Biographical Note
David Bellos (1945- ), writer, translator, and professor of French was born in England and educated at Oxford. He is particularly well-known for his translations of the French novelist and short-story writer Georges Perec. In 1988, he was awarded the IBM France translation prize for his translation of Perec's Life: A User's Manual and the Prix de Goncourt de la Biographie in 1994 for his biography Georges Perec: A Life in Words . Bellos, who is presently a professor of French at Princeton University, has written or translated numerous works in English and French on nineteenth- and twentieth-century French literature.
Scope and Contents
Consists of correspondence, notes, manuscript drafts, research files and clippings relating to translations and writings of literary translator and writer David Bellos. The majority of this collection (Series I) relates to his translations and biography of Perec. Series II consists of translations by Bellos of other authors. Present in this file are drafts and proofs of his translations of Ismail Kadare's The Great Wall and The Successor , as well as notes for an early draft of Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas. Series III consists of articles and reviews written by Bellos, chiefly for The New York Review of Books , and clippings of reviews of various books written by Bellos. Series IV consists of additional translations of Georges Perec and other authors, as well as Silvia Morawetz's German translation of Bellos' book Is That a Fish in your Ear?
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into the following series: I. Georges Perec, II. Translations of other authors, III. Miscellaneous, and IV. 2018 Additions
Restrictions
Conditions Governing Access:
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.
Conditions Governing Use:
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.
Indexed Terms
-
Persons
- Anselme, Daniel
- Anselme, Daniel. Permission. English
- Bellos, David --Correspondence.
- Bellos, David. Georges Perec.
- Fournel, Paul, 1947-
- Fournel, Paul, 1947- Liseuse. English
- Kadare, Ismail. Grande muraille. English
- Kadare, Ismail. Muzgu i perendive te stepes. English
- Kadare, Ismail. Pasardhësi. English
- Morawetz, Silvia, 1954-
- Perec, Georges, 1936-1982 --Correspondence.
- Perec, Georges, 1936-1982 --Translations into English.
- Perec, Georges, 1936-1982.
- Simenon, Georges, 1903-1989
- Simenon, Georges, 1903-1989. Pietr-le-Letton. English
- Vargas, Fred. Homme à l'envers. English
-
Subjects
- Biography as a literary form.
- French literature --Translations into English.
- Literature--translating
- Translations --20th century.
- Translators --Correspondence.
- Translators.
-
Genres and Forms
- Translations --21st century.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
[Item], Bellos mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift: 2004, 2006
Collection Inventory
Subseries:
Georges Perec: A Life in Words
box 1
folder 1-6
Correspondence with Harvill Press and various French publishers , 1989-1998
box 1
folder 7-147
Correspondence and interview notes
box 1
folder 7-147
Boni, Paolo and Cuchi White
box 1
folder 7-147
Brunhoff, Marie Claude and Ann de
box 1
folder 7-147
Gotlieb in G. Lenne. Je me souviens du cinema
box 1
folder 7-147
Hugelin, André – Perec in the Lab
box 1
folder 7-147
Marcennac, Bruno (Mathieu)
box 1
folder 7-147
Oleder/ P/C / Genre Humain
box 1
folder 7-147
Otchakovsky-Laurens, Paul
box 2
folder 1-24
Notes and reports on research trips for Georges Perec: A Life in Words , January 1988-March 1990
General: Arranged by location or topic
box 2
folder 25-34
Notes on specific elements of Perec's life
box 2
folder 25-34
Belleville between , 1920 and 1925
box 2
folder 25-34
French history of and information on Peretz/Bienenfeld families
box 2
folder 25-34
Dossier scolaire/School dossier of Georges Perec
box 2
folder 25-34
Military service of Georges Perec
box 2
folder 35-40
General/miscellaneous notes for the Perec biography
box 2
folder 41
Audiotape cassettes of research on Georges Perec recorded during visits in Tunisia, Yugoslavia and France
Physical Description: (5 items)
box 2
folder 42-45
Notes relating to the composition of the biography , January, March and May 1990
box 3
folder 1-6
Notes and notebooks for Georges Perec: A Life in Words
box 3
folder 7
Correspondence about Georges Perec's lecture given at the University of Warwick, UK; photocopy of the lecture, May 1967 , 1989
box 3
folder 8-12
Correspondence with publishers, etc. about Georges Perec: A Life in Words , 1988-1993
box 3
folder 13
Calendrier de la vie de Perec.
General: Original basic plan for Bellos's biography
box 3
folder 14
Georges Perec: A Life in Words.
General: Early draft
box 3
folder 15-17
Georges Perec: A Life in Words.
General: Corrected proofs
box 4
folder 1-2
Georges Perec: A Life in Words.
