Tomas Venclova papers

Collection

Call Number: GEN MSS 714

Scope and Contents

The Tomas Venclova Papers document the life and work of Lithuanian poet, scholar and professor Tomas Venclova. Correspondence documents Venclova's relationships with Lithuanian and Soviet literary figures and political dissidents, including letters from Joseph Brodsky and Czesław Miłosz. Venclova's personal life and family relationships are also documented in the correspondence. Venclova's work as a poet, scholar, and translator is documented in drafts of writings that include holograph drafts of poetry. His work as a human rights activist is documented in the subject files, which include files on Adam Michnik and Liudmila Alekseeva. Photographs include personal and family photographs as well as photographs of conferences, readings and other professional travel. Audiovisual material includes recordings of poetry readings and lectures. Printed material includes reviews of Venclova's works and articles about Lithuanian politics and culture in the 1990s. Electronic files consist chiefly of e-mail. Other papers include personal documents, awards and honorary degrees.

Dates

1909 - 2018
Majority of material found within 1959 - 2010

Creator

Venclova, Tomas, 1937-

Language of Materials

In English, Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, and other languages.

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Box 33 (correspondence): Restricted until 2034 November 1. Box 34 (audiovisual material): Restricted until 2054 September 24. Box 35 (diaries): restricted until 2019 September 24. For further information consult the appropriate curator.

Boxes 15-22 and 34 (audiovisual material): Restricted fragile. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.

Box 36: (computer disk): Restricted Fragile Material. Reference copies of electronic files are available. Consult Access Services for further information.

Conditions Governing Use

The Tomas Venclova 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 Tomas Venclova on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 2004, and gift of Tomas Venclova, 2004.

August 2019 Acquisition: Purchased from Tomas Venclova on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 2019.

Arrangement

Organized into nine series: I. Correspondence, circa 1972-2003. II. Writings, circa 1946-2004. III. Subject Files and Ephemera, 1977-2004. IV. Photographs, circa 1909-2004. V. Audiovisual Material, 1971-2004. VI. Printed Material, circa 1975-2003. VII. Electronic Files, circa 2000-2005. VIII. Other Papers, 1976-2004. IX. August 2019 Acquisition, 1947-2018.

Extent

37.02 Linear Feet ((43 boxes) + 2 rolls, 1 broadside, and electronic documents)

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.venclova

Additional Description

Overview

Tomas Venclova, 1937-

Tomas Andrious Venclova, poet, scholar and Professor of Slavic Literature at Yale University, was born on September 11, 1937 in Klaipėda, Lithuania. Active in the Soviet dissident movement, he was forced to emigrate in 1977. He came to the United States, where he obtained temporary positions at the University of California and Ohio University before accepting a position at Yale University in 1980. In the United States, Venclova continued to advocate actively on behalf of dissidents and writers in the Sovet Bloc.

Venclova's major writings include: Kalbos ženklas: eilėraščiai (1972), Neustoichivoe ravnovesie: Vosem' russkikh poeticheskikh tekstov (1986) Tankėjanti šviesa (1990), and Aleksander Wat: Life and art of an iconoclast (1996). He also published several volumes of Lithuanian translations, including the poetry of Anna Akhmatova, Joseph Brodsky and Czesław Miłosz.

Existence and Location of Copies

Portions of the audiovisual material have been digitally reformatted. Use copies may be requested. Consult Beinecke Access Services for further information.

Processing Information

The Tomas Venclova Papers was formerly classified as Uncat MSS 732.

This collection received a basic level of processing, including rehousing and minimal organization. Information included in the Description of Papers note and Collection Contents section is drawn 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.