sabella Gardner, 1915-1981. American author

Isabella Gardner, 1915-1981. American author

Links

Finding-Aid for the Gardner Papers [00050]

Collection Description

Papers, ca. 1923-1968.

ca. 8000 items

Access: Open

Isabella Stewart Gardner, born in 1915 into a prominent Boston family, was the niece and namesake of the important art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner and a cousin of the poet Robert Lowell. She attended Foxcroft School in Virginia and the Embassy Theatre School in London where she studied acting under Eileen Thorndike. Garnder acted professionally from 1939 to 1944 in both England and the United States, primarily in character and comedy roles, and her Papers include some memorabilia -- photographs, scrapbooks, program, etc. -- relating to her acting career.

During World War II, Gardner moved to Chicago with her second husband, Maurice Seymour. There she turned her attention away from the theatre and towards poetry. Gardner had been writing since her days at Foxcroft School and her first poems, in fact, were printed in that school's yearbook, Tally Ho. In 1951 Gardner joined the staff of Poetry magazine as an associate editor, working under Karl Shapiro. Garner was introduced to the important group of poets then emerging in Chicago which included Shapiro, John Logan, Reuel Denney, Wallace Fowlie, and, later Paul Carroll and Galway Kinnell. As an associate editor of the nation's most prominent poetry magazine, she also became a familiar of most of the poets then writing in the United States and England. Gardner's first book of poems, Birthdays from the Ocean (1955), was received favorably by critics.
In 1959, the American poet and critic, Allen Tate, became Gardner's fourth and last husband. Her years with Tate were a productive period. She wrote two significant volumes of poetry, The Looking Glass (1961) and West of Childhood (1965), and, often with Tate, gave readings throughout the United States and Europe. Following her divorce form Tate in 1966, Gardner spent her time between California and New York. Never a prolific poet, Gardner produced only one more book of poems, That Was Then (1979), which was nominated for an American Book Award. She died in 1981 in New York after a lengthy illness.

Although Isabella Gardner never achieved the critical or popular acclaim that many of her contemporaries did, she occupies a significant place in the history of American poetry. Her importance lies largely in the influence she had upon younger authors, particularly women poets, and in the friendships she maintained with members of the American poetry community. These two facets of her life are amply illustrated in the Isabella Gardner Papers. Although the Papers include Gardners's own manuscripts, the most significant portion of the Papers is her extensive file of correspondence. Gardner corresponded with many of her literary contemporaries, particularly those whom she met during the period she was an associate editor at Poetry magazine. In addition, her correspondence with Allen Tate (both sides of which are represented in her Papers) documents in detail her relationship with one of America's most important literary figures. Washington University also holds Gardner's personal library, which includes numerous inscribed copies of books by her contemporaries in the American and British poetry communities.

