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Allen Ginsberg papers, 1943-1991, bulk 1945-1976

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Series I: Correspondence, 1943-1982

This series consists of correspondence between Allen Ginsberg and his friends, family and associated. Included is early correspondence between Ginsberg and his friends and fellow writers William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and Gregory Corso as well as letters including poetry critiques from his Columbia University professors Lionel Trilling and Mark Van Doren. There is also a significant amount of correspondence between Allen Ginsberg and his father, the poet Louis Ginsberg.

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Box 1 Folder 1 Anderson, John Cutler to Ginsberg, undated

Box 1 Folder 2 Auden, W.H. to Ginsberg, 1948 April and 1952 October, 1948 April, 1952 October

Box 1 Folder 3 Bakken, Richard to Louis Ginsberg, 1973

Barzun, Jacques to Ginsberg

Box 1 Folder 4 1946 October- 1948 October (3 letters), 1946, 1948 October

Box 1 Folder 5 1959-1965 (7 letters), 1959-1965

Box 1 Folder 6 Beach, Mary to Ginsberg, 1974 April 2

Box 1 Folder 7 Beckett, Samuel to Ginsberg, 1957 October 22

Box 1 Folder 8 Behan, Brendan to Ginsberg, 1960

Box 1 Folder 9 Beltrametti, Franco; Jack Hirschman; Allen Ginsberg; Gary Snyder; and Peter Orlovsky to Claude Pelieu,, 1974 June 29

Box 1 Folder 10 Blackburn, Paul to Ginsberg, 1961 August and 1966 June-October (4 letters), 1961 August, 1966 June-October

Box 1 Folder 11 Bowles, Paul to Ginsberg, 1961-1962 and undated (9 letters), 1961-1962, undated

Brooks, Eugene to Ginsberg

Box 1 Folder 12 1945-1959 (7 letters, with enclosures), 1945-1959

Box 1 Folder 13 1961-1963 (10 letters), 1961-1963

Box 1 Folder 14 1964-1969 (12 letters), 1964-1969

Burroughs, Joan Vollmer to Ginsberg

Box 1 Folder 15 1946 November- 1947 March (3 letters), 1946, 1947 March

Box 1 Folder 16 1949 April- October (2 letters), 1949

Burroughs, William Seward to Ginsberg

Box 1 Folder 17 Undated (4 letters), Undated

Box 1 Folder 18 1945 July- 1947 July (8 letters), 1945, 1947 July

Box 1 Folder 19 1948 (7 letters), 1948

Box 1 Folder 20 1949 (12 letters), 1949

Box 1 Folder 21 1950 May-1951 (11 letters), 1950

Box 1 Folder 22 1952 January- June (17 letters), 1952

Box 1 Folder 23 1952 July-December (13 letters), 1952 July-December


Box 2 Folder 1 1953 January-May (13 letters), 1953 January-May

Box 2 Folder 2 1953 June-August , 1954 May (12 letters), 1953 June-August, 1954 May

Box 2 Folder 3 1957 September-December (12 letters), 1957 September-December

Box 2 Folder 4 1958 (12 letters), 1958

Box 2 Folder 5 1959 (18 letters), 1959

Box 2 Folder 6 1960 (13 letters), 1960

Box 2 Folder 7 1961 (8 letters), 1961

Box 2 Folder 8 1962 February-1964 December (9 letters), 1962 February-1964 December

Box 2 Folder 9 1965 December-1969 September (6 letters), 1965 December-1969 September

Box 2 Folder 10 Carroll, Paul to Ginsberg, 1967 March 20

(contains a 39 page essay written by Carroll about Ginsberg's "Wichita Vortex Sutra")

Box 2 Folder 11 Cassady, Carolyn to Ginsberg, 1952-1968 (11 letters), 1952-1968

Cassady, Neal

Box 2 Folder 12 to Carolyn Cassady, 1958-1959 January (3 letters), 1958-1959 January

to Ginsberg

Box 2 Folder 13 Undated (3 letters), Undated


Box 3 Folder 1 1947 (15 letters), 1947

Box 3 Folder 2 1948 (4 letters), 1948

Box 3 Folder 3 1949-1952 (8 letters), 1949-1952

Box 3 Folder 4 1953-1954 (5 letters), 1953-1954

Box 3 Folder 5 1959 (4 letters), 1959

Box 3 Folder 6 1967 (2 letters), 1967

to Jack Kerouac

Box 3 Folder 7 Undated

Box 3 Folder 8 1947 October and 1950 December (2 letters), 1947 October, 1950 December

