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Berger (Bruce) Papers
MSS 0783
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Table of contents
Languages:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: Bruce Berger Papers
Creator:
Berger, Bruce
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0783
Physical Description:
2 Linear feet
(4 archives boxes, 1 card file box)
Physical Description:
.108 GB
of digital files
Date (inclusive): 1968-2015
Abstract: Papers of Bruce Berger, a nonfiction writer and poet, which document his travel and research in Baja, California from the
late 1960s through 2015.
Scope and Content of Collection
Papers of Bruce Berger, a nonfiction writer and poet, which document his travel and research in Baja, California from the
late 1960s through 2015. The collection consists primarily of short works such as typewritten journal entries and essays,
supplemental research materials (clippings, reports and pamphlets), and a selection of manuscripts from Berger's books
Almost an Island (1998),
Sierra, Sea and Desert: El Vizcaíno (1998), and
La Giganta y Guadalupe (2010). The collection contains audiocassettes that record interviews conducted by Berger. Some of the material, particularly
the supplemental materials, are in Spanish.
Arranged in four series: 1) SHORT WORKS AND SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL, 2) BOOK EXCERPTS AND ESSAYS, 3) NOTEBOOKS and 4) AUDIOCASSETTES.
Bruce Nicolas Berger was born in 1938 in Evanston, Illinois. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from Yale in 1961.
Berger pursued graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, but did not receive a degree. Instead, he settled
in Francoist Spain from 1965 to 1967, learning Spanish and playing the piano to earn an income. In 1968, he made his first
journey to Baja California. Over the next fifty years, he would reside alternatively between Baja and his home in Aspen, Colorado.
Berger has published over a dozen books, many of which consider themes of "the intersections of nature and culture, usually
in desert settings" (bruceberger.net). His essays and poetry have appeared in publications such as
New Letters and
Orion Magazine. He was the recipient of the 1990 Western States Book Award for Creative Nonfiction, the 2006 Colorado Authors' League Award
for Specialty Writing, and the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award's Silver Medal for the Most Outstanding Nonfiction Book
of the Year (for
The End of the Sherry).
Bruce Berger Papers. MSS 783. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Acquired 2015, 2017.
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Original audiocassette recordings are restricted for preservation. Researchers may request listening copies in advance of
their visit.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Baja California (Mexico : Peninsula) -- Description and travel
La Paz (Baja California Sur, Mexico) -- Social life and customs
Berger, Bruce -- Archives
Berger, Bruce -- Travel -- Mexico -- Baja California (Peninsula)