Harvey Swados Papers, 1933-1983 (bulk 1936-1972)

Collection open for research.

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Biographical Note

Harvey Swados, novelist and social critic, was born in Buffalo, New York, October 28, 1920, and died in Amherst, Massachusetts, December 11, 1972. His parents were Aaron Meyer Swados, a physician, and Rebecca Bluestone Swados, a painter. He married Bette Beller September 12, 1946. Their children are Marco, born 1947, Felice, 1949, and Robin, 1953. Swados received his B.A. in 1940 from the University of Michigan. From 1948, the Swados' "permanent" home was at Valley Cottage, Rockland County, New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan, until their move to Amherst, Massachusetts in 1970. Cagnes-Sur-Mer in Southern France was considered a second home.

Harvey Swados had two principal passions: politics and literature. "By temperament and conviction he was a socialist...His belief in the possibilities of a just society was as primitive in faith as it was sophisticated in judgment" (Katz, Leslie, "Thoughts after Harvey Swados" in American Journal, 4-10-73). According to Swados: "I remain a social radical, at once dismayed and exhilarated by my seemingly doomed yet endlessly optimistic native land" (unpublished autobiography). "To call himself a socialist meant for Harvey most of all to preserve the power of moral responsiveness...It meant, as he wrote..., 'My kinship has been with those writers who imply, even as they treat of trouble and terror, that the world could be better just as my commitment has been to those human beings who believe-despite every awful evidence to the contrary-that the world must be better'" (Howe, Irving, "Harvey Swados 1920-1972" in Dissent, Spring 1973).

Swados wrote both fiction and non-fiction. However, "a good deal of Swados' most effective work appears in his stories, a genre in which he takes chances and more often than not succeeds in making art out of his severe social criticism" (Shapiro, Charles, "Harvey Swados: Private Stories and Public Fiction" in Contemporary American Novelists, edited by Harry T. Moore, Southern Illinois University Press, 1964). His awards and honors through the years included: Hudson Review fellowship in fiction, 1957-58; Sidney Hillman Award, for "The Myth of the Happy Worker", 1958; Guggenheim fellowship, 1961-62; Philip M. Stern Family Fund Magazine Grant Program for UAW article, 1963; American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Institute of Arts and Letters Award in literature, 1965; Arts and Letters grant for art, 1965; University of Michigan Sesquicentennial Award, 1967; National Endowment for the Arts grant for fiction, 1967-68; Judge in 1970 Fiction Division of National Book Awards competition; and Five short stories included in Best American Short Stories annual volumes. He held professional memberships in the Authors League and P.E.N.

Swados played the flute, in chamber music with friends and in a local orchestra. Irving Howe states that "part of the fun of visiting the Swadoses was always the sense one had of a rich, intense family life, with its interweaving of politics and music and theater, its incomparable closeness and devotion" (Howe, "Harvey Swados 1920-1972").

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Papers consist of journals, notes and reference materials, typewritten drafts of novels and short stories, galley proofs, clippings, and correspondence concerning writings; letters from family, publishers, literary agents, colleagues, friends and readers, including Richard Hofstadter, Saul Bellow, James Thomas Farrell, Herbert Gold, Irving Howe, Bernard Malamud, and Charles Wright Mills; letters from Swados, especially to family, friends, and editors; book reviews; notes, reference material, and drafts of speeches and lectures; financial records; material concerning teaching positions, workshops and seminars, awards and honors; biographical and autobiographical sketches; and bibliographies.

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Search Terms

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into sixseries:

• Series 1. Biographical/Bibliographical
• Series 2. Writings
• Series 3. Correspondence
• Series 4. Subject Files
• Series 5. Originals of Materials That Have Been Photocopied
• Series 6. Accretions to the Collection

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Series 1. Biographical and Bibliographical 0.5 linear feet (1 box)

The biographical material consists of brief sketches written by Swados for publishers of his works, and sketches written by others, mostly in memoriam. Photocopies of biographies from reference works have been made. Additional references to biographical material are listed.

