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Gustaf Sobin papers

 Collection
Call Number: YCAL MSS 647

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of correspondence and writings that document the life and work of the American poet Gustaf Sobin. Correspondence sheds light on his relationships with other literary figures, including René Char, James Laughlin, Hyatt Waggoner, and Charles Tomlinson, among others. Writings consist of extensive notes and drafts for most of his major works and provide comprehensive documentation of his creative process.

Dates

  • 1952-2005

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Gustaf Sobin Papers 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

Purchased from Susannah Sobin on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 2006.

Arrangement

Organized into two series: I. Correspondence, 1952-2005. II. Writings, 1955-2005.

Extent

48 Linear Feet (48 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

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

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.sobin

Overview

The collection consists of correspondence and writings that document the life and work of the American poet Gustaf Sobin. Correspondence sheds light on his relationships with other literary figures, including René Char, James Laughlin, Hyatt Waggoner, and Charles Tomlinson, among others. Writings consist of extensive notes and drafts for most of his major works and provide comprehensive documentation of his creative process.

Gustaf Sobin (1935-2005)

Gustaf Sobin was an American poet who made his home in Provence, France, for more than three decades. His body of work includes poetry, prose, and fiction, almost all of it reflecting his deep connection to the Provençal landscape.

Sobin was born November 15, 1935, in Boston, Massachusetts, and was educated at Brown University (A.B., 1958). His published books of poetry include: Wind Chrysalid's Rattle (1980), Voyaging Portraits (1988), and Towards the Blanched Alphabet (1998), among others. His published works of prose and fiction include: Dark Mirrors: A Novel of Provence (1992) and Luminous Debris: Reflecting on Vestige in Provence (1999), among others.

Sobin died of pancreatic cancer, July 7, 2005, in Cavaillon, Vaucluse, France.

"Gustaf Sobin." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 2 Nov. 2012.

Processing Information

Collection 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.

This collection received a basic level of processing, including rehousing and in some instances minimal organization, upon acquisition. Further rehousing and description was carried out in 2012.

As a rule, descriptive information found in the Collection Contents section is drawn in large part from information supplied with the collection and from an initial survey of the contents. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below are often based on those provided by the creator or previous custodian. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases. Otherwise, folder titles are supplied by staff during initial processing.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.

Former call number: Uncat MSS 908.
Title
Guide to the Gustaf Sobin Papers
Author
by Beinecke staff
Date
2007-05-16
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository

Contact:
P. O. Box 208330
New Haven CT 06520-8330 US
(203) 432-2977

Location

121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Opening Hours

Access Information

The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.