John Clellon Holmes papers

Finding Aid

Last Updated: August 2021

Inclusive Dates: 1959-1968
Extent: .5 cubic feet
Physical Location: 11th Floor

Box 1
Folder -- Contents

Nelson Algren to John Clellon Holmes

1. 1959, September 20: #955 Plaza, New York, New York
   [typed and signed; postcard of Times Square]
    
2. 1960, January 20: Chicago

   [typed; 2 8½x11 pages]

3. 1960, February 2: [abroad]
    
4. [1960] March 14: Paris, France

   [signed "The Arm;" postcard]

5. 1960, March 23: Paris, France

   [signed "ARM;" postcard]

6. 1960, April 15: Paris, France

   [signed "Arm;" postcard]

7. 1960, May 3: [Mallorca, Spain]

   [signed "Arm;" postcard]

8. [1960] May 10: Barcelona, Spain

   Gives address of Carlos Bannal in Barcelona for Holmes to send a copy of The Horn.[handwritten; 3¾x9¼ postcard of The Port of Barcelona]

9. [1960] May 30: [Madrid, Spain]

   [signed "ARM;" postcard]

10. 1960, June 27: Paris, France

    [signed "ARM" postcard]

11. [1960?], July 26: Istanbul
     
12. 1960, July 30: Athens, Greece

    [postcard]

13. 1960, August 4: [Greece?]

    [postcard]

14. [1960?], August 24: Paris
     
15. 1960, December 12: Chicago
     
16. [1959 or 1960?]: Chicago
     
17. 1961, April 17: Spokane, Washington
     
18. 1961, October 26: Ann Arbor
     
19. 1961, December 18: Chicago
    [postcard]
     
20. 1962, January 6
     
21. 1962, June 30: At Sea
     
22. 1962, July 3
     
23. 1962, August 29: Calcutta
     
24. 1962, September 5: Calcutta
     
25. [1962?], September 6
     
26. 1962, September 12: Singapore
     
27. 1962, September 26: Chicago
     
28. [1962?]: The Plaza, New York, New York
     
29. [1962?], December
    [greeting card]
     
30. [1963?, March 25
     
31. 1963, July 27: Chicago
     
32. 1963, August 8: New York
     
33. 1964, December
     
34. [1964?], July 29: Chicago
     
35. [1965?], January 19: Iowa City, Iowa
     
36. 1966, December 13
    [greeting card]
     
37. 1968, March 19: Chicago
     
38. 1968, August 11: Chicago
     
39. [no year], June 12
     
40. [no year], July 6: Chicago
     
41. [no year][before September 20]: Chicago
     
42. [no year], October 7
     
43. [no year], December 19
     
44. [undated], Wednesday

Allen Ginsberg to John Clellon Holmes

45. 1949, late May: 324 Hamliton Ave., Patterson, NJ.

    Ginsberg writes that he received a letter from Jack [Kerouac] from Denver. Asks Holmes to send a poem to Partisan Review with "some kind of note to Delmore S." There is a list of books written in pencil on the back of the letter. [signed "Allen," with the initials "A.G." after the postscript; 20.3 x 26.5 cm, letter]

46. [1949, March - publishing date]: 1401 York Ave, New York, NY.

    Portion of "Stanzas: Written at Night in Radio City" [photocopy; unsigned]

47. 1949, June 16: [no address; Ginsberg in Patterson, New Jersey.]

    Thanks John Clellon Holmes for investigating Partisan [Review]. Describes working on editing a manuscript with 50 poems left: "I will give the book to as many people who will read it and suggest improvements. I feel (this is a most urgent spectre in my poetic process) that the book is value-less, without positive content, and cannot escape that final conclusion despite to the fact that I continue to work on it." Speaks of correspondence with Jack [Kerouac]. Provides a philosophical discourse on the psychology of self and others and their relation to writing and symbolism. Ends with a portion of a poem entitled later named: "An Eastern Ballad." [Note: some of the lines were later published, others cut, while still others were included in an unpublished recitation by Ginsberg on the John Clellon Holmes Recordings (KSU)][signed "Allen;" 6 11 x 8 1/2 physical pages; 11 numbered pages, handwritten and typed (mixed)]

48. 1949, July 1: 722 W. 168 St., Psychiatric Clinic, 6 North, New York City, NY.

    Reply to JCR with new address. Short message about health. [signed "Allen;" post card; 5 1/2 x 3 1/4]

49. 1949, mid-July: [722 W. 168 St., Psychiatric Clinic, 6 North, New York City, New York]

    More philosophical discourse on "feelings;" refers to Gertrude Stain and the philosophies of Kierkegard and Aristotle in conjunction with personal views. Mentions Louis Simpson and Walter Adams [friends?]. Ends with a poem that he calls "a joke," entitled "Sursum Corda." [signed "Allen;" 7 8x10½ pages, typed and handwritten]

50. 1950, December 13:Patterson, N[ew] J[ersey].

    Back from visit with Neal and Diana and baby Curtis Neal Cassidy. Speaks of a new series of poems created while studying Wms. [Williams] & Pound and includes his own poems: &qout;Long Live th[e] Spider" and "A Monologue" [unfinished]; also contains unnamed poem [later entitled "Ode: My 24th Year"]. Relates story about Lucien [Carr]. Continues with religious discourse, mentioning Garry Davis. Also includes a comment from [Carl?] Solomon. [typed signature "allen/ginsb/erg./m/ay/y/ou/r/tr/i/be/i/nc/r/ea/s/e." 4 8½x11 physical pages; 8 numbered pages, typed]

51. 1951, Aug[ust] 28: [Paracutin?][Mexico].

