This collection contains the professional papers of Donald Heiney, documenting his work as a novelist and critic. It includes manuscripts, unpublished drafts and plans, correspondence, notebooks, proofs, newspaper clippings, photographs, and research files relating to his novels and critical works.

Donald Heiney was born in South Pasadena, California on September 7, 1921. He spent World War II as a merchant marine and a naval officer in Europe and the South Pacific. After the war, he received a B.A. (1948), from the University of Redlands and an M.A. (1949) and Ph.D.(1952) from the University of Southern California where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He continued at USC as a post-doctoral lecturer until 1953 when he joined the faculty at the University of Utah. During this period in the fifties and early sixties, he wrote and published scholarly material in the field of comparative literature, including two university books on Italian fiction. He also published translations including, among others, works by Rilke and Italo Calvino. In 1965, Heiney joined the faculty of the University of California, Irvine as a full professor. Along with Hazard Adams and James B. Hall, he was instrumental in establishing the Department of English and Comparative Literature in the pioneer years of the campus, and served as director of the Program on Comparative Literature (1965-1970). He traveled frequently in Europe and in 1973-74 he served as visiting professor at the Universite de Paris III (La Sorbonne), lecturing in American literature and also demonstrating the teaching of creative writing. Upon returning from France, he decided to devote himself exclusively to his fiction writing although he continued to teach at UC Irvine in the Master of Fine Arts, Program in writing until his retirement in 1991. In 1986, he received The Distinguished Faculty Lectureship Award from his academic colleagues.

18.8 Linear Feet (37 boxes, 1 flat box) and 4.5 unprocessed linear feet

Property rights reside with the University of California. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact the University Archivist.

Processed components of the collection are open for research. Unprocessed additions may contain restricted materials. Please contact the Department of Special Collections and Archives in advance to request access.