Linda Oppen Mourelatos Correspondence, 1956-1982 (MSS 33)

Extent: 1 Linear feet (3 archives boxes)

The papers of Linda Oppen Mourelatos, daughter of the Objectivist poet George Oppen and his wife Mary. Of particular importance is the correspondence between Oppen and her parents; 3 folders of typescript poetry by George Oppen; and 8 folders of material by Mary Oppen, including 6 folders of a typescript for her autobiography Meaning a Life.

Linda Oppen Mourelatos, daughter of Objectivist poet George Oppen and his wife Mary, was born 7 May 1940 in Brooklyn, New York. For the next six years the Oppen family lived on Long Island and in Detroit, eventually settling in Redondo Beach, California, where they lived for four years. From autumn 1950 to spring 1958 Linda attended the American School in Mexico City. She then entered Sarah Lawrence College, N.Y., in autumn 1958, and graduated with a BA. in spring 1962.

On June 12, 1962 Linda married Alex Mourelatos, then a graduate student in philosophy at Yale. In Autumn 1962 she entered the Yale Medical School. She discontinued her studies in 1964 while on a leave of absence with Alex, who was then a post-doctoral Fellow at The University of Wisconsin at Madison's Institute for Research in the Humanities.

From 1965 to the present Linda and Alex Mourelatos have travelled extensively, in conjunction with Alex's teaching career, including lengthy stays in West Germany; Washington, D.C.; Princeton, N.J.; Canberra, Australia; and Cambridge, Britain. Their permanent residence during this period has been Austin, Texas, where Alex teaches in the Philosophy Department of The University of Texas, and where Linda Oppen has been active in equestrian training and showing.

Correspondence of Linda Oppen Mourelatos, daughter of the Objectivist poet George Oppen and his wife Mary. Of particular importance is the correspondence between Oppen and her parents; 3 folders of typescript poetry by George Oppen; and 8 folders of material by Mary Oppen, including 6 folders of a typescript for her autobiography Meaning a Life. Arranged in three series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) WRITINGS BY GEORGE AND MARY OPPEN and 3) MISCELLANY.

George Oppen Papers (MSS 0016) and the June Oppen Degnan Papers (MSS 0017), Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.

Container List

CORRESPONDENCE

Scope and Content of Series

Series 1) CORRESPONDENCE: The largest series in the collection, arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Most of the letters in this series are those of George Oppen to Linda Oppen.

Box 1 Folder 1
Aunt Agnes to Linda Oppen, 1959 - 1959
Box 1 Folder 2
Beauvais, Rick and Aubrey to George and Mary Oppen, 1962 - 1963
Box 1 Folder 3
Beauvais, Rick and Aubrey to Linda Oppen and Alex Mourelatos, 1962 - 1962
Box 1 Folder 4
Haight, Eve to George and Mary Oppen
Box 1 Folder 5
Mayer, Diane and Andy to George and Mary Oppen
Box 1 Folder 6
Mayer, Diane and Andy to Linda Oppen, 1965 - 1971
Box 1 Folder 7
Mourelatos, Alex to George Oppen, 1968 - 1972
Box 1 Folder 8
Oppen, George to Aubrey Beauvais, 1964 - 1964
Box 1 Folder 9
Oppen, George to Eve Haight
Box 1 Folder 10
Oppen, George to Diane and Andy Meyer
Box 1 Folder 11
Oppen, George to Alex Mourelatos
Box 1 Folder 12
Oppen, George to June Oppen Degnan
Box 1 Folder 13
Oppen, George to Linda Oppen, 1956 - 1958
Box 1 Folder 14
Oppen, George to Linda Oppen, 1959 - 1960
Box 1 Folder 15
Oppen, George to Linda Oppen, 1961 - 1963
Box 1 Folder 16
Oppen, George to Linda Oppen, 1964 - 1966
Box 1 Folder 17
Oppen, George to Linda Oppen, 1967 - 1970
Box 1 Folder 18
Oppen, George to Linda Oppen, 1971 - 1972
Box 1 Folder 19
Oppen, George to Linda Oppen, 1973 - 1978
Box 1 Folder 20
Oppen, George to Linda Oppen, 1979 - 1980
Box 1 Folder 21
Oppen, George to Linda Oppen - Miscellaneous undated letters
Box 1 Folder 22
Oppen, George miscellaneous correspondence from 1958 to 1972, 1958 - 1972
Box 1 Folder 23
Oppen, Mary to Alex Mourelatos, 1968 - 1971
Box 1 Folder 24
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1956 - 1958
Box 1 Folder 25
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1959 - 1959
Box 1 Folder 26
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1960 - 1962
Box 1 Folder 27
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1963 - 1964
Box 2 Folder 1
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1965 - 1965
Box 2 Folder 2
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1966 - 1966
Box 2 Folder 3
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1967 - 1968
Box 2 Folder 4
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1969 - 1970
Box 2 Folder 5
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1971 - 1972
Box 2 Folder 6
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1973 - 1974
Box 2 Folder 7
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1975 - 1976
Box 2 Folder 8
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1977 - 1978
Box 2 Folder 9
Oppen, Mary to Linda Oppen, 1979 - 1980
Box 2 Folder 10
Degnan, June Oppen to George and Mary Oppen, 1958 - 1969
Box 2 Folder 11
Degnan, June Oppen to Linda Oppen, 1959 - 1979
Box 2 Folder 12
Haight, Eve to Linda Oppen, 1964 - 1970
Box 2 Folder 13
Oppen, Linda to George and Mary Oppen, 1964 - 1982
Box 2 Folder 14
Mary Oppen - Poetry and Prose, TS and PP.

WRITINGS BY GEORGE AND MARY OPPEN

Scope and Content of Series

Series 2) WRITINGS BY GEORGE AND MARY OPPEN: Typescripts of Mary Oppen's poetry and her autobiography Meaning a Life, and poetry and prose by George Oppen.

Box 2 Folder 15
Mary Oppen - Poetry, TS and PP.
Box 2 Folder 16
Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE - 2 copies corrected TS of "Kalispel"
Box 2 Folder 17
Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE - Corrected TS of "WWI 1918-1920,"
Box 2 Folder 18
Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE - Corrected TS of "Belvedere 1930,"
Box 3 Folder 1
Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE - TS of "New York 1935-1939"

Corrected

Box 3 Folder 2
Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE

Corrected TS of "Trip West After the War, 1942-1946."

Box 3 Folder 3
Mary Oppen - Selections from MEANING A LIFE - Corrected TS of untitled material
Box 3 Folder 4
By George Oppen - Poems, including "A Narrative," and "A Morality Play: Preface.
Box 3 Folder 5-6
By George Oppen - Poems, TSSc.

MISCELLANY

Scope and Content of Series

Series 3) MISCELLANY: Letters of condolence to Mary Oppen on the death of George Oppen; calendar of readings from the Academy of American Poets, and publishing information regarding June Oppen Degnan and William Bronk.

Box 3 Folder 7
Publishing information

Concerning June Oppen Degnan's efforts on behalf of William Bronk.

Box 3 Folder 8
Calendar of readings from Academy of American Poets, 1963 - 1964

"Coming From a Great Distance," program

Box 3 Folder 9
Letters of condolence to Mary Oppen, upon the 1984 death of George

Photocopies, 10 ALs, 5 TLs, 1 TL