Description
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.
Restrictions
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 The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers.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.