Included in the file box are several published volumes by Swados, and two working card files, one of titles of Swados' works, and one of correspondents.

Brief autobiographies present the author's views of himself as a writer and describe his experience in teaching, in factory work, and in the Merchant Marine. He outlines some of the influences on his writing and his struggles to be recognized as an author. Biographies that appeared in newspapers and anthologies reflect the high regard in which he was held both professionally and personally by other writers. He was known as "a man with strong ideas about American life,... a fine writer of fiction, and one of the few whose concerns are meaningfully incorporated into his novels and short stories (Shapiro, "Harvey Swados: Private Stories and Public Fiction"). He thought of himself as a novelist first, middle-class in temper and outlook, a Jew, and a socialist.

Swados wrote detailed notes, especially in his journals, in which he expresses his enthusiasm and excitement about a planned work and argues with himself in order to look at an idea from every angle.

He was a superior journalist and filled assignments ranging from an interview with Julia Child in France to traveling to Biafra for the Committee for Biafran Artists and Writers. A glance at the titles of his articles and essays will provide an idea of the wide range of subjects he covered. He could write a light, entertaining article as well as a serious one full of social comment.

Biographies appeared in Who's Who in America, Who Was Who, and Contemporary Authors. A lengthy article appears in Contemporary Literary Criticism.

When the novel Celebration was published posthumously in 1973, several long articles appeared which were combinations of biography, memorial, and review of the novel. Copies of these are filed with the novel in Series II, Writings.

According to the brief autobiography, other articles about Harvey Swados appeared in:

There is also a reference to Publishers Weekly, 6-1-70.

Letters to Mr. Swados from friends describe his appearance, always in complimentary terms. Letters from and to him provide insight into the importance of his close family life. Letters from Alex Haley could be cited in particular.

The article "A Sentimental Visit to the Lower East Side" and letters of readers reacting to it provide a glimpse of Swados' forebears. A letter in the Biography folder from Harry Sweet gives some information on the Swiadoscz family of Lithuania.

Bibliographies have been made by type of work: stories; essays and articles; novels; collections of stories; collections of essays and articles; anthologies; a biography; plays; screenplays; a chorale; and prefaces, introductions, and forewords. These lists provide publication information for each work, but an exhaustive search of each title has not been made. All titles for which dates have been found are included in a chronological list. Photocopies of title pages and tables of contents of collections and anthologies have been provided.

Reviews of other authors' works have not been listed in a bibliography. Brief reference is made to Harvey Swados' review and column writing at the University of Michigan and since that time in many periodicals and newspapers. Letters to editors, lectures, and speeches have been briefly noted. Copies of three published volumes are included: The American Writer in the Great Depression (paperback), Celebration (clothbound), and Oil the Line (paperback).

Bibliographies are provided, arranged alphabetically within each type: novels, stories, etc. Each entry includes publication information where it is available. In addition, a chronological list has been provided of all works that have been dated. There are additional notes concerning incorporation of works in anthologies, etc. Lists that were included among the papers are filed here as well.

Series 2. Writings 14 linear feet (28 boxes)

Early in his career Harvey Swados was a prolific book reviewer as indicated by the many copies of published reviews in the collection. In his student days at the University of Michigan he wrote a regular column for the student newspaper and reviews of movies and other entertainment as well as reviews of books.

He also wrote forewords and introductions to several books including a juvenile, a few plays and screenplays, and the words for a chorale. Some speeches and lectures are in the collection; however, there is little that may be identified as classroom lectures for his writing classes, seminars, and workshops.

The journals that have been mentioned above cover the period 1945-1972, almost his entire career, and concern his thoughts in developing his works. One journal is on the novel Standing Fast. In addition to the handwritten notes, there are newspaper clippings. There is a typed copy of the journal concerning the novel Celebration. This is filed with the Celebration drafts and other materials.

The subject files of Series 2 include proposals for additional works that, as far as is known, were never completely developed. There are also political speeches written for Sargent Shriver when he was a candidate for vice president running with George McGovern in 1972. Another folder is on the topic of Swados' protest of a Vietnamese writer 's suicide. Some resource materials are included in this series that could not be identified as having been accumulated for a particular work.

