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Creator
Hapgood, Elizabeth Reynolds
Call number
*T-Mss 1992-039
Physical description
3.5 lin. ft., (10 boxes)
Language
Correspondence is in English
Preferred Citation

Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood Papers, *T-Mss 1992-039, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Renowned Russian translator and Soviet culture lecturer Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood (1894-1974) is best known as the English translator for Konstantin Stanislavsky, the actor, director, and dramatics coach for the Moscow Art Theatre. The collection consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, articles, manuscripts in Russian, and Elizabeth Hapgood's translations. The magazine article is dated 1986.

Biographical/historical information

Mrs. Hapgood was born January 29, 1894. She graduated in two years from the three year program at L'Ecole Speciale Nationale des Langues Orientales Vivantes, the branch of the University of Paris that provided training for the consular and diplomatic service. At 21 she was appointed the first head of the newly created Russian department at Columbia University, a position she occupied until her marriage a year later. In 1916 she married Norman Hapgood, a prominent journalist and statesman. In 1918 she was appointed the first woman instructor and the first instructor of Russian at Dartmouth College.

Elizabeth Hapgood is best known as Konstantin Stanislavsky's translator. She met him in 1924 when her husband arranged for Stanislavsky and several senior members of the Moscow Art Theatre to tour the White House and meet President Coolidge. She translated for them, and Stanislavsky was so impressed that he asked her to translate My Life in Art. In 1928 Stanislavsky suffered a heart attack, and went to Germany to recuperate. Elizabeth Hapgood started a fund raising drive to enable him to publish his acting techniques so that he could financially afford to stay longer in the West and concentrate on preserving his acting techniques on paper. She also arranged publication contracts. He completed An Actor Prepares and An Actor Works on Himself: Part One before his death in 1938. After his death, the remainder of his writings were prepared for publication in the eight volumes that comprise his Complete Works.These works were published in segments throughout the fifties and sixties.

Although Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood is best known as Konstantin Stanislavsky's translator, she also translated works of a number of other prominant Russian artists. She was also a popular teacher and lecturer on the Russian language and culture.

She died in 1974.

Scope and arrangement

The Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood Papers contain correspondence, newspaper clippings, articles, manuscripts in Russian, and English translations.

There has been considerable controversy surrounding the Hapgood's translations of Stanislavsky's works. Elizabeth Hapgood would receive the Russian language manuscript from Stanislavsky and translate it. Her husband Norman would then edit the manuscript. Stanislavsky did not, however, completely relinquish artistic control and only allowed them to cut, not to rewrite, his prose. Because it was considered necessary to cut the manuscript heavily so that American readers would understand the Stanislavsky system, critics have alleged that there are significant differences between the American and Russian publications of Stanislavsky's writings. The blame for any discrepancies has traditionally been placed on the translator, editor, and publisher of the American texts. The controversy is described in Burnet Hobgood's article "Stanislavski's Books: An Untold Story" (Box 1, Folder 6). This collection allows the scholar to judge himself how significant the edits to the original Russian manuscript were. Since Norman Hapgood's papers are housed at the Library of Congress, there may be other manuscripts related to this collection there.

The Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood papers are arranged in two series:

  • Series I: Papers
    1929-1986
    .20 linear feet (1 box

    This series consists of correspondence regarding fund raising for Stanislavsky, an article, Russian language newspaper clippings, and unidentified writings.

  • Series II: Translations
    1930-1973
    3.4 linear feet (9 boxes)

    This series consists of Russian language manuscripts, primarily authored by Stanislavsky, Elizabeth Hapgood's handwritten translations, typewritten drafts, and correspondence.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of papers from Mrs. Hapgood's son, Norman.

Processing information

Processed by Jeanne Mixon; machine-readable finding aid created by Thea Constantine.

The papers were processed in 1992 and originally cataloged as 8-MWEZ 22184-22193. In 2003 they were re-cataloged and given the new classmark *T-Mss 1992-039.

Related Material

Hapgood Papers

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.