Biographical Note

Willis Barnstone was born on November 13, 1927, in Lewiston, Maine. He completed his BA at Bowdoin College in 1948, his MA at Columbia University in 1956, and his PhD at Yale University in 1960. He has taught multiple languages and literatures at Anavryta Classical Lyceum, Wesleyan University, Colgate University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Indiana University. In addition to 18 collections of original poetry, he has published several memoirs, anthologies, translations, and works of literary criticism. Barnstone won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1961 and has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry four times. Barnstone currently lives in Oakland, California.

Scope and Contents

Poetry includes drafts of published collections as well as unpublished works and is organized chronologically by publication according to the bibliography of Barnstone's personal website. Translations and anthologies, which include Barnstone's translated works and edited collections respectively, are also arranged in this manner. Other writings encompasses Barnstone's works in literary criticism, drama, and music. Correspondence includes letters sent to and received by Barnstone for both personal and professional subjects. Writings by others includes the works sent to Barnstone by friends and family. Publicity incorporates all promotional material for Barnstone not related to a specific published work. Financial and legal includes publishing and permissions contracts as well as personal receipts and invoices. Personal gathers childhood ephemera, family memorabilia and IDs. Faculty files collects Barnstone's notes and syllabi from his various faculty positions. Audio-visual includes photos of Barnstone as well as taken by Barnstone and a large collection of flexdisks, audioreels and cassettes. Miscellaneous covers all materials that do not fall into the previous series.

Correspondents include: Jorge Luis Borges, Albert Camus, Raymond Carver, John Dos Passos, Manuel Durán, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Lowell, Breon Mitchell, Scott Russell Sanders, Mary Ellen Solt, Elvis J. Stahr, Ruth Stone, Herman B Wells, and Patricia Woodruff.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into the following series: I. Poetry, II. Translations, III. Anthologies, IV. Other Writings, V. Correspondence, VI. Writings by Others, VII. Publicity, VIII. Financial and Legal, IX. Personal, X. Faculty Files, XI. Audio-Visual, XII. Miscellaneous, and XIII. Additions.

Restrictions

Conditions Governing Access: This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use: Prior arrangements are not necessary before coming to the Library, however, patrons from out of town are encouraged to communicate with the Library in advance of their visits to ascertain availability of materials. Photocopying permitted only with permission of the curator.

Subject Headings

Persons

Barnstone, Willis, 1927-
Barnstone, Willis, 1927---Correspondence
Borges, Jorge Luis, 1899-1986--Correspondence
Camus, Albert, 1913-1960--Correspondence
Carver, Raymond, 1938-1988--Correspondence
Dos Passos, John, 1896-1970--Correspondence
Durán, Manuel, 1925---Correspondence
Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997--Correspondence
Lowell, Robert, 1917-1977--Correspondence
Mitchell, Breon--Correspondence
Sanders, Scott R. (Scott Russell), 1945---Correspondence
Solt, Mary Ellen--Correspondence
Stahr, Elvis J. (Elvis Jacob), 1916-1998--Correspondence
Stone, Ruth--Correspondence
Wells, Herman B--Correspondence
Woodruff, Patricia--Correspondence

Subjects

Education
Indiana University
Literature--translating

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Item], Barnstone mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquired: 2002-2016

Table of Contents

I. POETRY.

II. TRANSLATIONS.

III. ANTHOLOGIES.

IV. OTHER WRITINGS.

V. CORRESPONDENCE.

VI. WRITINGS BY OTHERS.

VII. PUBLICITY.

VIII. FINANCIAL AND LEGAL.

IX. PERSONAL.

X. FACULTY FILES.

XI. AUDIO-VISUAL.

XII. MISCELLANEOUS.

XIII. ADDITIONS.