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Letters donated from the collection of Nina Tannenbaum, and Tiye, Robin, and Duccio Castelli in honor of Professor Peter Pazzaglini, the Columbia Core, and to all of the great teachers who have inspired, illuminated, and enriched their lives. Both letters reflect the efforts of a young writer to be connected to and absorb the advice of eminent Italian writers of his and his family's cultural milieu. One letter from Italo Calvino to Duccio Castelli analyzing the young writer's story, comparing his style to contemporary American writers, such as Raymond Chandler and Damon Runyon, as well as suggesting techniques for incorporating the life and language of Milan into his stories. The second document reflects the connections between Duccio Castelli's mother, a book-seller and figure in the early and mid-century Italian writing and publishing scene, and Salvatore Quasimodo, Nobel Laureate 1959, with whom she shared her son's poetry. The collection contains both original documents as well as Duccio Castelli's translations into English and his account of how he wrote to Italo Calvino and received advice from the renowned writer.

Correspondence, manuscripts, documents, photographs, printed material, and memorabilia. The cataloged correspondence is with Jacques Barzun, Benedetto Croce, Elena Croce, Wallace Fowlie, Thomas Mann, Salvatore Quasimodo, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., and René Wellek. There is manuscript material relating to the Bergel-Hauptman case and a number of Bergel's own essays and reviews. A copy of Bergel's German passport is included, as well as numerous family photographs and miscellaneous printed material. There is a cataloged photograph of Hugo von Hofmannsthal; and a gold Benedetto Croce centennial medal.

This collection contains materials related to a full range of Blake's personal, professional, and academic lives. The bulk of the collection dates from the 1980s through the early 2000s. His professional and faculty papers document many of his interests, and primarily include published and unpublished lectures and articles. Although Blake delivered his lectures at various architectural schools in the United States and abroad, the specific locations of the lectures are not usually recorded on the documents. In addition, many articles he wrote for publication appear as annotated typescripts. There are also significant papers related to publication of his memoir No Place Like Utopia (Knopf, 1993), including correspondence and some production records. Throughout the professional and faculty papers are also found a large number of reference files relating to modern architecture, art, design, urbanism, technology, and current events, compiled over many decades. The collection also contains correspondence with personal friends, clients, and professional and academic colleagues. There is an especially significant amount of correspondence and clippings related to Patwant Singh, a Sikh writer, commentator, journalist, editor, and publisher, with whom Blake was a close friend. There are also many materials including correspondence, typescripts, and book production records related to Philip Johnson and Paul Rudolph, with whom Blake was also close. Architectural project records include original and reprographic drawings and photographs for 40 residential and institutional designs, located primarily in New York City and the surrounding region. Of particular note are drawings and papers related to Blake's important Pin Wheel House (1954) in Water Mill, New York. In addition, there are drawings related to the American National Exhibition in Moscow (1959). Finally, there is a significant number of drawings, photographs, and correspondence related to the Benjamin Gerson Residence (1999-2003) in Johnsonburg, New Jersey, one of Blake's last architectural projects.