Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Preferred Citation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Arrangement
General
Bibliography
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Aldous Huxley oral history papers
Creator:
Dunaway, David King
Identifier/Call Number: mssHM 56777-56907
Physical Description:
2 Linear Feet
(5 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1985-1990
Abstract: This collection contains audio cassette
interviews and transcripts of interviews conducted by David K. Dunaway with twenty-six
people who knew or came into contact with English writer Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) and his
family. A majority of the interviewees are people who knew Huxley while he lived in
California and, for the most part, cover his life after 1937. Some of the interviews include
Lady Juliette Huxley (the widow of Sir Julian Huxley), Christopher Isherwood, Mary Loos,
Burgess Meredith, and Lawrence Clark Powell.
Language of Material: English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The following interviews were restricted until March 2004 (HM 56897-HM 56907): Ellen Hovde
(2 interviews and 2 tapes); Laura Huxley (3 interviews and 2 tapes); Matthew Huxley (1
interview and 3 tapes); Rosalind Rajagopal (1 interview and 1 tape); Claire White (1
interview and 1 tape); Jake Zeitlin (2 interviews and 2 tapes); Note: the restricted
interviews have not been subject indexed in this finding aid.
Conditions Governing Use
Transcripts may be copied for research purposes. Tapes may not be copied. Anyone wishing to
quote from or publish any of the interviews must obtain written permission from the holder
of the Literary Rights:
David K. Dunaway, The University of New Mexico, Department of English Language and
Literature, Humanities Building 217, Albuquerque, NM 87131
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Aldous Huxley oral history papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from David K. Dunaway in three installments: April, 1989 (accession number 1456),
March, 1990 (accession number 1529), and July, 1992 (accession number 1627).
Biographical / Historical
David K. Dunaway is American writer and historian. He received his Phd in American Studies
from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981 and has since held positions at the
University of New Mexico and San Francisco State University. Dunaway's published works
include
Huxley in Hollywood (1989) and
Aldous Huxley
Recollected
(1995).
Biographical / Historical
English writer Aldous Huxley 1894-1963 was born in Surrey, England, on July 26, 1894, to a
family distinguished in science, education and literature. He began writing while at Oxford
University. With his first wife, Maria, he departed for California in 1937 and for a time
wrote motion picture screenplays. After the death of Maria, Huxley married Laura Archera and
together they explored the worlds of Eastern religion and drugs. Huxley died on November 22,
1963. His novels include: Brave New World, The Gioconda Smile, The Doors of Perception, and
Brave New World Revisited. He also published poetry and collections of essays. While in
California he wrote the scenario for Pride and Prejudice with Jane Murfin (1940) and the
treatment for Madame Curie (1943), both for M-G-M. In 1944 he wrote the scenario for 20th
Century-Fox's Jane Eyre.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains audio cassette interviews and transcripts of interviews conducted
by David K. Dunaway with twenty-six people who knew or came into contact with English writer
Aldous Huxley and his family. The collection was created by Dunaway for his book
Aldous Huxley Recollection (1995) and comprises a total of 31 interview
transcripts and 36 audio tapes. A majority of the interviewees are people who knew Huxley
while he lived in California and, for the most part, cover his life after 1937. There is
some material on his early life but it amounts to a very small part of the overall
collection.
The following individuals are represented in the papers: Don Bachardy (b. 1934); Sidney
Field (1905-1988); Juliette Huxley (b. 1896); Mark Trevenen Huxley; Christopher Isherwood
(b. 1904); Mary Loos; Burgess Meredith (b. 1908); Lawrence Clark Powell (b. 1906). Topics
discussed in the collection include: the Bates method of othopics, hallucinogenic drugs,
LSD, marijuana, mescaline, and pacifism. Persons discussed in the collection include: W.H.
Auden, Don Bachardy, Vanessa Bell, H. Abigail Bok, Charlie Chaplin, George Dewey Cukor,
Sidney Field, Greta Garbo, George Gershwin, Rose de Haulleville, Gerald Heard, Edwin Powell
Hubble, Julian Huxley, Juliette Huxley, Christopher Isherwood, D.H. Lawrence, Frieda von
Richthofen Lawrence, Mary Loos, Burgess Merdith, Naomi Mitchison, Lawrence Clark Powell,
Siegfried Sassoon, Bernard Shaw, Lytton Strachey, Igor Stravinsky, Virginia Woolf, and Jake
Zeitlin.
Arrangement
Arranged in the following manner: 1. Transcripts, HM 56877-56896 (Box 1); 2. Audio
cassettes, HM 56877-56896 (Boxes 2-3); 3. Transcripts, HM 56897-56907 (Box 4); 4. Audio
cassettes, HM 56897-56907 (Box 5).
General
Acosta, Mercedes de, 1893-1968.
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Arno, Peter.