Selected Names

Gardner, Isabella Stewart, 1915-1981. American author

Abbe, George, 1911- . American author
Adams, Leonie, 1899- . American author
Aiken, Conrad, 1899-1973. American author
Anderson, Les, 1896-1972. American author
Andre, Michael, 1946- . American author & editor
Auden, W. H., 1907-1973. British author
Berge, Carol, 1928- . American author
Berryman, John, 1914-1972. American author
Bishop, Elizabeth, 1911-1979. American author
Bly, Robert, 1926- . American author
Booth, Philip, 1925- . American author
Burnshaw, Stanley, 1906- . American author
Calisher, Hortense, 1911- . American author
Carrier, Constance, 1908- . American author
Carroll, Paul, 1927- . American author
Chapin, Henry, 1893-1983. American author
Coleman, Elliott, 1908-1980. American author
Corso, Gregory, 1930- . American author
Coxe, Louis, 1918- . American author
Dahlberg, Edward, 1900-1977. American author
Denney, Reuel, 1913- . American author
Deutsch, Babette, 1895-1982. American author
Dickey, James, 1923-1997. American author
Duveal, Elga, American author
Eberhart, Richard, 1904- . American author
Eckman, Fredrick, 1924- . American author
Eliot, T.S., 1888-1965. American author
Elman, Richard, 1930- . American author
English, Maurice, 1909-1983. American author
Rield, Eddward, 1924- . American author
Flint, Roland, American author
Fowlie, Wallace, 1908- American author
Frank, Joseph, 1918- . American author
Ghiselin, Brewster, 1903- . American author
Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997. American author
Goedicke, Patricia, 1931- . American author
Green, Hannah, American author
Grigson, Geoffrey, 1905- . British author
Hale, Nancy, 1908- . American author
Hardwick, Elizabeth, 1916- . American author
Harper, Michael, 1938- . American author
Harris, Marguerite, 1899- . American author
Hazo, Samuel, 1928- . American author
Hellman, Lillian, 1905-1984. American author
Herschberger, Ruth, 1917- . American author
Hine, Daryl, 1936- . American author
Howe, Fanny, American author
Howes, Barbara, 1914- . American author
Jacobsen, Josephine, 1908- . American author
Jeffaries, Alexander Norman, 1920- . British author
Jong, Erica, 1942- . American author
Kessler, Jascha, 1929- . American author
Kessler, Milton, 1930- . American author
Kinnell, Galway, 1927- . American author
Kizer, Carolyn, 1925- . American author
Knoepfle, John, 1923- . American author
Knott, Bill, 1940- . American author
Kunitz, Stanley, 1905- . American author
Laing, Alexander, 1903-1976. American author
Larkin, Joan, American author
Lifshin, Lyn, 1944- American author
Logan, John, 1923- . American author
Lowell, Robert, 1917-1977. American author
Lytle, Andrew, 1902- . American author
Macleish, Archibald, 1892-1982. American author
Meredith, William, 1919- American author
Michener, James, 1907- . American author
Miller, Arthur, 1915- . American author
Moore, Marianne, 1887-1972. American author
Moss, Howard, 1922- . American author & editor
Nims, John Fredrick, 1913- . American author
O'Gorman, Ned, 1926- . American author
O'Hehir, Diana, American author
Ostriker, Alicia, 1937- . American author
Packard, William, 1933- . American author
Phillips, Robert, 1938- . American author
Pollack, Felix, 1909- . American author
Quinn, Mary Bernetta, 1915- . American author
Rago, Henry, 1915-1969. American author & editor
Raine, Kathleen Jessie, 1908- . American author
Ray, David, 1932- . American author
Read, Herbert, 1893-1968. British author
Reid, Alastair, 1926- . British author
Rizzardi, Alfredo, 1927- . Italian author
Robinson, Leonard, 1912- . American author
Roethke, Theodore, 1908-1963. American author
Roseliep, Raymond, 1917- . American author
Roskolanko, Harry, 1907-1980. American author
Rosten, Norman, 1914- . American author
Rukeyser, Muriel, 1913-1980. American author
Russell, Peter, 1921- . British author
Salter, Elizabeth, 1918-1981. British author
Scaheffer, Susan Fromberg, 1941- . American author
Schwartz, Delmore, 1913-1966. American author
Segal, Lore, 1928- . American author
Seidman, Hugh, 1940- . American author
Seldes, Marian, 1928- . American author
Shapiro, Karl Jay, 1913- . American author
Sitwell, Edith, 1887-1964. British author
Sitwell, Sir Osbert, 1892-1969. British author
Smith, Willim Jay, 1918- . American author
Snow, C.P., 1905-1980. British author
Speaight, Robert, 1904-1976. British author
Spender, Stephen, 1909- . British author
Stafford, William Edgar, American author
Starbuck, George, 1931- . American author
Stevens, Wallace, 1879-1955. American author
Stoloff, Carolyn, 1927- . American author
Strand, Mark, 1934- . American author
Stryk, Lucien, 1924- . American author
Sukenick, Lynn, American author
Tate, Allen, 1899-1979. American author
Trask, Willard, 1900-1980. American author & translator
Tschacbasov, Nahum, 1899-1984. Russian artist & author
Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977. American author & editor
Van Duyn, Mona, 1921- . American author
Walsh, Chad, 1914- . American author
Warren, Robert Penn, 1905-1989. American author
Wheelock, John Hall, 1886-1978. American author
White, Katharine S., 1892-1977. American editor
Whittemore, Reed, 1919- . American author
Williams, Jonathan, 1929- . American author
Williams, Oscar, 1900-1964. American author
Williams, William Carlos, 1883-1963. American author
Wright, James, 1927-1980. American author

