Lion Feuchtwanger papers, 1906-2006, bulk 1940-1958

Summary

Creators:

Feuchtwanger, Lion

Abstract:

Lion Feuchtwanger (1884-1958) was a celebrated German-Jewish novelist and outspoken enemy of the Nazis. He began his literary career as a theater critic and turned his talent to writing plays in the 1910s and 1920s. He first became internationally known for his historical novel Jud Süss published in 1925. In 1933, he went into exile in Southern France and in 1941 he emigrated to the United States. He was an important figure in intellectual and artistic circles in Los Angeles during the 1940s and 1950s. During the McCarthy era he was under observation by the FBI. Feuchtwanger passed away in 1958. He died stateless as he was never returned his German citizenship and was denied American citizenship during the McCarthy era. The collection includes Feuchtwanger's personal and business correspondence; manuscripts for plays, poetry, short stories, and historical novels; manuscripts by other writers such as Charles Chaplin's manuscript for Limelight; correspondence with publishers; newspaper clippings mentioning Feuchtwanger and other exiles; photographs from Feuchtwanger's life in Germany, his exile in France, and in the United States; copyright agreements and reviews of his works; ephemera; art works; audio and video recordings; and his speeches and open letters about Judaism, politics, and literature. The papers also contain Feuchtwanger's extensive collection of autograph letters and the bookseller's catalogs used by Feuchtwanger to acquire his vast personal library. Furthermore, the collection includes materials on the establishment of the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library at USC, the International Feuchtwanger Society, and the artists' residence Villa Aurora, the former Feuchtwanger residence.

Extent:

302.5 Linear Feet 321 boxes

Language:

The majority of the materials in the Lion Feuchtwanger papers are in German and English. There are a few letters and articles in French, as well as reviews of adaptations of Feuchtwanger's works in various other languages.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder# or item name], Lion Feuchtwanger papers, Collection no. 0204, Feuchtwanger Memorial Library, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Background

Scope and content:

The Lion Feuchtwanger papers consist of the German-Jewish novelist's personal and business correspondence; manuscripts for plays, poetry, short stories, and historical novels; manuscripts by other writers including Marie Luise Fleisser, Luzi Korngold, and Alan Marcus as well as Charles Chaplin's manuscript for Limelight; correspondence with publishers; newspaper clippings mentioning Feuchtwanger and other exiles; photographs from Feuchtwanger's life in Germany, his exile in France, and in the United States; copyright agreements and reviews of his works; ephemera; art works; audio and video recordings; and his speeches and open letters about Judaism, politics, and literature.

Even though the majority of materials in this collection dates to the 1940s and 1950s when Feuchtwanger lived in Los Angeles, the collection includes important holdings from his exile in Southern France and a few materials from his life in Germany. Noteworthy among the materials from Feuchtwanger's life in Germany are the original manuscripts for his novels Jud Süss and Die hässliche Herzogin, as well as newspaper clippings containing Nazi propaganda and lists of people who were stripped of their German citizenship. The papers also contain Feuchtwanger's vast collection of autograph letters. Amongst these are original letters by historical figures such as Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, Sir Richard Francis Burton, Charles Darwin, Alexandre Dumas, Eleonora Duse, and many more. The collection also holds the bookseller's catalogs used by Feuchtwanger to acquire his vast personal library. Furthermore, the collection includes materials on the establishment of the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library at USC, the International Feuchtwanger Society, and the artists' residence Villa Aurora, the former Feuchtwanger residence.

Biographical / historical:

Lion Feuchtwanger (1884-1958) began his literary career as a theater critic and turned his talent to writing plays in the 1910s and 1920s. He first became internationally known for his historical novel Jud Süss published in 1925.

An outspoken enemy of the Nazis, Feuchtwanger went into exile in Southern France in 1933 and emigrated to the United States with his wife Marta in 1941.

During his seventeen years in Southern California, he wrote primarily historical fiction including: Waffen für Amerika also called Die Füchse im Weinberg (1947-48; Proud Destiny), Goya oder Der arge Weg der Erkenntnis (1951; This is the Hour, a Novel about Goya), Spanische Ballade also called Die Jüdin von Toledo (1955; Raquel, the Jewess of Toledo), and Jefta und seine Tochter (1957; Jephta and his Daughter).

He was an important figure in the intellectual and artistic circles in Los Angeles during the 1940s and 1950s. During the McCarthy era he was under observation by the FBI.

An avid book collector, Feuchtwanger acquired a personal library reflecting his interests in different historical periods and containing several noteworthy smaller collections of primary and secondary sources focusing on such subjects as Greek and Latin classics, Jewish and biblical history, the Enlightenment, French Revolution, German literature, and exile literature.

Acquisition information:

Gift of Marta Feuchtwanger, 1987.

Processing information:

The collection was rehoused and described by Marje Schuetze-Coburn and Michaela Ullmann. Additional data transfer and rehousing was done by Adi Ben-Michael, Lauren Weindling, Matthew Gehm, Anno Hoeller, Christopher Robinson, Melia Albrecht, and Lisa Ebiner Gavet.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Actors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Actresses -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Anti-communist movements -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Artists -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Authors, German -- 20th century -- Biography -- Archival resources
Authors, German -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Authors, German -- California, Southern -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Authors, German -- Germany -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Autobiography -- Jewish authors -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Celebrities -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Charities -- California -- Archival resources
Composers -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Concentration camps -- France -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Conductors (Music) -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Exiled Jewish authors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Exiles' writings, German -- California -- Archival resources
Exiles -- Austria -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Exiles -- Germany -- History -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Exiles -- Southern France -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Exiles -- United States -- 20th century -- Archival resources
German literature -- Archival resources
Historical fiction, German -- Archival resources
International relations -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Jews, German -- California, Southern -- Archival resources
Jews -- California, Southern -- History -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Jews -- Persecutions -- Germany -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Jewish refugees -- California, Southern -- Archival resources
Musicians -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Nonprofit organizations -- United States -- Archival resources
Political campaigns -- California -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Theater -- Austria -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Theater -- Germany -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Autographs (manuscripts)
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence
Ephemera
Manuscripts
Photographs

Names:

Emergency Rescue Committee -- Correspondence
Marcuse, Ludwig -- Correspondence
Massary, Fritzi -- Correspondence
Doblin, Alfred -- Correspondence
Dieterle, William, 1893-1972 -- Correspondence
Baum, Vicki, 1888-1960 -- Correspondence
Brecht, Bertolt -- Correspondence
Walter, Bruno -- Correspondence
Chaplin, Charles -- Correspondence
Feuchtwanger, Marta -- Archives
Zweig, Arnold -- Correspondence
Eisler, Hanns -- Correspondence
Feuchtwanger, Lion -- Archives
Mann, Heinrich -- Correspondence
Mann, Thomas, 1875-1955 -- Correspondence

Places:

Germany -- Emigration and immigration -- History -- 1933-1945 -- Archival resources
California, Southern -- Emigration and immigration -- Archival resources
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Emigration and immigration -- Archival resources
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century -- Archival resources

Restrictions:

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.

Terms of access:

The collection contains published materials; researchers are reminded of the copyright restrictions imposed by publishers on reusing their articles and parts of books. It is the responsibility of researchers to acquire permission from publishers when reusing such materials. The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder# or item name], Lion Feuchtwanger papers, Collection no. 0204, Feuchtwanger Memorial Library, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Location of this collection:

University of Southern California, Feuchtwanger Memorial Library

Special Collections

Doheny Memorial Library, Room 209

Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189, US

Contact:

(213) 740-5900

specol@usc.edu

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