Box 3 Folder 9 to his Parents and Hal Chase, 1953

Box 3 Folder 10 Miscellaneous Correspondence and Documents

Box 3 Folder 11 Charters, Ann to Ginsberg, 1970 August 23

Box 3 Folder 12 Ciardi, John (Saturday Review) to Ginsberg, 1959 August (2 letters), 1959 August

Box 3 Folder 13 Clemens, Cyril to Ginsberg, 1966 April 27

Corso, Gregory

Box 3 Folder 14 to Ray Bremser, 1959

Box 3 Folder 15 to Ann Campbell, 1960

to Ginsberg

Box 3 Folder 16 Undated (5 letters), Undated

Box 3 Folder 17 1956 August-December (5 letters), 1956 August-December

Box 3 Folder 18 1957 (12 letters), 1957

Box 3 Folder 19 [1958] (8 letters)

Box 3 Folder 20 1958 January-March (12 letters) (2 to Ginsberg and Orlovsky, 3 to Ginsberg and Burroughs), 1958 January-March

Box 3 Folder 21 1958 July-September (8 letters), 1958 July-September

Box 3 Folder 22 1958 October-December (11 letters), 1958 October-December

Box 3 Folder 23 1959 May-July (12 letters), 1959 May-July


Box 4 Folder 1 1959 August -December (15 letters), 1959 August

Box 4 Folder 2 1959 May 15

(includes notes from Corso to Orlovsky and Kerouac to Ginsberg)

Box 4 Folder 3 1960 (15 letters), 1960

Box 4 Folder 4 1961 January-March (8 letters), 1961 January-March

Box 4 Folder 5 1961 September-November (10 letters), 1961 September-November

Box 4 Folder 6 1962 January-July (8 letters), 1962 January-July

Box 4 Folder 7 1962 August-November (10 letters), 1962 August-November

Box 4 Folder 8 1963 (6 letters), 1963

Box 4 Folder 9 1965-1967 (14 letters), 1965-1967

Box 4 Folder 10 to Louis Ginsberg, undated

Box 4 Folder 11 to Jack Kerouac, 1961 January 4

Box 4 Folder 12 to Archibald MacLeish, undated

to Peter Orlovsky

Box 4 Folder 13 1957 (2 letters), 1957

Box 4 Folder 14 [1958] (2 letters)

Box 4 Folder 15 1958 September-October (2 letters), 1958 September-October

Box 4 Folder 16 1960 (5 letters), 1960

Box 4 Folder 17 Corso, Gregory and William Burroughs to Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky, 1958 September 24

Box 4 Folder 18 Cowley, Malcolm to Ginsberg, 1953 July-December (3 letters), 1953 July-December

Creeley, Robert to Ginsberg

Box 4 Folder 19 1956 September-1958 December (7 letters), 1956 September-1958 December

Box 4 Folder 20 1959-1960 (8 letters), 1959-1960


Box 5 Folder 1 1962-1963 (11 letters), 1962-1963

Box 5 Folder 2 1964-1965

Box 5 Folder 3 1966-1967 (9 letters), 1966-1967

Box 5 Folder 4 Crosby, Caresse to Ginsberg, 1957 (3 letters), 1957

Box 5 Folder 5 cummings, e.e., 1956

Box 5 Folder 6 Day, Dorothy to Ginsberg, 1961 and 1966 (4 letters), 1961, 1966

Box 5 Folder 7 DiPrima, Diane to Ginsberg, 1969

Box 5 Folder 8 Duncan, Robert to Ginsberg, 1956-1966 (5 letters), 1956-1966

Box 5 Folder 9 Eberhart, Richard to Ginsberg, 1956-1966 (5 letters), 1956-1966

Box 5 Folder 10 Engle, Paul Hamilton to Ginsberg, 1964-1956 (6 letters), 1964-1956

