Scope and Contents
The papers contain letters from American poet H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) to Silvia Dobson, letters from the British author Bryher to Silvia Dobson and her siblings Mervyn and Norah Dobson, as well as copies of several letters from Silvia to Bryher and letters from Kenneth Macpherson. Letters from H.D. document her life in Switzerland and London for nearly thirty years and include information about H.D.'s analysis with Sigmund Freud. Letters from Bryher document Bryher's life in Switzerland in the 1960's and 1970's, the Dobsons' lives in America, and Dobson's efforts to publish her work. Included among the correspondence are letters to H.D. from Norah, Mollie, and Mervyn Dobson, and Frances Gregg; and notes by Silvia H. Dobson. Included in the collection are typescripts of seven novels by Dobson: Feathers of Lead, Guests of Existence, Honor Bound or Shattering Mirror Images, The Hut of Laurel, The Kindhart Trap, Somebody and Nobody, and Spring Begins in Autumn. Also included is an untitled autobiography which describes her life as part of H. D.'s literary circle, her relief work during World War II, her relationship with H.D., her identity as a lesbian, and her later life living in America; and her unpublished manuscript "Mirror for a Star, Star for a Mirror. H.D.'s letters to Silvia Dobson."
Dates
- 1945-1992
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Silvia Dobson Papers is thephysical 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 Elizabeth Shoemaker throughRalph Sipper on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 1995 and 1997. Purchased from Silvia Dobson on the American Literature Fund, 1989.
Arrangement
Organized into four series: I. Correspondence, 1945-1977. II. Writings, 1959-1992. III. Other Papers, undated. IV. "Mirror for a Star, Star for a Mirror: H. D.'s Letters to Silvia Dobson" material, 1935-1961.
Extent
2.12 Linear Feet (6 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
Collection contains letters from American poet H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) to Silvia Dobson, letters from the British author Bryher to Silvia Dobson and her siblings Mervyn and Norah Dobson, as well as copies of several letters from Silvia to Bryher and letters from Kenneth Macpherson. Letters from H.D. document her life in Switzerland and London for nearly thirty years and include information about H.D.'s analysis with Sigmund Freud. Letters from Bryher document Bryher's life in Switzerland in the 1960's and 1970's, the Dobsons' lives in America, and Dobson's efforts to publish her work. Included among the correspondence are letters to H.D. from Norah, Mollie, and Mervyn Dobson, and Frances Gregg; and notes by Silvia H. Dobson. Included in the collection are typescripts of seven novels by Dobson: Feathers of Lead, Guests of Existence, Honor Bound or Shattering Mirror Images, The Hut of Laurel, The Kindhart Trap, Somebody and Nobody, and Spring Begins in Autumn. Also included is an untitled autobiography which describes her life as part of H. D.'s literary circle, her relief work during World War II, her relationship with H.D., her identity as a lesbian, and her later life living in America; and her untitled manuscript "Mirror for a Star, Star for a Mirror. H. D.'s letters to Silvia Dobson."
Silvia Dobson(1908-)
Silvia Dobson, English-born author and friend of the poet H.D.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceivedresearch 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.
Series IV. "Mirror for a Star, Star for a Mirror: H. D.'s Letters to Silvia Dobson" material was formerly Uncat ZA MS 112. In April 2014, Series IV was merged with the Silvia Dobson Papers and a finding aid was created.
Series IV. "Mirror for a Star, Star for a Mirror: H. D.'s Letters to Silvia Dobson" material was formerly Uncat ZA MS 112. In April 2014, Series IV was merged with the Silvia Dobson Papers and a finding aid was created.
Creator
- Title
- Guide to the Silvia DobsonPapers
- Author
- by Beinecke staff
- Date
- 2014
- 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
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.