Guy Davenport papers, 1960-1990

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Summary

Creator:
Davenport, Guy
Abstract:
Guy Davenport (1927-2005) was a writer and illustrator from South Carolina. Collection includes letters from Davenport to Abbot "Tom" Gleason, and to Duke University secretary Dorothy E. Roberts. Early letters discuss Davenport's sexual and romantic attraction to Gleason, as well as daily life, contemporaries like Ezra Pound, and other subjects like art and literature. Collection also includes select writings by Davenport, book reviews, and clippings.
Extent:
0.5 Linear Feet
Language:
Material in English.
Collection ID:
RL.00288

Background

Scope and content:

Collection contains correspondence, writings by or about Daveport, book reviews, and clippings that document Davenport's career and personal life. The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters and postcards from Davenport to Abbott (Tom) Gleason. There are 68 pieces of correspondence, with all but three from 1960-1962; others are from 1963, 1964, 1966, and one undated. Totals include 37 letters, 30 postcards, and one holiday card. The correspondence discusses both parties' personal and intellectual lives. Davenport confesses his attraction for Gleason and his struggle with Gleason's lack of reciprocation. Davenport asserts, however, his ability to refrain from acting on his attraction. Many of the letters recount daily life, some in a very lyrical and detailed manner, while other letters raise general intellectual inquiry on subjects such as art and photography. Letters also discuss the works and progress of Davenport's contemporaries, including writers such as Ezra Pound and Samuel Beckett. Postcards and other letters document travel.

Other correspondence is primarily written to Dorothy "Dot" E. Roberts, a secretary in Duke University's English Department. Writings by or about Davenport in the collection are: collected contributions to a symposium (1974) on Davenport's work printed in the serial Margins, three short stories ("A Gingham Dress," "Belinda's World Tour," and "Juno of the Veii") and an article ("The Symbol of the Archiaic"). There are also book reviews written by Davenport or about his work, as well as clippings regarding his career and family.

Biographical / historical:

Guy Davenport was a writer and illustrator from South Carolina who attended Duke University.

Chronology List
Date Event
Nov. 23, 1927
Born in Anderson, South Carolina
1944-1948
Studied classics and English literature at Duke University
1948
Won Rhodes Scholarship to Merton College, Oxford
1950
Graduated Oxford with a degree in literature
1950-1952
Served in Army's 18th Airborne Corps
1955-1961
Studied for PhD at Harvard University
1961-1963
Taught at Haverford College
1963-1991
Taught at University of Kentucky
1990
Won MacArthur Fellowship
January 4, 2005
Died, Lexington, Kentucky

Dorothy "Dot" E. Roberts (1918-2002) was the officer manager and administrative assistant for Duke's Department of English from 1948 until the late 1980s or early 1990s.

Source: Ancestry.com, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index (accessed 2024 August 29).

Acquisition information:
The Guy Davenport Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a transfer in 1992 and as a purchase from Ken Lopz Bookseller in 2012.
Processing information:

Processed by RL Staff, April 2012

Encoded by Meghan Lyon, April 2012

Accession(s) described in this finding aid: unknown accession from 1992; 2012-0037.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Guy Davenport Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1sw4w