Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Lish, Gordon (19340211)
- Abstract:
- The Lish mss., 1951-2017, consists of the correspondence, manuscripts, and papers of editor, writer, and teacher Gordon Lish, 1934- .
- Extent:
- 144 Boxes
- Language:
- Materials are in English .
- Preferred citation:
[Item], Lish mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Background
- Biographical / Historical:
Gordon Lish, 1934- , is an American literary editor and writer. He was born and raised in Hewlett, New York, and graduated from the University of Arizona. He became founder and editor of the avant-garde literary magazine Genesis West, and went on to serve as editor for Esquire from 1969-1977 and Alfred A. Knopf from 1977-1995. Known as "Captain Fiction," Lish mentored and championed several of the most prominent American authors of the second half of the 20th century, including Raymond Carver, Don DeLillo, Cynthia Ozick, Barry Hannah, Richard Ford, Amy Hempel, and T. Coraghessan Boyle. Lish is the author of Dear Mr. Capote, Peru, What I Know So Far, and other literary works. He is renowned for his writing seminars, held at many universities across the country as well as the Center for Fiction in New York City.
- Scope and Content:
Correspondence is divided into Individual, General, Additional, Personal, and Esquire. Writings are divided into Other Authors, Gordon Lish, and Additional. The Other Authors subseries includes original drafts and proofs from the works of Carver, DeLillo, and numerous other notable authors. Within Lish's own subseries are proofs of the publication The Quarterly. Photographs include pictures of Lish, Raymond Carver, James Dickey, and Neal Cassady. Legal records include court transcripts and filings of Lish v. Harper's (1992), and a book agreement between Raymond Carver and McGraw-Hill. Audio-Visual materials include a videotape of Lish's appearance on The Dick Cavett Show and audiotapes of students in Lish's writing classes. The Miscellaneous series includes materials from Lish's writing workshop, and a list of Lish's published writings (1956-1987).
- Acquisition information:
- Acquired: 1991
- Processing information:
Processed by Brenna Bychowski and Craig Simpson.
Completed in 2013
- Arrangement:
The collection is organized into the following series: I. Correspondence; II. Writings; III. Newspaper Clippings; IV. Photographs; V. Artwork; VI. Legal; VII. Realia; VIII. Audio-Visual; IX. Miscellaneous; X. Additions
- Physical location:
- ALF (Auxiliary Library Facility); Lilly - Stacks (Carver material in Boxes 44, 45, and 143)
Indexed Terms
- Subjects:
- Authors, American--Correspondence
American literature--20th Century - Names:
- Bass, Rick, 1958- --Correspondence.
Beattie, Ann --Correspondence.
Bellow, Saul --Correspondence.
Bloom, Harold --Correspondence.
Bowles, Paul, 1910-1999 --Correspondence.
Boyle, T. Coraghessan --Correspondence.
Brodkey, Harold --Correspondence.
Buckley, William F. (William Frank), 1925-2008 --Correspondence.
Carver, Raymond, 1938-1988 --Correspondence
Cheever, John --Correspondence.
Dickey, James --Correspondence.
Heller, Joseph --Correspondence.
Hemingway, Mary Elizabeth, 1905- --Correspondence.
Irving, John, 1942- --Correspondence.
Kesey, Ken --Correspondence.
Kubrick, Stanley --Correspondence.
Mailer, Norman --Correspondence.
Miller, Arthur, 1915-2005 --Correspondence.
Miller, Henry, 1891-1980--Correspondence
Nabokova, Vera --Correspondence.
Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994 --Correspondence.
Oates, Joyce Carol, 1938- --Correspondence.
Ozick, Cynthia --Correspondence.
Roth, Philip --Correspondence.
Theroux, Peter --Correspondence.
Warren, Robert Penn, 1905-1989 --Correspondence.
Wolfe, Tom --Correspondence.
Sontag, Susan, 1933-2004 --Correspondence.
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
This collection is open for research.
Many collections are housed offsite; retrieval requires advance notice. Please make an appointment a minimum of one week in advance of your visit.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
Photography and digitization may be restricted for some collections. Copyright restrictions may apply. Before publishing, researchers are responsible for securing permission from all applicable rights holders, then filling out the Permission to Publish form.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[Item], Lish mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
1200 East Seventh StreetBloomington, Indiana 47405-5500, USA
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- CONTACT:
-
(812) 855-2452liblilly@indiana.edu