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Guide to the Donald E. Stanford Papers ,
1933-1985
Special Collections M0466
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Table of contents
Title: Donald E. Stanford Papers ,
Date (inclusive): 1933-1985
Collection number: Special Collections M0466
Creator:
Stanford, Donald E., 1913-
Extent:
1.5 linear ft.
Repository:
Stanford University. Libraries. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.
Language:
English.
None.
Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To obtain
permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections.
Gift of Donald E. Stanford, 1986.
[Identification of item] Donald E. Stanford Papers , M0466, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford,
Calif.
Donald Elwin Stanford was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on February 7th, 1913. He s obtained both his BA and Phd from Stanford
and his MA from Harvard all in English. Before embarking on his teaching career, Stanford was a free-lance writer, and a member
of the literary group known as the `Winters circle', centered around Yvor Winters himself. Winters helped the aspiring poets
and writers learn more about the art of creative writing, mainly through criticism of one anothers work.
In 1949 Stanford was appointed Instructor to the Alumni Professor of English at Louisiana State University and was promoted
to Professor of English in 1953 and then Alumni Professor Emeritus in 1979. He married Maryanna Peterson in 1953 and became
the editor of the
[unk] Review in 1963. In his capacity as editor of the
Review Stanford communicated with those writers and poets who had been an important part of his early writing career: Yvor Winters,
Janet Lewis, Elisabeth Bishop, J.V. Cunningham, Allen Tate and Ann Stanford, to name a few.
Throughout his career Stanford received several accolades. He was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 1959, Distinguished Faculty
Fellowship in 1973 and Distinguished Research Master in 1982 He retired as Professor of English and editor of the
Southern Review in 1983.
Among his published works are:
New England Earth (poems) 1941;
The Traveler (poems) 1955;
The Poems of Edward Taylor 1960;
Edward Taylor 1965;
Nine Essays in Modern Literature 1965;
The Selected Poems of Robert Bridges 1974;
The Selected Poems of S. Foster Damon 1974;
Revolution and Convention in Modern Poetry 1983;
In the Classic Mode: The Achievement of Robert Bridges (2 vols.) 1983, 84;
John Masefield: Letters to Margaret Bridges 1984,
John Masefield Selected Poems 1984;
The Cartesian Lawnmower and Other Poems 1984.
Stanford also contributed to journals such as the
Southern Review, Hudson Review, [unk] Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Hopkins Quarterly, etc.
DONALD FLWIN STANFORD
| 1913 | Born, February 7th, Amherst, Massachusetts. |
| 1933 | B.A. Stanford University. |
| 1934 | M.A. Harvard University. |
| 1949 | Instructor to Alumni Professor of English, Louisiana State University. |
| 1953 | Phd. Stanford University. |
| 1953 | Professor of English, Louisiana State University. |
| 1953 | Married Maryanna Peterson, August 14th, Reno, Nevada. |
| 1959 | Guggenheim Fellowship. |
| 1961-2 | Visiting Professor, Duke University, North Carolina. |
| 1963 | Editor of the Southern Review, Louisiana State University. |
| 1973 | Distinguished Faculty Fellowship. |
| 1979 | Alumni Professor Emeritus, Louisiana State University. |
| 1982 | Distinguished Research Master. |
| 1983 | Retires as Professor of English and Editor of the Southern Review, Louisiana State University. |
| 1984 | Visiting Professor, Texas, A & M University, College Station. |
| 1941 | New England Earth (poems). |
| 1955 | The Traveler, (poems). |
| 1960 | The Poems of Edward Taylor. |
| 1965 | Edward Taylor. |
| 1965 | Nine Essays In Modern Literature. |
| 1974 | The Selected Poems of Robert Bridges. |
| 1974 | The Selected Poems of S. Foster Damon. |
| 1983 | Revolution and Convention in Modern Poetry. |
| 1983 | Editor, Dictionary of Literary Biography, vols. 19 & 20. |
| 1983, 84 | In the Classic Mode, The Achievement of Robert Bridges. (2 vols.) |
| 1984 | John Masefield: Letters to Margaret Bridges. |
| 1984 | John Masefield: Selected Poems. |
| 1984 | The Cartesian Lawnmower and Other Poems. |
Contributed to: Southern Review, Hodson Review, Sewanee Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Hopkins Quarterly, etc.
Memberships: Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, PEN, MLA, SAMLA, SCM.
The collection covers contains correspondence, typescript poems, drafts of books and [unk] news clippings and a few photographs.
Correspondence makes up the bulk of the collection covering fifty-two years with as many correspondants, most of whom are
important twentieth century literary figures. The collection includes both incoming and outgoing correspondence and in many
cases the letters follow chronologically for a considerable time span, providing the reader with a clear, fully documented
picture of a certain period. The correspondence provides important biographical information about Donald Stanford as well
as valuable insights into the lives of the correspondents.
The subject matter stems primarily from Stanford's position as editor of the
Southern Review Letters contain discussions of articles that are to be submitted and often enclosures of poems In 1959 all correspondence
is directly concerned with a volume of poetry to be produced for Yvor Winters sixtieth birthday, which was never published.
Many letters also discuss books that Stanford and his correspondents are writing, providing an additional source of information
about published pieces by these authors.
The papers from the early period, 1933-49 provide insights into Stanford's early life as a poet and provide information about
the `Winters circle'. The collection of letters from Yvor [unk], five folders in all, portrays in detail the highs and lows
of Stanford's early career. Through Winters we learn that Stanford as a young, aspiring poet has a poor view of the teaching
profession, a profession in which he was to excel. Winters encouraged Stanford to become a teacher [unk] at least to have
a job other than as a writer and his view of those who write alone is [unk] in this letter written in September 1933:
There is [nothing] more pathetic and in a way contemptible than the free-lance writer who [attempts] to live by writing and actually lives by borrowing from his more provident friends.
The collection of Donald Stanford gives an important overview of the lives ofmany important and well known twentieth century
literary figures.
Where not noted correspondence is to and from.