General: Corrected proofs
box 4
folder 3-4
Ela Bienenfeld's notes on earliest version , (early 1990)
box 4
folder 5
Bianca Lamblin's corrections to part I of version , 1990
box 4
folder 6-8
Bellos's notes on version I , 1990-1991
box 4
folder 10-11
Bienenfeld, Ela. Correspondence, interview notes, photocopies of her correspondence, etc. in the University of Pennsylvania
box 4
folder 12
Binet, Catherine. Correspondence with Georges Perec , 1977–1981
General: (photocopies)
box 4
folder 13
Binet, Catherine. Correspondence with Harry Mathews
General: (photocopies of originals in the University of Pennsylvania)
box 4
folder 14
Binet, Catherine. La commande: ou project d'un voyage à W
General: (photocopy)
box 4
folder 15
Binet, Catherine. Vous sovenez-vous de Gaspard Winckler?
General: Film script about Georges Perec
(photocopy with autograph corrections and changes)
box 4
folder 16
Binet, Catherine. Correspondence and interview notes with Bellos; Film sur Georges Perec: Part I: Te souviens-tu de Gaspard Winckler? Part II: Vous sovenez-vous de Gaspard Winckler?
box 4
folder 17
Binet, Catherine. Audio cassettes of Catherine Binet talking about Georges Perec, and the errors in David Bellos's biography of Perec
Physical Description: (7 items)
box 4
folder 18
Binet, Catherine. Documents provided by Catherine Binet: Les jeux de la comtesse Dolingen de Gratz; Binet's c.v.; notes; correspondence with Bellos
box 4
folder 19-24
Correspondence with publishers, etc. about Perec translations, ca. , 1985-1996
box 4
folder 25
Marie Chaix/Jacques Lederer/Laurant de Brunhoff correspondence, with Bellos , 1991
box 4
folder 26
Mathews, Harry. Correspondence: interview notes; parts of Harry Mathews's diary , Oct. 1988–June 1995;
box 5
folder 1-2
Georges Perec: A Life in Words. Reviews
Subseries:
Writings, etc. by and about Georges Perec
box 5
folder 3-10
Photocopies of Georges Perec correspondence , 1957-1981
box 5
folder 11
Correspondence: Perec to Philippe Guerinat photocopies , 1956–1959
box 5
folder 12
Correspondence: Perec to Eugan Hemle, transcriptions
box 5
folder 13
Correspondence: Perec with Johann M. Kamps, transcriptions
box 5
folder 14
Notes and transcriptions of Georges Perec's letters to Jacques Lederer , 1954-1961
General: Edited versions of the letters have been published
box 5
folder 15
Martens, Miche.
General: Card annotated by Georges Perec in black ink
box 5
folder 16-24
53 Jours. , 1992, 2002
General: Photocopies of the manuscript and typescript drafts from Harry Mathews's copy of Perec's unfinished novel; Bellos's transcriptions and editing in preparation for the translation published as 53 Days (UK 1992, 2002, US 1992, 2002).
box 5
folder 25
Copies of various writings by and about Perec
box 5
folder 25
L'Abominable Pardessus.
General: Film by Georges Franju, adaptation and dialogues by Georges Perec
box 5
folder 26
Alfred et Marie. Un film de Gérard Zingg, scénario et dialogues de Georges Perec
box 5
folder 27
L'Attentat de Sarajevo
General: (incomplete)
box 5
folder 28
La bande magnétique.
General: Film treatment
box 5
folder 29
Le Bonheur.
General: Unpublished article by Perec on the film by A. Varda
box 5
folder 31
Les choses.
General: Script for the movie adaptation of Perec's book and Les choses , screenplay, adaptation and dialogues by Raymond Bellour, Jean Maillaud, and Georges Perec
box 5
folder 33
Ellis Island Revisted: Chronicles of vagrancy and hope translated by Harry Mathews
box 5
folder 34-36
Les Extraordinaires aventures de Monsieur Eveready.
General: Unpublished script for radio serial
box 6
folder 1
Les Extraordinaires aventures de Monsieur Eveready
box 6
folder 3
Georges Perec L'amateur d'art
box 6
folder 4
Georges Perec – Australian Radio Programme.
General: Interview
box 6
folder 5
Un homme qui dort.
General: Film script
box 6
folder 6
Der Kartoffelkessel, radio-adaptation
box 6
folder 11
Les Lieux d'une ruse/About my analysis
box 6
folder 12
Life: A User's manual , correspondence , 1985
box 6
folder 15
Malédiction! Screenplay by Perec and Jean-Pierre Prévost
box 6
folder 17
Notes for films: Le club , Le prince Michel , La couronne de Saint Mathias , La coronne de fer
box 6
folder 19
Plays, Pieces and Puzzles
General: (photocopy)
box 6
folder 22
Radioscopie – Georges Perec.
General: Interview by Jacques Chancel
box 6
folder 23
Signe particuler: NEANT.
General: Projet de long-métrage de fiction
box 6
folder 24
The Story of a Painting translated by Bellos
box 6
folder 25
A tire d'aile, script for the film by Pascal Aubier, adaptation and dialogues by Georges Perec
box 6
folder 26
La vie privée.
