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Amiri Baraka papers
491
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Title: Amiri Baraka papers
Collection number: 491
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1.6 linear feet
(4 boxes)
Date: 1952-1966
Abstract: Amiri Baraka (1934-2014) was the founder and editor of the literary journals
Yugen and
Kulchur. An outspoken public intellectual, he was the author of poetry, plays, novels, and essays. The collection consists of poetry
manuscripts and correspondence submitted to Baraka while editor of
Yugen. Some material relates to
Kulchur.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Creator:
Baraka, Amiri, 1934-2014
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the physical object belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are
retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
This collection was slightly reprocessed in 2016, primarily to eliminate some ambiguities that were the result of unusual
formatting. The collection name was also changed (from Imamu Amiri Baraka) to make it consistent with the Library of Congress
subject heading.
[Identification of item], Amiri Baraka Papers (Collection 491). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
462289
Amiri Baraka was born Everett LeRoi Jones on October 7, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey. He attended Rutgers University and graduated
from Howard University. After some graduate study in New York City, he joined the U.S. Air Force. Upon his discharge he returned
to New York and took up writing poetry in earnest. To distribute the work of other poets as well, he and his wife, Hettie
Cohen, founded Totem Press and the literary journal
Yugen. With the poet Diana di Prima, he also founded the journal
Kulchur. Always politically active, throughout the 1960s, he became more radical and embraced Black nationalism. Later, he distanced
himself from Black nationalism to adopt a more globalistic Communism. For the rest of his life, he would be known as much
for his controversial political views as for his poetry. Baraka died on January 9, 2014 in the city of his birth.
The collection consists of correspondence as well as poetry manuscripts submitted to Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), editor of
Yugen. Some material relates to
Kulchur. Correspondents include Jonas Mekas, John Rechy, Diane Wakoski, and Philip Whalen.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by correspondent and manuscript author.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Baraka, Amiri, 1934-2014--Archives.
African American authors--Archives.
African American dramatists--Archives.
African American poets--Archives.
Beat generation--Poetry.
Manuscripts for publication.
Periodical editors--United States--Archives.