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Auden, W.H. (Wystan Hugh), 1907-1973.
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884).
Bates Method of orthoptics.
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885), (HM 56886), (HM 56887)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889)
- In Neveux, Jeanne (HM 56892)
- In Wessburg, Sigfried (HM 56896).
Bedford, Sybille, 1911 -.
- In Halsey, Dorris (HM 56880)
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882)
- In Huxley, Mark Trevenen (HM 56883)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894).
Bell, Vanessa, 1879-1961.
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882).
Bok, Curtis, 1897-1962.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885).
Bok, Derek Curtis.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881).
Brett, Dorothy, 1883-1977.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882)
- In Neveux, Jeanne (HM 56892).
Chaplin, Charlie, 1889-1977.
- In Halsey, Dorris (HM 56880)
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Collier, Constance, 1878-1955.
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Cukor, George Dewey, 1899 -.
- In Barchardy, Don, 1934 -(HM 56877)
- In Halsey, Dorris (HM 56880)
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56887)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894).
Cunard, Nancy, 1896-1965.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881).
Disney, Walt, 1901 -1966.
- In Halsey, Dorris (HM 56880).
Garbo, Greta, 1905 -.
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56887)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Garrett, Eileen Jeanette Lyttle, 1893-1970.
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882)
- In Huxley, Mark Trevenen (HM 56883).
Gershwin, George, 1898-1937.
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Gertler, Mark, 1891-1939.
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882).
Goddard, Paulette.
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889)
- In Meredith, Burgess, 1908 -(HM 56890).
Graves, Robert, 1895 -.
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882).
Hallucinogenic drugs.
- In Huxley, Mark Trevenen (HM 56883)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56886).
Hallucinogenic drugs and religious experiences.
- In Barchardy, Don, 1934 -(HM 56877)
- In Bok, H. Abigail (56878)
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882)
- In Huxley, Mark Trevenen (HM 56883)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56886)
- In Mitchison, Naomi, 1897 -(HM 56891)
- In Neveux, Jeanne (HM 56892)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894), (HM 56895)
- In Wessburg, Sigfried (HM 56896).
Haulleville, Rose de.
- In Neveux, Jeanne (HM 56892).
Heard, Gerald, 1889-1971.
- In Barchardy, Don, 1934 -(HM 56877)
- In Bok, H. Abigail (HM 56878)
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882)
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Le Put, Marie (HM 56888)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889)
- In Powell, Lawrence Clark, 1906 -(HM 56893)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894).
Hepburn, Audrey, 1929 -.
- In Barchardy, Don, 1934 -(HM 56877).
Hovde, Ellen.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Mark Trevenen (HM 56883).
Hubble, Edwin Powell, 1889-1953.
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889)
- In Meredith, Burgess, 1908 -(HM 56890).
Hubble, Grace Burke, d. 1980.
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Le Put, Marie (HM 56888)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Hughes, Howard, 1905-1976.
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Huxley, Julian, 1887-1975.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896-(HM 56882)
- In Huxley, Mark Trevenen (HM 56883)
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Mitchison, Naomi, 1897 -(HM 56891)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894).
Huxley, Laura Archera.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Mark Trevenen (HM 56883)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Le Put, Marie (HM 56888)
- In Neveux, Jeanne (HM 56892)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894), (HM 56895)
- In Wessburg, Sigfried (HM 56896).
Huxley, Matthew.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Mark Trevenen (HM 56883)
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894)
- In Wessburg, Sigfried (HM 56896).
Huxley, Maria.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882)
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885), (HM 56887)
- In Le Put, Marie (HM 56888); Loos, Mary (HM 56889)
- In Meredith, Burgess, 1908 -(HM 56890)
- In Mitchison, Naomi, 1897 -(HM 56891)
- In Neveux, Jeanne (HM 56892)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894), (HM 56895)
- In Wessburg, Sigfried (HM 56896).
Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -.
- In Barchardy, Don, 1934 -(HM 56877)
- In Bok, H. Abigail (HM 56878)
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Meredith, Burgess, 1908 -(HM 56890)
- In Powell, Lawrence Clark, 1906 -(HM 56893)
- In Wessburg, Sigfried (HM 56896).
Kiskadden, Peggy.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Le Put, Marie (HM 56888).
Krishnamurti, J., 1895 -.
- In Field, Sidney, 1905-1988 (HM 56879)
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889)
- In Wessburg, Sigfried (HM 56896).
Lawrence, D.H. (David Herbert), 1885-1930.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881).
Lawrence, Frieda von Richthofen, 1879-1956.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Powell, Lawrence Clark, 1906 -(HM 56893).
Leary, Timothy Francis, 1920 -.
- In Field, Sidney, 1905-1988 (HM 56879).
Litvak, Anatole, 1902-1974.
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Loos, Anita, 1894-1981.