Box 5 Folder 11 Farrell, Lawrence to Gregory Corso, 1958-1961 (3 letters), 1958-1961

Ferlinghetti, Lawrence

Box 5 Folder 12 to Gregory Corso, 1958-1961 (3 letters), 1958-1961

Box 5 Folder 13 to Max Gartenberg, 1960

to Ginsberg

Box 5 Folder 15 1957 (5 letters), 1957

Box 5 Folder 15 1958 (15 letters), 1958

Box 5 Folder 16 1959 (10 letters), 1959

Box 5 Folder 17 1960 (15 letters), 1960

Box 5 Folder 18 1961 (23 letters), 1961

Ferlinghetti, Lawrence

to Ginsberg


Box 6 Folder 1 1962 (22 letters), 1962

Box 6 Folder 2 1963 (11 letters), 1963

Box 6 Folder 3 1964 (20 letters), 1964

Box 6 Folder 4 1965 (8 letters), 1965

Box 6 Folder 5 1966 (16 letters), 1966

Box 6 Folder 6 1967 (9 letters), 1967

Box 6 Folder 7 1968 (7 letters), 1968

Box 6 Folder 8 to Peter Orlovsky, 1960

Box 6 Folder 9 to Claude Pélieu and Mary Beach, 1973 July- 1974 October (7 letters), 1973, 1974 October

Box 6 Folder 10 Miscellaneous Correspondence

Ford, Charles Henri to Ginsberg

Box 6 Folder 11 1952 (3 letters), 1952

Box 6 Folder 12 1964-1968 (10 letters), 1964-1968

Box 6 Folder 13 Gallup, Donald to Ginsberg, 1964-1965 (3 letters), 1964-1965

Box 6 Folder 14 Garver, William Maynard to Ginsberg, 1953

Box 6 Folder 15 Geffen, Felicia (National Institute of Arts and Letters) to Ginsberg, 1957

Ginsberg, Allen

Box 6 Folder 16 to unknown recipient, undated

(possibly discussing the work of Anselm Hollo)

Box 6 Folder 17 to Gordon Ball, 1973-1974, (2 Folders)

Box 6 Folder 18 to Amiri and Amina Baraka, 1978 March and 1980 November (2 letters), 1978 March, 1980 November

Box 6 Folder 19 to Amiri Baraka, 1978 and 1981 (3 letters), 1978, 1981


Box 7 Folder 1 to Bill Berkson, 1968-1969 (3 letters), 1968-1969

to Eugene Brooks

Box 7 Folder 2 1943-1945 (4 letter), 1943-1945

Box 7 Folder 3 1956-1957 (10 letters), 1956-1957

Box 7 Folder 4 to Ann Buchanan, 1972 (2 letters), 1972

to William Burroughs

Box 7 Folder 5 1949-1952 and undated (4 letters), 1949-1952, undated

Box 7 Folder 6 1960 July

Box 7 Folder 7 to Bill Butler, 1964

Box 7 Folder 8 to Neal Cassady, undated (3 letters), undated

Box 7 Folder 22 to Donald Cook, 12 December 1959 , 5 pages

sent from 170 East 2nd Street, New York. Unpublished

Accession number 2019.2020.M044

Box 7 Folder 9 to Gregory Corso, 1973

(contains transcript of a discussion following a poetry reading)

Box 7 Folder 10 to Mr. Creagh, 1967

Box 7 Folder 11 to Marcel Duchamp, 1964

Box 7 Folder 12 to Gail Dusenbery, 1970 (5 letters), 1970

Box 7 Folder 13 to Edith Ginsberg, 157 December 15

to Louis Ginsberg

Box 7 Folder 14 1947-1948 and undated (5 letters), 1947-1948, undated

Box 7 Folder 15 1954, 1956-1957 (15 letters), 1954, 1956-1957

Box 7 Folder 16 1958-1959 (9 letters), 1958-1959

Box 7 Folder 17 1960-1961 (16 letters), 1960-1961

Box 7 Folder 18 1962-1963 (16 letters), 1962-1963

Box 7 Folder 19 1965 (12 letters), 1965

Box 7 Folder 20 1967 September-1969 August (7 letters), 1967 September-1969 August