    Begining of a trip through Mexico to the Pacific Coast, including a week in Mexico City. There with Lu, Joan Burroughs, 2 children, and Glenn [?]. Lost visa, so will be longer in Mexico than September 5 [1951]. [handwritten and signed "Allen;" 3½x5½ postcard]

52. 1952, February 29: 346 W. 15 Street, N.Y.C. TO 135 E. 35 St. New York City

    Brief message about place of residence and request for contact. [handwritten and signed "Allen;" 3¼x5½ postcard]

53. 1952, October [?]: 206 East 6 Street, New York City, Apartment 16

    Message about new apartment and request for contact. [typed; 3¼x5½ postcard]

54. 1952, December 24: [no address]

    Christmas greetings and inquiry of New Year's plans. [typed and handwritten; 5x8 yellow paper with design: Cranes and Water Grasses, Japanese Stencil, XIX Century (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)]

55. 1954, June 9: [sent from Mexico][address written at the head: 1047 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose, Calif(ornia)]

    Ginsberg states that he would be at Neal's [Cassidy] in two weeks and that he had read Homes' The Horn. [handwritten; 3½x5½ postcard of the Business District of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico]

56. 1955, April 29: [address on paper: 1010 Montgomery St., San Francisco]

    Scrap of paper with remnant of poem: "Allen Ginsberg's Very latest Poem." [typed; date handwritten]

57. 1955, Aug[ust] 30

    Photocopy of Ginsberg's Howl with notations made by Jack Kerouac. Original was sent back to Allen Ginsberg. [Note: see John Clellon Holmes, Letter Collection, Folder 73: memo from Matthew Jennett of Pharos Books to Alex Gildzen, former curator of Kent State University Special Collections and Archives.][6 8½x11 pages]

58. 1956, September 29: Ruxroth Eberhart Zukofsky [Allen Ginsberg?][address: ARK II Moby I, 707 Scott St. S.F. 17]

    "A DOVE ON THE LOUSY WATERS - ARK II MOBY I
    CELEBRATED westcoast goodtime poetry magazine
    ONLY ONE ISSUE PER GENERATION
    Spontaneous natural prosody which will be
    considered chic in ten years.
    22 - poets - 22
    duncan-collins-perkoff-ginsberg-kerouac-snyder-whalen-
    dorn-creeley-cox-mcclure-harmon-levertov-ferlinghetti-
    turnbull-russell-williams-hawthorne-patchen
    And a few members of the Ancient Zoo...
    Order now! 75¢ the copy" [advertisement or absurdity?][typed; author unclear, similar to January 4, 1957 postcard; 3¼x5½ postcard]

59. 1956, October 12: 1624 Milvia St. Berkely, Cal[ifornia]

    Writes about fellow contemporaries: Philip Whalen; Gary Snyder and his translations of Han Shan; Gregory Corso and Randall Jarrell; Jack Kerouac; Peter Orlovsky; Alan Anson; [William] Burroughs; [Aldous] Huxley; and [Carl?] Solomon. Ginsberg speaks of the death of his mother and their last correspondence. [typed, some handwriting; 1 8x10½ page]

60. 1957, January 4: A[llen] G[insberg] & J[ack] K[erouac] [postmark: Rutherford, New Jersey]

    Tells Holmes that they will be there on Friday night. [handwritten; signed "Allen and others; 3¼x5½ postcard]

61. 1957, December 22: Allen Ginsberg 9 Rue Git-le-coeur [?], Chambre[zs], Paris 6, France to John [Clellon] Holmes, American Express, 11 Rue Seribe [?], Paris, France.

    Invitation to spend Christmas eve with Gregory [Corso], Peter [Orlovsky], and him [Ginsberg]. Includes postscript from Peter [Orlovsky]. [handwritten; 4x5½ postcard]

62. [1957-8?] February 28: [in letter: 11 Rue Schoelker, Paris (France)]

    Apologizes for "aborted" evening. Brief note on Jay [?] and Fran [?], as well as the absence of Max Geismar. [typed; 1 8x9½ airmail stationary]

63. 1959, March 15: 170 E 2 St, NYC9

    Notes on work that needs to be done and letters that remain unanswered. [handwritten; 3¼x5½ postcard]

64. 1959, August 14: A[llen] Ginsberg 170 E 2 Street NYC

    Back from three month trip including Grand Canyon and South Dakota Badlands. States the he has not seen "our movie yet tho[ugh]." [typed and signed; 3¼x5½ postcard]

65. 1962, March 16: Bombay, India

    Briefly relates travel experiences. [note: see letter dated April 30, 1962 for more indepth information][handwritten; Greek 4¼x5¾ postcard, postage from India]

66. 1962, April 30: American Express, Bombay, India

    Describes world travelling experiences focussing on Greece, Turkey, Israel, India and Tibet. [typewritten; 8x10½ air mail letter]

67. 1966, March 6: 408 E. 10 St. NYC

    Brief note after return from year's absense. [handwritten; 3½x5½ postcard]

68. [undated]

    Note to Holmes about searching for employment. Also enclosed with note, "the stanzas of Tom & Maud." [see folder 61][handwritten; 1 8x10½ lined page]

69. [undated]

    "the stanzas of Tom & Maud" [as noted in attached memo; see folder 60][typed manuscript; pages 3, 4, and 5; 3 8½x13 pages]

Unidentified postcard and miscellaneous papers

70. [1953+], October 1: Gary Indiana

    [typed signature: Antonio Moreno [Nelson Algren?]; 4¼x5¾ postcard]

71. [postcard]

72. Unidentified manuscript
     
73. Memo from Matthew Jennett of Pharos Books to Alex Gildzen, former curator of Kent State University Special Collections and Archives