May Swenson, 1919-1989. American author

Links

Finding-Aid for the May Swenson Papers [00111]

Collection Description

Papers, 1949-1985

6000 items

Access: Open

Although acclaimed principally for her poetry, May Swenson was also a playwright, critic, translator, and editor. She was born in Utah and received a B.S. from the University of Utah in 1939, but spent the greater part of her career in New York. Between 1959 and 1966, Swenson was an editor at New Directions. She also taught for brief periods at several schools including Purdue University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the University of California at Riverside. She was recognized with numerous awards and grants, including a Bollingen Prize in 1981. Volumes of verse include In Other Words (1987), The Love Poems of May Swenson (1991), Nature: Poems Old and New (1994), and May Out West (1996). Swenson also produced one play and one collection of translations of Swedish poetry. Critics recognized her naturalist’s ability to observe and describe details of the physical world -- a distinguishing feature of her work which places her in a position of significant influence in contemporary poetry.

Washington University’s May Swenson Papers contain manuscript and editorial material toward most of her books including Another Animal (1954), A Cage of Spines (1958), To Mix with Time: New and Selected Poems (1963), and Half Sun Half Sleep (1967). This material includes drafts of individual poems as well as letters to and from various editors, friends, and readers. Swenson’s correspondents include John Hall Wheelock, and Burroughs Mitchell, but the most fascinating portion of May Swenson’s Papers is her correspondence with the American poet Elizabeth Bishop. The two were close friends and Washington University holds 268 of their letters written from 1950 to 1979, the year of Bishop’s death.

Selected Names

Bishop, Elizabeth, 1911-1979. American author.
Ciardi, John, 1916-1986. American author and translator.
Deutsch, Babette, 1895-1982. American author.
Laughlin, James, 1914-. American author and publisher.
Moss, Howard, 1922-1987. American author and editor.
Swenson, May, 1919-1989. American author.
Van Doren, Mark, 1894-1973. 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		May Swenson, 1919-1989. American author Links Finding-Aid for the May Swenson Papers [00111] Collection Description Papers, 1949-1985 6000 items Access: Open Although acclaimed principally for her poetry, May Swenson was also a playwright, critic, translator, and editor. She was born in Utah and received a B.S. from the University of Utah in 1939, but spent the greater part of her career in New York. Between 1959 and 1966, Swenson was an editor at New Directions. She also taught for brief periods at several schools including Purdue University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the University of California at Riverside. She was recognized with numerous awards and grants, including a Bollingen Prize in 1981. Volumes of verse include In Other Words (1987), The Love Poems of May Swenson (1991), Nature: Poems Old and New (1994), and May Out West (1996). Swenson also produced one play and one collection of translations of Swedish poetry. Critics recognized her naturalist’s ability to observe and describe details of the physical world -- a distinguishing feature of her work which places her in a position of significant influence in contemporary poetry. Washington University’s May Swenson Papers contain manuscript and editorial material toward most of her books including Another Animal (1954), A Cage of Spines (1958), To Mix with Time: New and Selected Poems (1963), and Half Sun Half Sleep (1967). This material includes drafts of individual poems as well as letters to and from various editors, friends, and readers. Swenson’s correspondents include John Hall Wheelock, and Burroughs Mitchell, but the most fascinating portion of May Swenson’s Papers is her correspondence with the American poet Elizabeth Bishop. The two were close friends and Washington University holds 268 of their letters written from 1950 to 1979, the year of Bishop’s death. Selected Names Bishop, Elizabeth, 1911-1979. American author. Ciardi, John, 1916-1986. American author and translator. Deutsch, Babette, 1895-1982. American author. Laughlin, James, 1914-. American author and publisher. Moss, Howard, 1922-1987. American author and editor. Swenson, May, 1919-1989. American author. Van Doren, Mark, 1894-1973. American author. Manuscripts Special Collections

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