General: Corrected proofs
(incomplete)
box 6
folder 27-28
Voyage d'hiver/The Winter Journey
box 6
folder 29-32
W ou le souvenir d'enfance
box 6
folder 33
Wucherungen.
General: German radio script
(photocopy)
box 7
folder 1
Miscellaneous short pieces by Perec
box 7
folder 2-23
Miscellaneous Perec memorabilia, magazines, articles, art publications, etc.
General: Included is a photocopy of Perec's elementary school notebook; book blurbs by Perec; two cigarillo boxes left by Georges Perec in photo session which resulted in a famous Perec and cat photograph; medical pamphlets of the sort Georges Perec dealt with as bibliographer of the CNRS LA 38; obituaries of Perec
box 7
folder 24-30
Scrapbooks of Perec Press files
Physical Description: (7 items)
box 8
folder 1
Scrapbooks of Perec Press files (cont.).
General: Inventory listings: 1) by date; 2) by scrapbook number; 3) by newspaper/magazine; and 4) alphabetically by author
box 8
folder 2
Copies of dust jackets for various Perec publications
box 8
folder 3-26
Miscellaneous.
General: Includes clippings, photocopies of articles, lecture notes, etc. Some relate to Perec, some do not.
Arranged alphabetically by author or subject of the file.
box 8
folder 3-26
Atelier de création radiophonique
box 8
folder 3-26
Simone de Beauvoir.
General: Reading notes
box 8
folder 3-26
Les Doigts dan la Cassure
box 8
folder 3-26
Philippe Drogoz – L'enlevement, opera en cinq actes
box 8
folder 3-26
Alain Guerin Le bon depart.
General: Notes
box 8
folder 3-26
Hamon/Rotman Génération, les anées de Rêve
box 8
folder 3-26
E.A.J. Honigmann article on autobiography New York Review , Dec. 7, 1989
box 8
folder 3-26
Les Doigts dan la Cassure
box 8
folder 3-26
Les Doigts dan la Cassure
box 8
folder 3-26
Franz Kafka.
General: Translation history, notes
box 8
folder 3-26
Milan Kundera. TLS review , June 24, 1988
box 8
folder 3-26
Helen Lane.
General: Notes
box 8
folder 3-26
Henri Lefebvre.
General: Notes
box 8
folder 3-26
Christine Lipinska.
General: Clippings
box 8
folder 3-26
G. Lukács translations.
General: Notes
box 8
folder 27
Bellos correspondence with Random House publishers , 2002-2003
General: (email printouts)
Series:
Translations of other authors
Subseries:
Kadare, Ismail
box 8
folder 28
The Great Wall.
General: First draft of translation; printout; copy-edited galleys (two sets)
box 8
folder 29
The Successor.
General: First draft of translation
box 8
folder 30
The Successor.
General: Late draft with some corrections by Bellos in pencil
box 8
folder 31
The Successor.
General: Bellos's responses to copy-editor; corrected galleys
box 8
folder 32
Clippings about Kadare and reviews of his works
box 8
folder 33
Seeking Whom He May Devour.
General: Bellos's notes
box 8
folder 34
Seeking Whom He May Devour.
General: First version of translation, heavily corrected
box 8
folder 36
Miscellaneous articles, etc. written by Bellos for The New York Review of Books
box 8
folder 37
Clippings of reviews of various books written by Bellos
box 9
53 Days , 1991
Physical Description: (3 folders)
box 9
I Remember edits to Philip Terry's translation
box 9
I Remember edits to Philip Terry's translation, including Bellos's introduction and notes
box 9
Portrait of a Man
Physical Description: (4 folders)
Subseries:
Translations of Other Authors
box 9
Anselme, Daniel - On Leave
box 9
Fournel, Paul - Dear Reader
box 9
Kadare, Ismail - Twilight of the Eastern Gods chapters 1-3
box 9
Kadare, Ismail - Twilight of the Eastern Gods chapters 4-5 and list of principal characters
box 9
Kadare, Ismail - The Student chapters 1-3
box 9
Kadare, Ismail - The Student chapters 4-5
box 9
Simenon, Georges - Pietr the Latvian copy edits
box 10
Simenon, Georges - Pietr the Latvian page proofs for Bellos to edit and return
box 10
Simenon, Georges - Pietr the Latvian page proofs for Bellos to keep for reference
box 10
Simenon, Georges - Double Trouble: The Case of Baltic Pete
box 10
Simenon, Georges - Foreign Bodies
box 10
Is That a Fish in your Ear? Silvia Morawetz's German translation, chapters 1-9
box 10
Is That a Fish in your Ear? Silvia Morawetz's German translation, chapters 10-19
box 10
Is That a Fish in your Ear? Silvia Morawetz's German translation, chapters 20-32 and end matter