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Finding Aid for Tatjana M. Warren papers
6031
6031
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Title: Tatjana M. Warren papers
Collection number: 6031
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1.0 Linear feet
1 box
Date (inclusive): 1974-1991
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence between Tatjana M. Warren and German poets Helmut Maria Soik and Ernst Meister. The
collection also contains some manuscripts of Meister's and Soik's works.
creator:
Meister, Ernst, 1911-1979
creator:
Soik, Helmut Maria, 1914-
creator:
Warren, Tatjana M.
The collection contains correspondence between Tatjana M. Warren and poets Helmut Maria Soik and Ernst Meister. The collection
also contains some manuscripts of Meister's and Soik's works.
[Box/folder# or item name], Tatjana M. Warren papers, Collection no. 6031, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University
of Southern California
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Advance notice required for access.
Biographical / Historical note
Helmut Maria Soik was born in Schwenningen, Germany, on July 12, 1911. In 1932, he published his cycle of poems "Die lichte
Spur." Soik was imprisoned in Russia during World War II and returned to Germany in 1950. His work "Die zerbrochene Balalaika"
reflects on his personal experience throughout the war. In 1976, Soik gained popularity in the US when his book "Rimbaud under
the Steel Helmet" was translated into English. Soik died on June 14, 1989.
Ernst Meister, German poet and writer, was born on September 3, 1911. He studied theology, literature, art history, and philosophy
(the latter under Karl Löwith and Hans-Georg Gadamer) at various German universities before enlisting as a soldier in the
German army. He used his war experiences in many of his poems, stories, radio plays, and stage plays, developing a darkly
abstract existentialist style. His first major publication, "Ausstellung," appeared in 1932. After "Ausstellung," he did not
publish any works for two decades. His next works appear beginning in 1953, and between that year and 1979, he produced more
than 16 volumes of verse as well as a number of other literary and visual works. Meister’s poetry is noted for its brevity
and difficult syntax and has been compared to the work of his contemporary, Romanian poet Paul Celan (1920-1970). In spite
of his prolific output, Meister was not involved with the literary and cultural elite of his time, and his works were relatively
unknown during his lifetime. He did, however, receive a number of awards in his lifetime, including the Annette von Droste-Hulshoff
Prize in 1957, the Great Art Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1963, the Petrarch Prize in 1976, and the Rainer Maria Rilke
Prize for Poetry jointly with Sarah Kirsch in 1978. Meister posthumously received the most prestigious award in German literature,
the Georg Büchner Prize, shortly after his death on June 15, 1979. [Adapted from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Meister]
Tatjana Warren was Helmut Soik's step-sister, and played a role in introducing his poetry to American publishers. She lived
in Los Angeles.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Meister, Ernst, 1911-1979 -- Archives
Soik, Helmut Maria, 1914- -- Archives
Warren, Tatjana M. -- Archives
Brochures
Correspondence
German literature--20th century--Archival resources
German poetry--20th century--Archival resources
Manuscripts
Photographs