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Creator
Stambolian, George
Call number
MssCol 3612
Physical description
5.8 linear feet (17 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation

George Stambolian Papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.

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

George Stambolian (1938-1991), writer, editor, and college professor was an important figure in the gay literary world of the 1980s. The papers (1955-1992) contain correspondence, essays, lectures, interviews and clippings documenting Stambolian's work as an author, editor and educator, and reflect his interest in gay literature and culture.

Biographical/historical information

George Stambolian, writer, editor and college professor, was best known as the editor of the Men on Men anthologies of gay fiction. Stambolian was born in 1938, the son of Armenian immigrants. He graduated from Dartmouth College and received a Ph. D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1969. From 1966 until his retirement in 1991, Stambolian was a professor in the Department of French at Wellesley College. He taught courses in French literature, and wrote and edited three academic works: Marcel Proust and the Creative Encounter (1972); Twentieth Century French Fiction: Essays for Germaine Brée (1975); and, with Elaine Marks, Homosexualities and French Literature (1979).

As an early proponent of gay literature and gay studies, Stambolian also taught such interdisciplinary courses as "The Art and Politics of the Nude" and "New Literatures: Lesbian and Gay Fiction in America."

Stambolian's first writing venture outside of the academy was "We are History: An Interview with Eric Bentley" which was published in Christopher Street magazine in 1977. By 1980 Stambolian's interviews appeared frequently in Christopher Street and in 1983, "First Person," his autobiographical column on gay life, became a regular feature in the New York Native. Several of the interviews initially published in Christopher Street, became the basis of Stambolian's Male Fantasies/Gay Realities (1984), a collection of interviews with ten gay men on topics ranging from masochism and masturbation to fatherhood.

Men on Men: Best New Fiction, edited and including an introduction by Stambolian, was published by NAL (Plume) in 1986. The anthology featured the work of some of the most prominent gay authors as well as those less established. The critical and popular success of the initial volume led to three other editions which Stambolian also edited and introduced; the fourth anthology was released after his death.

Stambolian died late in 1991 from complications related to AIDS.

Scope and arrangement

The George Stambolian Papers (1955-1992) document his work as a writer, editor and professor, and reflect his interest in gay literature and culture. The bulk of the material dates from the late 1970s through 1991.

The papers include drafts of published and unpublished work, correspondence with authors, editors, and reviewers, transcripts and tapes of interviews conducted by Stambolian, and copies of his essays as they appeared in print. The Men on Men anthologies, Homosexualities and French Literature, and Male Fantasies/Gay Realities are well represented in the collection, as are published and unpublished drafts of shorter pieces by Stambolian.

Stambolian's academic career is documented in the Wellesley College series. Correspondence and related materials reveal both the administrative and creative work inherent in developing and teaching three of his courses: "The Art and Politics of the Nude," "New Literatures: Gay and Lesbian Fiction in America," and "The Red and the Black".

The remainder of the collection consists of his personal papers and subject files. The personal papers include a small amount of correspondence, daily planners, an audiotaped interview with his parents, and some memorabilia. The subject files contain copies of writings by gay authors, Richard Umans' unpublished journal, a videotaped interview with Stambolian concerning gay life at the University of Wisconsin in the 1960s, and clippings on gay literature and related topics.

The George Stambolian papers are arranged in four series:

  • Series I. Writings and Lectures
    1960-1991
    9 boxes

    Stambolian wrote for a variety of audiences and in a variety of formats. Materials in this series document the preparation of his books: Homosexualities and French Literature (1979), Male Fantasies/Gay Realities (1984), the four Men on Men anthologies, as well as his essays, lectures and interviews. Materials include manuscripts, audiotapes, videotapes, notes, drafts, correspondence, contracts, and reviews.

  • Series II. Wellesley College
    1964-1991
    2 boxes

    Stambolian was a professor at Wellesley College for twenty-five years from 1966 to 1991. As a member of the French department, he taught French literature as well as several interdisciplinary courses including "The Art and Politics of the Nude" and "New Literatures: Lesbian and Gay Fiction in America."

    The Wellesley series includes administrative correspondence regarding Stambolian's salary and status, letters to and from Stambolian regarding positions at Wellesley and other colleges, materials related to the development and teaching of various courses, and memorabilia. Syllabi produced by colleagues of Stambolian and collected within the New Literatures materials reveal the development of gay and lesbian writing as an area of academic interest.

    The materials contained in the course folders reveal the administrative work necessary to create a new course. The creative work inherent in teaching, however, can also be uncovered through the articles Stambolian chose to keep in his course files, and the syllabi he gathered from colleagues teaching similar courses.

    Stambolian's 1991 curriculum vitae provides a thorough overview of Stambolian's professional life.

  • Series III. Personal Files
    1955-1992
    2 boxes

    This series includes correspondence from friends and fellow writers, fans, students and others; daily planning calendars, 1981-1991, excepting 1983 and 1987; diplomas and high school yearbooks; miscellaneous personal mementos; and copies of the program from Stambolian's memorial service. Of special interest is "Mom and Dad," a 1985 audiotape on which Stambolian converses with his parents about his parents' experiences growing up in Armenia.

    The bulk of the correspondence is from Eric Garber (over 50 letters). Other writers represented include Edmund White, Allan Gurganus, Christopher Bram, and Dennis Cooper.

  • Series IV. Subject Files
    2 boxes

    This series contains Stambolian's topical files, related chiefly to gay literature. These include copies of published and unpublished writing, articles and reviews of works by gay authors, many of whom were Stambolian's friends, articles on Stambolian, video and audiotapes, and clippings of articles on AIDS and homosexuality.

    Of particular note are the oral history videotapes on which Stambolian describes the "Great Purge of '62" and gay life in the 1960s at the University of Wisconsin; and the file on Robert Umans, containing his journal, kept for a few months before his death.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Michael Hampton, January 1998.

Processing information

Compiled by Alix Ross; machine readable finding aid created by FAKER.

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

Access restrictions

Audiotaped interviews unavailable pending duplication and review.