Manuscripts
Special Collections

Skip navigation Library Home Search Resources Catalog Articles Databases Research Help Check This Out How Do I ... Services Libraries Comments WUSTL		Isabella Gardner, 1915-1981. American author Links Finding-Aid for the Gardner Papers [00050] Collection Description Papers, ca. 1923-1968. ca. 8000 items Access: Open Isabella Stewart Gardner, born in 1915 into a prominent Boston family, was the niece and namesake of the important art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner and a cousin of the poet Robert Lowell. She attended Foxcroft School in Virginia and the Embassy Theatre School in London where she studied acting under Eileen Thorndike. Garnder acted professionally from 1939 to 1944 in both England and the United States, primarily in character and comedy roles, and her Papers include some memorabilia -- photographs, scrapbooks, program, etc. -- relating to her acting career. During World War II, Gardner moved to Chicago with her second husband, Maurice Seymour. There she turned her attention away from the theatre and towards poetry. Gardner had been writing since her days at Foxcroft School and her first poems, in fact, were printed in that school's yearbook, Tally Ho. In 1951 Gardner joined the staff of Poetry magazine as an associate editor, working under Karl Shapiro. Garner was introduced to the important group of poets then emerging in Chicago which included Shapiro, John Logan, Reuel Denney, Wallace Fowlie, and, later Paul Carroll and Galway Kinnell. As an associate editor of the nation's most prominent poetry magazine, she also became a familiar of most of the poets then writing in the United States and England. Gardner's first book of poems, Birthdays from the Ocean (1955), was received favorably by critics. In 1959, the American poet and critic, Allen Tate, became Gardner's fourth and last husband. Her years with Tate were a productive period. She wrote two significant volumes of poetry, The Looking Glass (1961) and West of Childhood (1965), and, often with Tate, gave readings throughout the United States and Europe. Following her divorce form Tate in 1966, Gardner spent her time between California and New York. Never a prolific poet, Gardner produced only one more book of poems, That Was Then (1979), which was nominated for an American Book Award. She died in 1981 in New York after a lengthy illness. Although Isabella Gardner never achieved the critical or popular acclaim that many of her contemporaries did, she occupies a significant place in the history of American poetry. Her importance lies largely in the influence she had upon younger authors, particularly women poets, and in the friendships she maintained with members of the American poetry community. These two facets of her life are amply illustrated in the Isabella Gardner Papers. Although the Papers include Gardners's own manuscripts, the most significant portion of the Papers is her extensive file of correspondence. Gardner corresponded with many of her literary contemporaries, particularly those whom she met during the period she was an associate editor at Poetry magazine. In addition, her correspondence with Allen Tate (both sides of which are represented in her Papers) documents in detail her relationship with one of America's most important literary figures. Washington University also holds Gardner's personal library, which includes numerous inscribed copies of books by her contemporaries in the American and British poetry communities. Selected Names Gardner, Isabella Stewart, 1915-1981. American author Abbe, George, 1911- . American author Adams, Leonie, 1899- . American author Aiken, Conrad, 1899-1973. American author Anderson, Les, 1896-1972. American author Andre, Michael, 1946- . American author & editor Auden, W. H., 1907-1973. British author Berge, Carol, 1928- . American author Berryman, John, 1914-1972. American author Bishop, Elizabeth, 1911-1979. American author Bly, Robert, 1926- . American author Booth, Philip, 1925- . American author Burnshaw, Stanley, 1906- . American author Calisher, Hortense, 1911- . American author Carrier, Constance, 1908- . American author Carroll, Paul, 1927- . American author Chapin, Henry, 1893-1983. American author Coleman, Elliott, 1908-1980. American author Corso, Gregory, 1930- . American author Coxe, Louis, 1918- . American author Dahlberg, Edward, 1900-1977. American author Denney, Reuel, 1913- . American author Deutsch, Babette, 