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Creator
Skidelsky, Berenice Claire, 1887-
Call number
MssCol 2768
Physical description
5.25 linear feet (13 boxes)
Language
Materials in English
Preferred Citation

Berenice Skidelsky papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library

Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Berenice Skidelsky (1887-1984) was an American writer, editor and lecturer. Skidelsky, who also used the pseudonyms Berenice E. Noar and Burton E. Skidell, began her career writing stories for pulp magazines. She wrote short stories and a novel, was a book and movie critic, and became the literary editor of Vogue magazine in 1927. She lectured on political and current events, with a special focus on U.S./Soviet relations. Collection consists of correspondence, writings, diaries, printed matter, and photographs. Correspondence, 1904-1972, is with notable authors, editors, family, and friends. Writings, 1913-1950, include Skidelsky's early work for magazines and her book reviews. The bulk of the collection consists of eighty-five handwritten diaries, 1904-1984, reflecting her activities and emotional life. Printed matter, 1930s-1970s, includes clippings (many annotated by Skidelsky), political pamphlets, and scrapbook of articles and essays written by her father, Simon S. Skidelsky. Photographs, 1880s-1968, are of friends and family.

Biographical/historical information

Skidelsky, who also used the pseudonyms Berenice E. Noar and Burton E. Skidell, began her professional writing career creating stories for pulp magazines. She wrote a novel in 1932, Youth Cries Out, was a book and movie critic and eventually became the literary editor of Vogue. She was a lecturer with interests in political and current events, with a special interest in U. S. /Soviet relationships.

Berenice Claire Skidelsky (1887-1984), was born in Philadelphia and was the daughter of Simon, a well-known botanist and essayist, and Rachael, a physician. Berenice attended Swarthmore College and Cornell University where she majored in and briefly taught psychology. Her main interest was writing which is reflected in her earliest clipping books (Box 12). By 1918, she was writing regularly for the Book Review Monthly. This activity introduced her to some prominent writers of the time, most notably Theodore Dreiser. Personal correspondence within the collection intimates that they may have had a brief affair.

Skidelsky's earliest writings display an interest in politics, specifically in U. S. /Soviet relationships. This topic was also of interest to her father and this collection contains some of his essays. (Box 12) Skidelsky's literary career brought her to Vogue (1927), where she became literary editor. She wrote serials for pulp magazines (Modern Romances), in the 30s, published short stories and wrote a novel, Youth Cries Out, in 1932.

Using the pseudonym Berenice E. Noar (her mother's maiden name), Skidelsky was an active lecturer. Her topics were mainly political; the Soviet relationship with the U. S., Fascism, anti-semitism as well as comments on prominent political figures and events of the 40s, 50s and 60s. She was a spokesperson for the Progressive Party and Henry Wallace in his bid for the presidency.

In the late 1970s, Skidelsky suffered a fall, leaving her frail and house-bound. She wrote in her journal of her interest in out-of-body experiences and urged her friends to read some of the latest material on the phenomenon. Her last entries in her journal reflect her loneliness as the last of her generation of friends and family. She never married. Her last entry, on March 11, 1984, she calls an "astonishing milestone" as she passed her ninety-seventh birthday. The last writing is of her death three weeks later, written and initialled by "JKD", this collection's donor.

Scope and arrangement

The papers of Berenice C. Skidelsky consist of personal correspondence, including ten letters from Theodore Dreiser. There are also letters from Sherwood Anderson and John Galsworthy. The bulk of the collection consists of diaries beginning with her first year as a student at Swarthmore (1904), until her death in 1984. These diaries or journals reflect her emotional history, activities and political thoughts. Also in the collection are clippings and clipping books of articles, quotations and newspaper and magazine commentaries. Most of these writings have been annotated by Skidelsky. There are photographs of friends and family and two boxes of floppy disks (in ASCII code), which contain biographical data, letters and the diaries which have been transcribed by the donor.

Correspondence (Box 1), includes letters from John Galsworthy, Sherwood Anderson and some of her editors. The most important pieces of correspondence are ten letters from Theodore Dreiser (1918-22). All correspondence has been arranged according to correspondent: family and friends, notables.

Included also in the collection are examples of her early writings in Vogue (1925), serials written for Modern Romances (1931-35), and book reviews for Book Review Monthly (1913-17).

A series of eighty-five handwritten journals (1904-1984), reflects Skidelsky's emotional history and activities. The journals begin with her entrance into Swarthmore and end three weeks before her death.

This collection contains clippings from magazines and newspapers as well as political pamphlets. Most of them have been annotated by Skidelsky. These annotations and the selection of material are a reflection of her own political and personal thoughts as well as criticism of some of her own writings.

Included also is an early scrapbook (Box 12), containing newspaper and magazine articles written by her father as well as some of his essays. These all have the by-line Simon S. or S. S. Skidelsky. All clipping books in the collection, except for this one and one other old album which is in Box 12, are arranged chronologically. The bulk of clippings, which have been removed from their original three-ring binders, are arranged according to topic or subject.

Photographs (Box 13), are a separate series in the collection, dating from the 1880s-1968. They are photos of friends and family, and include some photos of Berenice.

There are twenty-seven floppy disks (Box 14) which contain bibliographic data, letters from notables and the journals which were transcribed by the donor of the collection, Joyce Kidder Davis. The disks are in ASCII code.

The Berenice Skidelsky papers are arranged in six series:

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Joyce Kidder Davis (Gift) May 31, 1990 and June 13, 1990.

Processing information

Karol L. Pick, December 13, 1991

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328