Paul Engle letters and enclosures to Alex Williams
Scope and Content Note
American poet Paul Engle (1908-1991) wrote to Canadian book collector Alex Williams regarding his published poems and frequently enclosed copies of his privately printed work.
In addition to the printed pieces of poetry written by Paul Engle (and frequently inscribed to Alex Williams), this collection includes two substantive letters, one postcard and two brief notes written by Engle.
The brief notes conveyed greetings and accompanied the items which Engle had enclosed. The postcard was sent in 1953, from New York City, where Engle was spending a year writing and enjoying the East Coast.
The first letter of substance was written on February 22, 1947, in response to Alex Williams’s inquiry about Worn Earth. Engle wrote that Worn Earth has been out of print since 1933, but he also enclosed "a handful of sonnets as a token of friendly feeling."
In the second substantive letter, written on May 26, 1951, Engle thanked Williams for a poem, handwritten by English poet Edmund Blunden, which Williams had sent to him. Engle further discussed a dedicatory poem he had written in a book which he had given to American author and anthologist Edward J. O’Brien, and which Williams had recently acquired. The remainder of the letter focused on Engle’s recent publications and the items he had enclosed with this letter.
Dates
- Creation: 1947-1962
Creator
- Engle, Paul, 1908-1991 (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/
Paul Engle (1908-1991)
American poet and educator Paul (Hamilton) Engle (1908-1991) is perhaps most widely known as the founder and longtime director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and as the founder of the International Writing Program, both at the University of Iowa. Engle was nominated for a 1976 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the International Writing Program.
Paul Engle’s first published book of poetry, Worn Earth, received the Yale Series of Younger Poets Prize in 1932. Engle continued to write poetry during the remainder of his life, contributing to numerous periodicals, publishing fourteen volumes of poetry, and editing the collected poetry of other poets.
In 1990, Engle, who also wrote several novels and works of nonfiction, was honored with the Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
"Paul (Hamilton) Engle." Contemporary Authors Online. Biography In Context. http://ic.galegroup.com/ic (accessed June 25 , 2013)
Alex Williams
Alex Williams, who lived in Toronto, Canada, collected work written by Paul Engle. His correspondence seems to have begun in 1947 when he inquired about Engle's book Worn Earth. Over the next fifteen years, Engle wrote to Williams and enclosed a number of his printed pieces, such as Christmas poems, reprints, and booklets.
Information derived from the collection.
Extent
14 item
Abstract
American poet Paul Engle (1908-1991) wrote to Canadian book collector Alex Williams regarding his published poems and frequently enclosed copies of his privately printed work.
Arrangement
Arranged in chronological order.
Source
Purchase, May 2013.
Shelving Summary
Box 65, F0943: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0099 manuscript boxes.
Processing
Processed and encoded by Anita Wellner, June 2013. Further encoded by George Apodaca, October 2015.
Subject
- Engle, Paul, 1908-1991--Correspondence (Person)
- Williams, Alex--Correspondence (Person)
- Williams, Alex (Correspondent, Person)
- Title
- Finding aid for Paul Engle letters and enclosures to Alex Williams
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Date
- 2013 June 26
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Delaware Library Special Collections Repository