Charles Humboldt papers

Charles Humboldt (1910-1964) was a left-wing editor, poet and critic of art and literature. His true name was not Charles Humboldt but Clarence Weinstock, and Clarence Weinstock is the name under which he published articles in the 1930s, served in the United States Army in the 1940s, and paid taxes until his death in 1964. Charles Humboldt is the name under which he wrote between the late 1930s and the 1960s and under which he gained his reputation as an editor, critic and poet. Between 1935 and 1964 he was one of the editors, successively, of Art Front, the New Masses, Masses and Mainstream, and the National Guardian.

The first series of Humboldt's papers consists of his correspondence for the period 1946-1963. In his capacity as an editor and critic, Humboldt corresponded with many left-wing writers. Included among them are: Alvaro Cardona-Hine, Ralph Ellison, Lillian Hellman, Renaud de Jouvenel, Walter Lowenfels, Scott Nearing, Sean O'Casey and Linus Pauling. Humboldt also carried on an extensive correspondence with Edith Anderson, Jack Beeching, Alvah Bessie, Maxim Lieber, Albert Maltz, Tom McGrath, and Philip Stevenson. Much of the correspondence -- particularly that with Lee Baxandall, John Berger, J. D. Bernal, A. Beison, Louis Burnham, Emile Burns and Annette Rubenstein -- deals with the policies, finances and problems of left-wing journals. There is also important correspondence with the Soviet periodicals Foreign Literature, Soviet Culture and Soviet Literature.

Although in the CORRESPONDENCE series no distinction has been made between letters written by or to Charles Humboldt and Clarence Weinstock, in the WRITINGS AND RESEARCH MATERIALS series his writings under the two names are separately arranged. The Writings includes not only stories, reviews, poetry and dramas by Charles Humboldt and Clarence Weinstock, but also a large number by other left-wing authors and poets. Also in the WRITINGS AND RESEARCH MATERIALS series is a long unpublished article by Charles Humboldt on the new critics and an unfinished manuscript by Clarence Weinstock on the Mexican muralists. The PERSONAL AND FINANCIAL series, also divided into separate sections for the names Charles Humboldt and Clarence Weinstock, contains biographical material and memorabilia.

Mrs Miriam Humboldt Schwartz, widow of Charles Humboldt, with her husband Louis B. Schwartz donated these papers to Yale University in 1972.