The bulk of the papers are arranged by the type of writing, beginning with the novels. Within each type, filing is alphabetical by title. After the novels are collections of stories, collections of essays and articles, a biography, plays, a chorale, anthologies, stories, essays and articles, reviews, letters to editors, lectures and speeches, and journals. The writings consist primarily of corrected draft manuscripts. For some titles there are final manuscripts or galley proofs. There are also tear sheets for articles and stories published in periodicals or newspapers. See the Container List for complete content information.

When the papers were received, with each title were included correspondence from publishers, literary agents, friends, and readers that refer to that work, reviews of the work, and resource materials such as clippings used in writing the work. This arrangement was retained because these letters and other materials help to provide insight into the development of particular works and reactions to them. Many of the letters do not name the work and would lose meaning if filed elsewhere. Letters of important correspondents have been indexed in a working card file.

Handwritten notes on legal size yellow sheets and other large size materials, such as clippings and resource materials, have been removed and filed together to reduce the number of long boxes required. The Container List provides cross-references to this material.

For each novel there are several folders, arranged as follows:

- Correspondence concerning plans for writing and publishing the work and during the progress of the preparation for publishing, letters of discussion and/or comment from friends and colleagues, and letters from readers

- Reviews of the work

- Resource materials such as newspaper clippings, publications, letters seeking information, and notes

- Manuscripts in various stages beginning with the most recent version, which may be a final typescript or a galley, and working backward through the drafts to the earliest one

There are few final manuscripts or galleys in the collection, which is primarily corrected drafts. Many of the drafts were on brittle acid paper, and these have been photocopied. The handwritten corrections are difficult to read on the originals and more so on the copies. The originals have been retained and filed separately in Boxes 40-43; cross-references have been made in the Container List.

In conjunction with studying the drafts and accompanying materials the researcher may find it worthwhile to consult the Journals (see Box 28). These are handwritten and cover the period 1945-1972.

If the researcher wishes to study the development of Harvey Swados as a writer, s/he will find the chronological list in Box 1, Folder 9 helpful. Letters written by Harvey Swados are also arranged by date although the number of them is not large (see Box 37).

If the researcher wishes to find additional letters from a correspondent from whom letters were found filed with a work s/he may consult the working card file (see Box 1, Folder/marker 3).

For each collection of stories, collection of essays and articles, anthology, and the biography, the arrangement of letters, reviews, resource materials, and drafts is the same as for the novels. Originals of photocopied materials are in Box 45.

The same arrangement was used for stories, and for essays and articles, except that in most instances there is only one folder per title. These are arranged alphabetically in each of the two groups. See the Container List for cross references for location of legal size notes and resource materials in Boxes 25 and 26, and materials that have been photocopied in Boxes 44-46.

Series 3. Correspondence 3.5 linear feet (8 boxes)

Letters from Harvey Swados are relatively few in number. They have been replaced where found in the papers with photocopies and all gathered together in the correspondence file. Some letters have been collected from correspondents; many of these are photocopies.

Note: It has not been possible to identify some correspondents. If researchers can provide identification it would be appreciated.

The letters to Swados from his family (wife, children, father, sister and her family) are arranged by date. Letters from publishers and literary agents are also arranged by date. Letters from friends and colleagues are arranged alphabetically, with separate folders for individuals from whom there are many letters. Letters from Harvey Swados are arranged by date. Index cards have been prepared for correspondents showing dates of letters sent and received that are in the alphabetical file. Locations of additional letters of important correspondents are also entered on the cards.

The Correspondence series is divided into:

1. Letters from family

2. Letters from friends and colleagues

3. Letters from literary agents

4. Letters from publishers

5. Letters from Harvey Swados

Dates have been included on folders except in the case of friends and colleagues. Family letters are from Harvey Swados' wife Bette; children Marco, Felice, and Robin; father Aaron; sister Felice; brother-in-law Richard Hofstadter; and nephew Daniel Hofstadter. The letters from his wife and children are interfiled and arranged by date. The letters from the Hofstadters are interfiled and arranged by date.