1895-1982. American author Dickey, James, 1923-1997. American author Duveal, Elga, American author Eberhart, Richard, 1904- . American author Eckman, Fredrick, 1924- . American author Eliot, T.S., 1888-1965. American author Elman, Richard, 1930- . American author English, Maurice, 1909-1983. American author Rield, Eddward, 1924- . American author Flint, Roland, American author Fowlie, Wallace, 1908- American author Frank, Joseph, 1918- . American author Ghiselin, Brewster, 1903- . American author Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997. American author Goedicke, Patricia, 1931- . American author Green, Hannah, American author Grigson, Geoffrey, 1905- . British author Hale, Nancy, 1908- . American author Hardwick, Elizabeth, 1916- . American author Harper, Michael, 1938- . American author Harris, Marguerite, 1899- . American author Hazo, Samuel, 1928- . American author Hellman, Lillian, 1905-1984. American author Herschberger, Ruth, 1917- . American author Hine, Daryl, 1936- . American author Howe, Fanny, American author Howes, Barbara, 1914- . American author Jacobsen, Josephine, 1908- . American author Jeffaries, Alexander Norman, 1920- . British author Jong, Erica, 1942- . American author Kessler, Jascha, 1929- . American author Kessler, Milton, 1930- . American author Kinnell, Galway, 1927- . American author Kizer, Carolyn, 1925- . American author Knoepfle, John, 1923- . American author Knott, Bill, 1940- . American author Kunitz, Stanley, 1905- . American author Laing, Alexander, 1903-1976. American author Larkin, Joan, American author Lifshin, Lyn, 1944- American author Logan, John, 1923- . American author Lowell, Robert, 1917-1977. American author Lytle, Andrew, 1902- . American author Macleish, Archibald, 1892-1982. American author Meredith, William, 1919- American author Michener, James, 1907- . American author Miller, Arthur, 1915- . American author Moore, Marianne, 1887-1972. American author Moss, Howard, 1922- . American author & editor Nims, John Fredrick, 1913- . American author O'Gorman, Ned, 1926- . American author O'Hehir, Diana, American author Ostriker, Alicia, 1937- . American author Packard, William, 1933- . American author Phillips, Robert, 1938- . American author Pollack, Felix, 1909- . American author Quinn, Mary Bernetta, 1915- . American author Rago, Henry, 1915-1969. American author & editor Raine, Kathleen Jessie, 1908- . American author Ray, David, 1932- . American author Read, Herbert, 1893-1968. British author Reid, Alastair, 1926- . British author Rizzardi, Alfredo, 1927- . Italian author Robinson, Leonard, 1912- . American author Roethke, Theodore, 1908-1963. American author Roseliep, Raymond, 1917- . American author Roskolanko, Harry, 1907-1980. American author Rosten, Norman, 1914- . American author Rukeyser, Muriel, 1913-1980. American author Russell, Peter, 1921- . British author Salter, Elizabeth, 1918-1981. British author Scaheffer, Susan Fromberg, 1941- . American author Schwartz, Delmore, 1913-1966. American author Segal, Lore, 1928- . American author Seidman, Hugh, 1940- . American author Seldes, Marian, 1928- . American author Shapiro, Karl Jay, 1913- . American author Sitwell, Edith, 1887-1964. British author Sitwell, Sir Osbert, 1892-1969. British author Smith, Willim Jay, 1918- . American author Snow, C.P., 1905-1980. British author Speaight, Robert, 1904-1976. British author Spender, Stephen, 1909- . British author Stafford, William Edgar, American author Starbuck, George, 1931- . American author Stevens, Wallace, 1879-1955. American author Stoloff, Carolyn, 1927- . American author Strand, Mark, 1934- . American author Stryk, Lucien, 1924- . American author Sukenick, Lynn, American author Tate, Allen, 1899-1979. American author Trask, Willard, 1900-1980. American author & translator Tschacbasov, Nahum, 1899-1984. Russian artist & author Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977. American author & editor Van Duyn, Mona, 1921- . American author Walsh, Chad, 1914- . American author Warren, Robert Penn, 1905-1989. American author Wheelock, John Hall, 1886-1978. American author White, Katharine S., 1892-1977. American editor Whittemore, Reed, 1919- . American author Williams, Jonathan, 1929- . American author Williams, Oscar, 1900-1964. American author Williams, William Carlos, 1883-1963. American author Wright, James, 1927-1980. American author Manuscripts Special Collections

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