- In Halsey, Dorris (HM 56880)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885), (HM 56887)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894), (HM 56895).
LSD (Drug).
- In Field, Sidney, 1905-1988 (HM 56879)
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Mark Trevenen (HM 56883)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56886), (HM 56887).
Marijuana.
- In Huxley, Mark Trevenen (HM 56883).
Mescaline.
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56886), (HM 56887)
- In Mitchison, Naomi, 1897 -(HM 56891)
- In Neveux, Jeanne (HM 56892)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894).
Morrell, Ottoline Violet Anne Cavendish-Bentinck, Lady, 1873-1938.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889)
- In Neveux, Jeanne (HM 56892).
Ogden, C.K. (Charles Kay), 1889-1957.
- In Powell, Lawrence Clark, 1906 -(HM 56893).
Pacifism.
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885), (HM 56887)
- In Mitchison, Naomi, 1897 -(HM 56891)
- In Wendel, Betty (HM 56894).
Pascal, Gabriel, 1894-1954.
- In Halsey, Dorris (HM 56880).
Rajagopal, Rosalind.
- In Field, Sidney, 1905-1988 (HM 56879)
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885).
Rhine, J.B. (Joseph Banks), 1895-1980.
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882).
Russell, Bertrand, 1872-1970.
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882).
Sale, Richard, 1911 -.
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Sassoon, Siegfried, 1886-1967.
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882).
Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950.
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885).
Strachey, Lytton, 1880-1932.
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882).
Stravinsky, Igor, 1892-1971.
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885), (HM 56887)
- In Le Put, Marie (HM 56888)
- In Meredith, Burgess, 1908 -(HM 56890).
Thalberg, Irving G., 1899-1936.
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Vidor, King, 1894-1982.
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Viertel, Salka.
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56887)
- In Loos, Mary (HM 56889).
Wessberg, Sigfried.
- In Haulleville, Rose de (HM 56881).
White, Claire.
- In Neveux, Jeanne (HM 56892).
Wood, Christopher, 1911 -.
- In Bok, H. Abigail (HM 56878)
- In Isherwood, Christopher, 1904 -(HM 56884)
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885).
Woolf, Virginia, 1882-1941.
- In Huxley, Juliette, 1896 -(HM 56882).
Zeitlin, Jake, 1902 -.
- In Kiskadden, Peggy (HM 56885)
- In Powell, Lawrence Clark, 1906 -(HM 56893).
Bibliography
Dictionary of Literary Biography.
Vol 100. ed. Robert Beum (Detroit: Gale Research Inc.), pp. 127
-138.
Twentieth Century Authors,
A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Literature.
Eds. Stanley J. Kuntiz and Howard Haycraft (New York: The H.W. Wilson
Co.), pp. 698 -699.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Bates method of orthoptics.
Hallucinogenic drugs.
Hallucinogenic drugs and religious experience.
LSD (Drug)
Marijuana.
Mescaline.
Pacifism.
Audio cassettes -- 20th century
Interviews -- 20th century
Transcripts -- 20th century
Huxley, Aldous,
1894-1963.
Auden, W. H. (Wystan Hugh), 1907-1973
Bachardy, Don, 1934-
Bell, Vanessa,
1879-1961
Bok, H. Abigail.
Chaplin, Charlie,
1889-1977
Cukor, George,
1899-1983
Field, Sidney,
1905-1988
Garbo, Greta, 1905-1990
Gershwin, George,
1898-1937
Haulleville, Rose de.
Heard, Gerald, 1889-1971
Hubble, Edwin, 1889-1953
Huxley, Julian,
1887-1975
Huxley, Juliette,
1896-1994
Huxley, Mark Trevenen.
Isherwood, Christopher,
1904-1986
Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert),
1885-1930
Lawrence, Frieda,
1879-1956
Loos, Mary.
Meredith, Burgess,
1907-1997
Mitchison, Naomi,
1897-1999
Powell, Lawrence Clark,
1906-2001
Sassoon, Siegfried,
1886-1967
Shaw, Bernard,
1856-1950
Strachey, Lytton,
1880-1932
Stravinsky, Igor,
1882-1971
Woolf, Virginia,
1882-1941
Zeitlin, Jake,
1902-1987
Bachardy, Don, 1934-
Bok, H. Abigail.
Field, Sidney, 1905-1988
Haulleville, Rose de.
Halsey, Dorris.
Hovde, Ellen.
Huxley, Juliette, 1896-1994
Huxley, Laura Archera.
Huxley, Mark Trevenen.
Huxley, Matthew.
Isherwood, Christopher, 1904-1986
Loos, Mary.
Meredith, Burgess, 1907-1997
Mitchison, Naomi, 1897-1999
Powell, Lawrence Clark, 1906-2001
Rajagopal, Rosalind.
White, Claire Nicolas, 1925-
Zeitlin, Jake, 1902-1987