- unitid
-
{"value"=>"186410", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"Berg Coll MSS 186410", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b23449694", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1928-1994", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1928/1994"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Collection of 49 Thornton Wilder letters"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"1 box", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"0.42 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) was an American novelist and playwright. This collection, dated 1928 to 1974, consists of letters, postcards, and telegrams written by Wilder to his friend Ann Baumer, secretary Eleanor Murphy, and various other recipients. The majority of the correspondence chronicles Wilder's social life as he was working on his final books, <span class=\"title\">The Eighth Day</span> and <span class=\"title\">Theophilus North</span>."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Wilder, Thornton, 1897-1975", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright and novelist. His works include <span class=\"title\">The Bridge of San Luis Rey</span> (1927), <span class=\"title\">Our Town</span> (1938), <span class=\"title\">Ides of March</span> (1948), <span class=\"title\">The Eighth Day</span> (1967), and <span class=\"title\">Theophilus North</span> (1973). Beginning in 1962, Wilder lived in Douglas, Arizona for twenty months, where he began working on <span class=\"title\">The Eighth Day</span>.</p> <p>Ann Baumer was a friend of Wilder who lived in Douglas. She frequently visited the Gadsden Hotel while Wilder was staying there. After Wilder moved from Douglas, the two remained close and corresponded often.</p> <p>Eleanor Murphy worked as Wilder's secretary and editor while he was working on <span class=\"title\">Theophilus North</span>.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Thornton Wilder letters date from 1928 to 1994 and are arranged by recipient. All of the letters are written by Wilder except the letter dated July 14, 1994, which was written by Eleanor Murphy to a Tennessee bookstore owner. This letter is held with the letters from Wilder to Murphy.</p> <p>Twenty-seven of the letters are addressed to Ann Baumer. The letters date from 1963 to 1967. Many of the letters detail Baumer and Wilder's close friendship. Wilder was working on <span class=\"title\">The Eighth Day</span> while corresponding with Baumer, and mentions the novel in a few of the letters. Clippings from 1968 about Wilder winning the National Book Award for <span class=\"title\">The Eighth Day</span> are also included.</p> <p>Eight letters are addressed to Eleanor Murphy and date from 1973 to 1994. These letters center around Wilder's novel <span class=\"title\">Theophilus North</span>. Wilder thanks her for her help with the manuscript, ensures that she is paid for it, and makes fun of himself for his handwriting.</p> <p>The remaining fourteen letters are to various recipients and are dated 1928 to 1968. The letters cover topics that include advice on writing poetry; a refusal to the rights for <span class=\"title\">Our Town</span>; Wilder's use of symbolism in <span class=\"title\">The Cabala</span>; and an evening spent at Georgia O'Keefe's home.</p> <p>Of particular note are two letters addressed to American newspaper columnist Leonard Lyons and his wife, Sylvia. Lyons was known for his Broadway review column \"The Lyons Den\" in <span class=\"title\">The New York Post</span>. In the correspondence, Wilder recounts two parties he attended with the Lyons and his perception of an incident at the El Morocco nightclub. Wilder had been written about in a society paper that alleged he had made up a complicated dish in order to baffle the chefs at the club. He defends himself in the letter by writing the complete definition of the dish from his copy of Webster's <span class=\"title\">New International Dictionary</span>. Wilder closes out the letter with an invitation to another party.</p>"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Acquired in 2020.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by <span class=\"name\">Em Longan</span> in <span class=\"date\">2024</span>.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1928
- keydate
-
1928
- date_end
-
1994
- date_inclusive_start
-
1928
- date_inclusive_end
-
1994
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Collection of 49 Thornton Wilder letters, Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library"}