Linda Oppen Correspondence

Mandeville Special Collections Library

The UCSD Libraries

9500 Gilman Drive

University of California, San Diego

La Jolla, California 92093-0175

Phone: (858) 534-2533

Fax: (858) 534-5950

URL: http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/

Descriptive Summary

Creator: Oppen, Linda

Title: Linda Oppen Correspondence,

Date (inclusive): 1956-1982

Extent: 1.00 linear feet (3 archives boxes)

Abstract: The papers of Linda Oppen, daughter of the Objectivist poet George Oppen and his wife Mary. Of particular importance is the correspondence between Oppen and her parents; 3 folders of typescript poetry by George Oppen; and 8 folders of material by Mary Oppen, including 6 folders of a typescript for her autobiography MEANING A LIFE. The papers are arranged in three series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) WRITINGS and 3) MISCELLANY. The Linda Oppen Papers supplement the George Oppen Papers and the June Oppen Degnan Papers, both housed in the Mandeville Special Collections Library.

Repository: University of California, San Diego. Geisel Library. Mandeville Special Collections Library.

La Jolla, California 92093-0175

Collection number: MSS 0033

Language of Material: Collection materials in English

Access

Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Information

Not Available

Preferred Citation

Linda Oppen Correspondence, MSS 0033. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.

Publication Rights

Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.

Biography

Linda Oppen, daughter of Objectivist poet George Oppen and his wife Mary, was born 7 May 1940 in Brooklyn, New York. For the next six years the Oppen family lived on Long Island and in Detroit, eventually settling in Redondo Beach, California, where they lived for four years. From Autumn 1950 to Spring 1958 Linda attended the American School in Mexico City. She then entered Sarah Lawrence College, N.Y., in Autumn 1958, and graduated with a BA. in Spring 1962.

On June 12, 1962 Linda married Alex Mourelatos, then a graduate student in philosophy at Yale. In Autumn 1962 she entered the Yale Medical School. She discontinued her studies in 1964 while on a leave of absence with Alex, who was then a Post-doctoral Fellow at The University of Wisconsin at Madison's Institute for Research in the Humanities.

From 1965 to the present Linda and Alex Mourelatos have travelled extensively, in conjunction with Alex's teaching career, including lengthy stays in West Germany; Washington, D.C.; Princeton, N.J.; Canberra, Australia; and Cambridge, Britain. Their permanent residence during this period has been Austin, Texas, where Alex teaches in the Philosophy Department of The University of Texas, and where Linda Oppen has been active in equestrian training and showing.

Scope and Content of Collection

Accession Processed in 1988

The Linda Oppen Papers primarily document the lives of George and Mary Oppen. The collection supplements the George Oppen Papers and the June Oppen Degnan Papers, both housed in the Mandeville Special Collections Library. The collection covers the period from 1956 to 1982, and is arranged in three series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) WRITINGS, and 3) MISCELLANY.

The Correspondence is the largest series in the collection. It is arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Most of the letters in this series are those of George Oppen to Linda Oppen.

The Writings Series contains no written material by Linda Oppen. Of special note in this series, besides the manuscripts of George Oppen, are typescripts of Mary Oppen's autobiography MEANING A LIFE.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects

