New World Writing records

Collection

Call Number: YCAL MSS 388

Scope and Contents

The collection documents all aspects of the production and promotion of the literary magazine New World Writing from its first issue in 1952 to its last issue in 1959. Correspondence, including letters by and about various authors whose work was published in the magazine, and manuscripts, including corrected typescripts of published works, shed light on the selection and editorial process. Highlights include the corrected typescript of "Catch-18" by Joseph Heller, originally published in issue #7, which became the first chapter of Catch-22. Files of the executive editor, Arabel J. Porter, and the promotion department variously document the work involved in producing and publicizing individual issues, while files of comments, reviews, and clippings document how the magaine was received. Also found are files relating to some of the more general business of the magazine.

Dates

1952-1960

Creator

New World Writing

Language

English

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The New World Writing Records is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of New American Library, 1959.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into six series: I. Correspondence, 1952-1960. II. Manuscripts, 1952-1959. III. Galley Proofs, 1952-1959. IV. Editorial and Publicity Files, 1952-1959. V. General Business Files, 1952-1959. VI. Clippings and Foreign Reviews Files, 1952-1960.

Extent

22.32 Linear Feet (54 boxes)

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

http://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.newworld

Additional Description

Overview

New World Writing (1952-1959)

New World Writing was a literary magazine published by New American Library between 1952 and 1959, and edited by Arabel J. Porter et al. Modeled in part on Penguin New Writing, published in England from 1940-1950 and edited by John Lehmann, the magazine was intended to bring "an important and representative cross section of current literature and criticism" (Issue #1) to a widespread audience. New World Writing was published in fifteen biannual issues and featured works of fiction, drama, essays, and poetry by new and leading writers from around the world. Contributors included Gore Vidal, Flannery O’Connor, Jack Kerouac, W. H. Auden, James Baldwin, Samuel Beckett, Saul Bellow, Jorge Luis Borges, Bertolt Brecht, E. E. Cummings, Jean Genet, André Gide, Christopher Isherwood, Norman Mailer, Pablo Picasso, Kenneth Rexroth, William Carlos Williams, Upton Sinclair, Wallace Stevens, Eugène Ionesco, Octavio Paz and Tennessee Williams.

Processing Information

Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.

The collection is comprised of material formerly classed as: Za New World. The collection was arranged and described by library staff in the 1960s or 1970s. Further rehousing, arrangement, and description was carried out in 2010. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below were transcribed from the existing folders. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases.