Guide to the Larry Eigner papers, 1958-1978

Brown University Library, Special Collections
Box A, John Hay Library
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
E-mail: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2008

Collection Overview

Title:	Larry Eigner papers
Date range:	1958-1978
Creator:	Eigner, Larry, 1927-
Extent:	1 linear ft. (1 legal size clamshell box)
Abstract:	Larry Eigner was an American poet associated with the Black Mountain Poets of the 1950s, and his work was included under that heading in the landmark 1960 anthology The New American Poetry, edited by Donald M. Allen. Formally, Eigner's poetry marks an important development in the use of line and page introduced by the Modernists in the 1920s. The Eigner papers consist of over three hundred items including manuscripts, carbon copies and photocopies of typewritten manuscripts, carbon copies and photocopies of typewritten manuscripts. Eigner's correspondence illustrates his view of contemporary poetry and poets, his comments on the publication of, and about, his work, and his personal thoughts. Eigner died in 1996 from complications related to pneumonia.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	Brown University Library, Special Collections
Collection number:	Ms. 79.10

Scope & content

The first series of the collection contains the poetry of Larry Eigner, acclaimed by such writers as William Carlos Williams, Denise Levertov and Robert Duncan. It consists of a series of poetry manuscripts spanning two of Eigner's most productive decades, and includes three poetry collections filed separately containing: a publisher's proof of "From the Sustaining Air" "All the bones are white" and "The -/Towards Autumn". Only fifteen of the poems are original manuscripts, although many of the carbons and photocopies have Eigner's handwritten notes and corrections on them.

The second series of this collection is composed of the correspondence between Eigner and Felix Stephanile, Bill Thomas, John Martin and James Weil. The subject matter of these letters covers a number of topics, including: Eigner's view on his own, and contemporary poetry, discussion of the then current literary magazines, an Eigner edition of Sparrow, and Eigner's views of his father's illness and death

The third and final series in this collection consists of miscellaneous items, including a post card with Eigner's poem "running around" printed on it; the Penny Poem Sheet no. 4 which contains Eigner's poems, "I sit still, as philosophers do, I guess," and "same thing" and Sparrow 4, the publication which Eigner and Stephanile discuss in their correspondence.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Eigner, Larry, 1927-
• Martin, John, 1930-
• Stephanile, Felix
• Miller, Hugh
• Weil, James L.

Subject Topics

• American literature--20th century

Subject Topics

• Language and Literature

• From the Sustaining Air

• All the bones are white

• The -/Towards Autumn

Document Types

• Poems
• Letters (correspondence)

Occupations

• Poets, American--20th century

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series:

• Series 1. Manuscripts
• Series 2. Correspondence
• Series 3. Miscellaneous items

The collection begins with Eigner's poetry arranged in alphabetical order by either title or first line. In cases where more than one poem is written on a page the page is filled according to the title of the first poem on the page.

Eigner's correspondence is divided into two groups: those letters written by Eigner, and those written to him. Within these groups the letters are arranged alphabetically, and, in the case where more than one letter is written to or by any one individiual, the letters are arranged chronologically. The only exceptions to this are letters written on the manscripts of poems, in which case they are filed with th epoems themselves and cross referenced in their place in the normal sequence of letters with a note referring to where they are filed.

The final folder contains the few miscellaneous items within this collection.

Biographical note

Larry Eigner (1927-1996), was an American poet, short-story writer and essayist, known for spare, passionate poems. Influenced by poets such as Robert Creeley, Charles Olson and William Carlos Williams, Eigner is frequently associated with Olson's Black Mountain Poets, a group known for its postmodern style.

Laurence Joel Eigner was born in Swampscott, Massachusetts, on August 7, 1927. Birth injuries led to cerebral palsy, which affected his mobility and speaking ability. Confined to a wheelchair, Eigner watched the world outside his window with profound interest. He was educated at home and furthered his schooling through correspondence courses from the University of Chicago.

In 1949 Eigner heard poet Cid Corman giving a reading of Yeats's poetry on the radio. This moment altered the course of Eigner's life. He wrote to Corman, taking issue with Corman's reading style, and the two began what would become a long correspondence. Corman introduced Eigner to established poets such as Denise Levertov, Robert Creeley, Robert Duncan and Charles Olson.

In 1978, following the death of his father, Eigner moved to Berkeley, California, to be near his brother Richard. There he continued to write prolifically and became an important fixture in the Bay Area poetry scene. He died from complications of pneumonia on 3 February 1996. His final collection, Readiness/Enough/Depends/On, was published posthumously in 1999. His papers are housed at Stanford University, University of Kansas, and Brown University.

Source: Twentieth Century American Poetry, 2nd Edition

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Larry Eigner papers, Ms. 79.10, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	Brown University Library, Special Collections Box A, John Hay Library Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 E-mail: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	This collection was acquired through two separate purchases. The first from Phoenix Bookstore in New York City in 1975 included the poetry collection, "all the bones are white," From the Sustaining Air, The -/Towards Autumn and the John Martin-Eigner correspondence. The second half of the collection was purchased from Hugh Miller Bookseller in New Haven, Connecticut in January 1979 and consisted of various poems, the Stephanile-Eigner, and Weil Eigner correspondence and the miscellaneous items.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by E. Chapman, Student Intern, under the direction of Clifton H. Jones, Manuscript Curator, and Rita Warnock, Manuscripts Processor.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Daniel Mejia 2008 October 17

Additional Information

Other information:

Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: Larry Eigner papers

Inventory

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