Mourelatos, Linda Oppen, -- Archives

Oppen, George, -- Archives

Oppen, Mary, 1908- -- Archives

Mourelatos, Alexander P. D., 1936- -- Archives

Degnan, June Oppen, -- Archives

American poetry -- 20th century

Contributors

Oppen, George, -- correspondent

Oppen, Mary, 1908- -- correspondent

Mourelatos, Alexander P. D., 1936- -- correspondent

Degnan, June Oppen, -- correspondent

Collection Contents

CORRESPONDENCE

box 1, folder 1

Aunt Agnes to Linda Oppen 1959 - 1959

box 1, folder 2

Beauvais, Rick and Aubrey to George and Mary Oppen 1962 - 1963

box 1, folder 3

Beauvais, Rick and Aubrey to Linda Oppen and Alex Mourelatos 1962 - 1962

box 1, folder 4

Haight, Eve to George and Mary Oppen

box 1, folder 5

Mayer, Diane and Andy to George and Mary Oppen

box 1, folder 6

Mayer, Diane and Andy to Linda Oppen 1965 - 1971

box 1, folder 7

Mourelatos, Alex to George Oppen 1968 - 1972

box 1, folder 8

Oppen, George to Aubrey Beauvais 1964 - 1964

box 1, folder 9

Oppen, George to Eve Haight

box 1, folder 10

Oppen, George to Diane and Andy Meyer

box 1, folder 11

Oppen, George to Alex Mourelatos

box 1, folder 12

Oppen, George to June Oppen Degnan

box 1, folder 13

Oppen, George to Linda Oppen 1956 - 1958

box 1, folder 14

Oppen, George to Linda Oppen 1959 - 1960

box 1, folder 15

Oppen, George to Linda Oppen 1961 - 1963

box 1, folder 16

Oppen, George to Linda Oppen 1964 - 1966

box 1, folder 17

Oppen, George to Linda Oppen 1967 - 1970

box 1, folder 18

Oppen, George to Linda Oppen 1971 - 1972

box 1, folder 19

Oppen, George to Linda Oppen 1973 - 1978

box 1, folder 20

Oppen, George to Linda Oppen 1979 - 1980

box 1, folder 21

Oppen, George to Linda Oppen - Miscellaneous undated letters

box 1, folder 22

Oppen, George miscellaneous correspondence from 1958 to 1972 1958 - 1972

box 1, folder 23

Oppen, Mary to Alex Mourelatos 1968 - 1971

box 1, folder 24

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1956 - 1958

box 1, folder 25

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1959 - 1959

box 1, folder 26

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1960 - 1962

box 1, folder 27

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1963 - 1964

box 2, folder 1

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1965 - 1965

box 2, folder 2

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1966 - 1966

box 2, folder 3

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1967 - 1968

box 2, folder 4

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1969 - 1970

box 2, folder 5

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1971 - 1972

box 2, folder 6

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1973 - 1974

box 2, folder 7

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1975 - 1976

box 2, folder 8

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1977 - 1978

box 2, folder 9

Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen 1979 - 1980

box 2, folder 10

Degnan, June Oppen to George and Mary Oppen 1958 - 1969

box 2, folder 11

Degnan, June Oppen to Linda Oppen 1959 - 1979

box 2, folder 12

Haight, Eve to Linda Oppen 1964 - 1970

box 2, folder 13

Oppen, Linda to George and Mary Oppen 1964 - 1982

box 2, folder 14

Mary Oppen - Poetry and Prose, TS and PP.

WRITINGS

box 2, folder 15

Mary Oppen - Poetry, TS and PP.

box 2, folder 16

Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE - 2 copies corrected TS of "Kalispel"

box 2, folder 17

Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE - Corrected TS of "WWI 1918-1920,"

box 2, folder 18

Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE - Corrected TS of "Belvedere 1930,"

box 3, folder 1

Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE - TS of "New York 1935-1939"

Note

Corrected

box 3, folder 2

Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE

Note

Corrected TS of "Trip West After the War, 1942-1946."

box 3, folder 3

Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE - Corrected TS of untitled material

box 3, folder 4

By George Oppen - Poems, including "A Narrative," and "A Morality Play: Preface.

box 3, folder 5

By George Oppen - Poems, TSSc.

box 3, folder 6

By George Oppen - Poems, TSSc.

MISCELLANY

box 3, folder 7

Publishing information

Note

Concerning June Oppen Degnan's efforts on behalf of William Bronk.

box 3, folder 8

Calendar of readings from Academy of American Poets 1963 - 1964

Note

"Coming From a Great Distance," program

box 3, folder 9

Letters of condolence to Mary Oppen, upon the 1984 death of George

Note

Photocopies, 10 ALs, 5 TLs, 1 TL

| | | | | | | |