John Eugene Unterecker papers, 1961-1987

Summary Information

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into 4 series.

• Series I: Correspondence
• Subseries I.1: Catalogued correspondence
• Subseries I.2: Arranged correspondence
• Series II: Manuscripts and publishing
• Series III: Audiotapes
• Series IV: Subject Files

Description

Summary

The collection documents the scholarship and writing of John Eugene Unterecker, a poet, biographer of the poet Hart Crane, and professor of English. The majority of the collection is composed of correspondence and manuscripts. Materials date from 1961 to 1987.

• Series I: Correspondence

  Series I, Unterecker's extensive correspondence, includes letters from prominent poets, writers, artists, and academics. Some of these letters were separated and catalogued individually; the rest are arranged in alphabetical order.

• Series II: Manuscripts and publishing

  Series II includes manuscripts of poetry and prose by John Unterecker, as well as galley proofs and other materials from the process of publishing those works. Lectures and other less formal writings are also included in this series. Works represented in the series include A Reader's Guide to W. B. Yeats, Voyager: A Life of Hart Crane, Stone: Poems, Approaches to the Twentieth Century Novel, and the essay "Lawrence Durrell." The series also includes manuscripts of individual poems, essays, and reviews by Unterecker.

• Series III: Audiotapes

  Series III is composed of audio recordings of interviews, lectures, and other multimedia works by John Unterecker.

• Series IV: Subject Files

  Series IV contains materials belonging to Unterecker that are grouped by subject.

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

There is no Box 21 in the collection.

Some unique time-based media items have been reformatted and are available onsite via links in the container list. Commercial materials are not routinely digitized. Email rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); John Eugene Unterecker papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Unterecker Estate. Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--02/15/91. Accession number--M-91-02-15.

Gift of John E. Unterecker, 1966-1969; Purchase, 1977 and 1991.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Entered in AMC 08/23/91.

The collection was originally arranged in eleven series. Three of these series were composed of correspondence, two were composed of audiotapes, and four were composed of manuscripts. The system of box numbering started over again after Box 23, and three card file boxes were not numbered. Rare Book and Manuscript Library staff also individually catalogued two boxes of correspondence, as well as a handful of manuscripts and other items.

In 2019, the collection's arrangement was altered to reduce the number of series to five, and to intellectually group materials with similar formats and subject matter together. Box numbers were changed to a single series of consecutive numbers.

Revision Description

2009-06-26 File created.

2019-02-11 Finding aid arrangement revised by Celeste Brewer to consolidate materials of similar formats from multiple accessions into the same series, and to eliminate duplicated box numbers.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

John Eugene Unterecker (1923-1989) was a poet, biographer, and professor of English at Columbia University from 1958-1974. His biography of the poet Hart Crane, Voyager, was nominated for a National Book Award in 1970. A collection of his poetry, Stone, was published in 1977. Unterecker also published poems in the New Yorker, Poetry magazine, and The Nation. Unterecker earned a Master of Arts Degree from Columbia University in 1948 and a Ph.D. in 1956. Prior to joining the faculty of Columbia University, he taught at the College of the City of New York. In 1974, he was appointed Citizens' Professor in English at the University of Hawaii. He died in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1989.