Box 7 Folder 21 1970s and undated (3 letters), 1970s, undated


Box 8 Folder 1 1970 (17 letters), 1970

Box 8 Folder 2 1971 (14 letters), 1971

Box 8 Folder 3 1972 (21 letters), 1972

Box 8 Folder 4 1973 (25 letters), 1973

Box 8 Folder 5 1974 (19 letters), 1974

Box 8 Folder 6 1975-1976 (8 letters), 1975-1976

to Dave Haselwood

Box 8 Folder 7 1967 and undated (9 letters), 1967, undated

Box 8 Folder 8 1968-1969 (5 letters), 1968-1969

Box 8 Folder 9 to Pietro Heliczer, 1966

Box 8 Folder 10 to Jeremy Hilton, 1965

Box 8 Folder 11 to Herbert Huncke

Box 8 Folder 12 to Jack Kerouac, undated, 1945-1949 (4 letters), 1945-1949

Box 8 Folder 13 to Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, 1951-1952 (2 letters), 1951-1952


Box 9 Folder 1 to Arthur and Glee Knight, 1970-1975 (11 letters), 1970-1975

Box 9 Folder 2 to Arthur and Kit Knight, 1976, 1984 (3 letters), 1976, 1984

Box 9 Folder 3 to Paolo Lionni, 1956

Box 9 Folder 4 to Kenneth Lohf, 1971

Box 9 Folder 5 to Tom McGrath, 1966

Box 9 Folder 6 to Kirsten Michalski, 1970

Box 9 Folder 6a to Sandra S. Osborn, 1961

Box 9 Folder 7 to Claude Pélieu and Mary Beach, 1968 and 1973 December- 1974 July (10 letters), 1968, 1973, 1974 July

Box 9 Folder 8 to [Robert] Gene [Pippin], 1950

(contains poem "If Money Made the Mind More Sane")

Box 9 Folder 9 to Janine Pommey, 1961

Box 9 Folder 10 to Jonathan Robbins, 1977

Box 9 Folder 11 to Miss Rosenberg, 1966

Box 9 Folder 12 to Barney Rossett, 1961

Box 9 Folder 13 to Lionel Trilling, 1945-1950 (3 letters), 1945-1950

Box 9 Folder 14 to Mark Van Doren, undated (2 letters), undated

Box 9 Folder 15 to A.A. Wyn, 1953

(regarding distribution ofJunkie)

Box 9 Folder 16 Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1966-1982

(unaddressed, etc.)

Box 9 Folder 17 Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Peter Orlovsky and Gregory Corso to "Jim" [James Weschler],, undated

Box 9 Folder 18 Ginsberg and William Burroughs to Tom Briberg, 1967

Ginsberg, Louis

Box 9 Folder 19 to City Lights Publishing, 1960

Box 9 Folder 20 to Gail Dusenberg, 1968 (6 letters), 1968

Box 9 Folder 21 to Eugene and Connie Brooks, 1957

to Allen Ginsberg

Box 9 Folder 22 Undated

Box 9 Folder 23 1945-1948 (12 letters), 1945-1948

Box 9 Folder 24 1955 December (2 letters), 1955 December

Box 9 Folder 25 1956 (16 letters), 1956

Box 9 Folder 26 1957-1958 (13 letters), 1957-1958

Box 9 Folder 27 1959-1960 (18 letters), 1959-1960

Box 9 Folder 28 1961 (22 letters), 1961


Box 10 Folder 1 1962 (22 letters), 1962

Box 10 Folder 2 1963 (23 letters), 1963

Box 10 Folder 3 1964 (10 letters), 1964

Box 10 Folder 4 1965 (22 letters), 1965

Box 10 Folder 5 1966 January-July (23 letters), 1966 January-July

Box 10 Folder 6 1966 August-December (21 letters), 1966 August-December

Box 10 Folder 7 1967 (37 letters), 1967

Box 10 Folder 8 1968 (18 letters), 1968

Box 10 Folder 9 1969, (6 Folders)