Persons other than publishers or agents who are well known and/or who carried on extensive correspondence with Harvey Swados include:

The letters from literary agents James Brown and Candida Donnadio, are arranged by date.

Letters from publishers included in this series are Atlantic Monthly Press, a folder of miscellaneous publisher letters that don't pertain to specific works, and a folder of letters from little magazines.

Many letters from friends and colleagues, from literary agents, and publishers are filed in Series 2 with the works that are discussed in the letters. Letters from readers are also filed with the works. This is in accordance with the arrangement of the papers when they were received. The intention was to follow the original arrangement and also to make research easier because many of the letters do not name the work that is being discussed. Letters that mention more than one work may be found in the correspondence file. A working card file in Series 1, Box 1, arranged alphabetically, serves as a cross reference, making it possible to locate by letter writer's name those letters filed with works.

Series 4. Subject Files 1 linear foot (2 boxes)

Included in the Subject File are papers concerned with Swados' teaching career, recognition of his writing in the form of awards and honors, protests in which he took part, royalty statements, and personal business records. Swados' father's medical licenses, a prologue written by his sister Felice, and a brewing formula which is referred to in letters are also in this series.

The first box contains an Awards and Honors folder including recognition of Harvey Swados' work, ranging from a prize of a book for a letter about the periodical The American Boy in 1933, to a Guggenheim fellowship and an award from the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Swados was a fiction judge for the National Book Awards in 1970. Correspondence and clippings concerning the controversy that arose are included.

Seminars and workshops in which Swados took part are included in this series, as are student manuscripts from a writing workshop at Columbia University.

Other subjects are Certificates of Copyright, the American Journal, for which Mr. Swados was a contributing editor, positions and offers of positions, a petition regarding Soviet Jews, and a New Jersey Peace Rally with a newspaper picture of Mr. Swados giving his name to a police officer who had been nipped by Swados' dog.

Also included are royalty statements, a small example of the writing of Swados' sister Felice, who had considerable talent, the medical licenses of Swados' father, a contribution in memoriam to Harvey Swados, and the dedication of his papers at the University including a tape of the addresses given.

And there is a brewing formula which the diligent researcher may find referred to in the Harvey Swados Papers. This is for a beer of the "Bavarian type," and the topics treated are all the necessary processes plus "passing remarks on the subject as a part of civilized living." Authorship unknown.

The second box contains personal business records such as income tax returns, items showing income sources and expenses, and checkbooks. These may be useful in tracing Swados' career as writer and teacher, and his travels on reporting assignments. They provide information supplementary to that in the royalty statements.

Series 5. Originals of Photocopied Material 3.5 linear feet (7 boxes)

Originals of materials that have been photocopied are placed at the end of the collection. These can be located through cross-references in the Container List.

Many of the manuscripts and other papers were on high acid content yellow paper, which has deteriorated and become brittle. These were replaced with photocopies and the yellow paper filed separately to reduce handling because of the brittleness and to prevent contact with other papers.

These papers contain numerous pencil corrections and alterations, which are not easily read in the photocopies particularly since the handwriting is very difficult to read in any case. These originals may be consulted if necessary.

In using the papers if the researcher finds photocopies which include unreadable alterations s/he should check the Container List for location of the originals.

Also included are some newspaper clippings and tear sheets from magazines, which have been replaced in the body of the papers with photocopies, again because of yellowing and brittleness.

Novels are listed by title; stories and essays and articles are alphabetized with only the first letters in the folder title; other works are described by type.

Series 1. Biographical and Bibliographical 0.5 linear feet (1 box)

Series 2. Writings 14 linear feet (28 boxes)

Series 3. Correspondence 3.5 linear feet (8 boxes)

Series 4. Subject Files 1 linear foot (2 boxes)

Series 5. Originals of Photocopied Material 3.5 linear feet (7 boxes)

Series 6. Accretions 0.5 linear feet