-drawn self-portrait. The series also includes publications that mention Woolf or his writing and publications by other authors. Books or broadsides written by Cid Corman, Edward Dorn, Robert Creeley, Carl Rakoski, and Anne Waldman appear in this series and in many cases were inscribed to Woolf by the authors. Some of these items have been removed and cataloged for the printed collections in Special Collections. A complete list of the removed items is found in Appendix A.

Series IV. Correspondence documents the professional and personal interactions of Douglas Woolf, with the exception of family correspondence that is found in Series V. Containing incoming letters from over 400 individuals or firms, as well as drafts of some of Woolf’s responses, the series reveals much about Woolf’s professional accomplishments and struggles, as well as his interpersonal relationships.

Woolf’s entire publishing career is represented in the correspondence, from his first published story, “Just the Three of Us,” (Story, 1947) through publishers’ rejection slips to the posthumous collections or reprints edited by Sandra Braman in the 1990s. Letters document the publication of his novels by Grove Press, Penguin Books, and other large and small publishing firms, as well as the appearance of his short stories in literary journals and magazines.

The correspondence also provides insight into other facets of Woolf’s life, such as his job searches, his cross-country reading trips, his book selling ventures, and his friendships and acquaintances.

The extensive Series V. Personal papers comprises thirteen subseries: Woolf’s family correspondence, legal documents, personal photographs, identification cards or documents, medical information, financial papers, papers related housing, employment, the postal service, and travel, as well as printed material and miscellaneous items. Series V. A. Family Correspondence and V.B. Other Correspondence and Legal Documents related to the Family have limited access pending permission of Sandra Braman, executor of the estate of Douglas Woolf. Consult the Manuscript Librarian for further information.

The correspondence, documents, and papers in this series illustrate most aspects of Woolf’s life, including his mobility, his medical and financial affairs, his dedication to writing, his interactions with his family, and his complex personality. Woolf’s correspondence with Yvonne Woolf is valuable because both sides of the correspondence are available and because Woolf was a frequent correspondent. In his letters Douglas Woolf details his daily life, his travel plans, his latest job, and his thoughts on politics, movies, books, and anything else of importance to him.

The papers include three self-portraits, one painted while on fire lookout (photographs present), and later two ink portraits hand-drawn on table napkins. One version of his table-napkin drawings was published in Self-Portrait: Book People Picture Themselves in 1976.

The final series in the collection contains some personal material related to Sandra Braman, but principally records her relationship to and support of Douglas Woolf. Braman edited posthumous reprints or collections of Woolf’s work and arranged for the disposition of his papers. Braman also worked with Robert Creeley in organizing the public memorial for Woolf that occurred in New York City. Related to the memorial service are copies of typescripts of the tributes to Woolf written by Robert Creeley, Norman Mailer, Gilbert Sorrentino, and Ammiel Alcalay.