Box 10 Folder 10 to Selden Rodman, 1962

Ginsberg, Naomi Levy

Box 10 Folder 11 to Eugene Brooks and Louis Ginsberg, 1948 and 1950s (4 letters), 1948, 1950s

Box 10 Folder 12 To Ginsberg, 1948, 1956 and undated (17 letters), 1948, 1956, undated

Box 10 Folder 13 Ginsberg, Rebecca to Ginsberg, undated


Box 11 Folder 1 Holmes, John Clellon to Ginsberg, 1949-1964 (7 letters), 1949-1964

Box 11 Folder 2 Huxley, Aldous to Ginsberg, 1961

Box 11 Folder 2 Huxley, Laural to Ginsberg, 1968

Box 11 Folder 3 Kent, Rockwell to Ginsberg, 1964 February 14

Box 11 Folder 4 Kerouac, Edie Parker to Ginsberg, 1945 January 17

Kerouac, Gabrielle-Ange Levesque

Box 11 Folder 5 to Jack Kerouac, 1949 February 1

Box 11 Folder 6 to Ginsberg, 1958 and 1959 (2 letters), 1958, 1959

Kerouac, Jack

Box 11 Folder 7 Unaddressed and, undated

Box 11 Folder 8 to Alan Ansen, 1957 August 20

Box 11 Folder 9 to William S. Burroughs, 1947 ang 1955 (2 letters), 1947, 1955

Box 11 Folder 10 to Carolyn Robinson Cassady, 1954 May 17

Box 11 Folder 11 to Neal Cassady, undated

Box 11 Folder 12 to Max and Eleanor Frohman, circa, 1952

to Ginsberg

Box 11 Folder 13 Undated (5 letters), Undated

Box 11 Folder 14 1944-1945 (11 letters), 1944-1945

Box 11 Folder 15 1947-1948, (11 Folders)

(one letter includes a letter from Lucien Carr)

Box 11 Folder 16 1949 (7 letters), 1949

Box 11 Folder 17 1950 (7 letters), 1950

Box 11 Folder 18 1951 (4 letters), 1951

Box 11 Folder 19 1952 (14 letters), 1952

Box 11 Folder 20 1953 (7 letters), 1953

Box 11 Folder 21 1954 (11 letters), 1954

(includes copies of poems later included inSan Francisco Blues


Box 12 Folder 1 1955 (18 letters), 1955

Box 12 Folder 2 1956-1957 (14 letters), 1956-1957

Box 12 Folder 3 1958 (15 letters), 1958

Box 12 Folder 4 1959 March-June (10 letters), 1959 March-June

Box 12 Folder 5 1959 July-December (12 letters), 1959 July-December

Box 12 Folder 6 1960 (9 letters), 1960

Box 12 Folder 7 1961 (8 letters), 1961

Box 12 Folder 8 1962 April-November , 1963 June 97 letters), 1962 April-November, 1963 June 97

Box 12 Folder 9 1966, 1968 (2 letters), 1966, 1968

Box 12 Folder 10 to John Clellon Holmes, undated

Box 12 Folder 11 to James Laughlin, 1951-1952 (2 letters), 1951-1952

to Peter Orlovsky

Box 12 Folder 12 1956 and undated (3 letters), 1956, undated

Box 12 Folder 13 1959

Box 12 Folder 14 to Carl Solomon, 1951 December- 1952 April (2 letters), 1951, 1952 April


Box 13 Folder 1 Krassner, Paul to Ginsberg, 1972

(written on copy ofThe Realist)

Box 13 Folder 2 LaVigne, Robert to Barry Miles, 1972

Box 13 Folder 3 Lea, George to Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 1960

(includes Lea's review of "Kaddish")

Box 13 Folder 4 Lowell, Robert to Ginsberg, 1959 April (2 letters), 1959 April

Box 13 Folder 5 Lowenfels, Walter to Ginsberg, undated, 1958-1968, (14 letters)

Box 13 Folder 6 McClure, Jo Ann Keera to Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky, 1964

McClure, Michael

Box 13 Folder 7 to Gregory Corso, 1961

to Ginsberg

Box 13 Folder 8 undated, 1956-1957 (10 letters), 1956-1957

Box 13 Folder 9 1958-1959 (19 letters), 1958-1959

Box 13 Folder 10 1960-1961 (11 letters), 1960-1961

Box 13 Folder 11 1963-1964 (9 letters), 1963-1964

Box 13 Folder 12 1965 (6 letters), 1965

Box 13 Folder 13 1966 1967 June (14 letters), 1966, 1967 June

Box 13 Folder 14 McInnerney, Michael to Barry Miles, 1969

Box 13 Folder 15 Micheline, Jack to Ginsberg, 1960

Box 13 Folder 16 Miles, Barry to Ginsberg, 1965, 1970 (2 letters), 1965, 1970

Box 13 Folder 17 Miles, Josephine to Ginsberg, 1957

Box 13 Folder 18 Moore, Marianne to Ginsberg, 1952 June-July and 1957 January (4 letters), 1952 June-July, 1957 January

Box 13 Folder 19 National Union of South African Students to Ginsberg, 1973

(with enclosures)

Box 13 Folder 20 O'Hara, Frank to Ginsberg, 1958-1961 (4 letters), 1958-1961


Box 14 Folder 1 Olsen, Charles to Ginsberg, 1957-1966 (10 letters), 1957-1966

Box 14 Folder 2 Ono, Yoko to Jonas Mekas, 1969

Orlovsky, Peter

Box 14 Folder 3 to Amiri and Amina Baraka, 1978

Box 14 Folder 4 to Barry Miles, 1971, 1973 (2 letters), 1971, 1973

Box 14 Folder 5 Pelieu, Claude to Ginsberg, 1974 (2 letters), 1974

Box 14 Folder 6 Pound, Dorothy to Ginsberg, 1952

Box 14 Folder 7 Ransom, John Crowe to Ginsberg, undated (2 letters), undated

Box 14 Folder 8 Read, Sir Herbert to Ginsberg, 1958

Box 14 Folder 9 Rodman, Selden to Ginsberg, 1960-1961, 1964 (5 letters), 1960-1961, 1964

Box 14 Folder 10 Rudge, Olga to Ginsberg, 1967 September-October (3 letters), 1967 September-October

Box 14 Folder 11 Russell, Bertrand to Ginsberg, 1962

Box 14 Folder 12 Salisbury, Harrison Evans to Ginsberg, 1968

Box 14 Folder 13 Solomon, Carl to Jack Kerouac, 1951-1952 (3 letters), 1951-1952

Box 14 Folder 14 Spender, Stephen to Ginsberg, undated

Box 14 Folder 15 Stevenson, Adlai to Ginsberg, 1960

Box 14 Folder 16 Trilling, Lionel to Ginsberg, 1945-1950 (13 letters), 1945-1950

Box 14 Folder 17 Trilling, Lionel to Ginsberg, 1951-1966 (11 letters), 1951-1966

Van Doren, Mark to Ginsberg, Undated

Box 14 Folder 18 Undated, 1944-1949 (8 letters), 1944-1949

Box 14 Folder 19 1950-1969 (8 letters), 1950-1969

Box 14 Folder 20 Villa, Jose Garcia to Ginsberg, 1946

Box 14 Folder 21 Williams, Florence Herman to Ginsberg, 1951-1964 (5 letters), 1951-1964

Williams, William Carlos

Box 14 Folder 22 to Ginsberg, 1956-1957 (10 letters), 1956-1957

Box 14 Folder 23 to Louis Ginsberg, 1952

Box 14 Folder 24 to Various Recipients, 1951-1959

Box 14 Folder 25 Wilson, Edmund to Ginsberg, 1963

Box 14 Folder 26 Zukofsky, Louis to Ginsberg, 1957


Box 15 Folder 1 to 2 Various Authors to Ginsberg, 1960s-1970s, (2 Folders)

(letters and poems sent to Ginsberg by admirers)

Box 15 Folder 3 Various Ginsberg Correspondence and Envelopes