Scope and Contents
The collecton consists of correspondence, writings, notebooks, printed material, audiovisual materials, electronic media, and other papers documenting the life and work of poet and writer Robin Magowan. Writings include manuscripts and typescripts of poems and prose, including drafts and corrected copies of Lilac Cigarette in a Wish Cathedral (University of South Carolina Press, 1998), Memoirs of a Minotaur (Story Line Press, 1999), and other works. Includes correspondence and other papers relating to Magowan's uncle, James Merrill.
Dates
- 1936 - 2017
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Boxes 26 and 40 (audiovisual materials): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Boxes 27, 35, and 39 (computer disks): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies of electronic files may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Robin Magowan Papers is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Robin Magowan, 2012-2020.
Arrangement
Organized into seven groupings: April 2012 acquisition; July 2014 acquisition; February 2016 acquisition; September 2016 acquisition; February 2017 acquisition; January 2019 acquisition; and July 2020 acquistion.
Extent
30.09 Linear Feet (42 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Biographical / Historical
Robin Magowan (b. 1936) is an American poet, memoirist, and travel writer. He studied at Exeter, Harvard (B. A.) and Columbia (M.A.) and Yale, where he earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. He taught at the University of Washington, and the University of California, Berkeley. In 1986 he founded the journal Margin; he served as editor until 1990. He is the author of books in several genres, including: Lilac Cigarette in a Wish Cathedral, Memoirs of a Minotaur, And Other Voyages, Fabled Cities: Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Kings of the Road Portrait of Racers and Racing, Birds in a Forest Swaying, and The Rim of Dawn. He is the nephew of poet James Merrill.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections as they are acquired, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.
This collection received a basic level of processing, including rehousing and minimal organization. Various acquisitions associated with the collection have not been merged and organized as a whole. Each acquisition is described separately in the contents list below, titled according to month and year of acquisition.
Information included in the Description of Papers note and Collection Contents section is drawn from information supplied with the collection and from an initial survey of the contents. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below are often based on those provided by the creator or previous custodian. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases. Otherwise, folder titles are supplied by staff during initial processing.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- American poetry -- 20th Century
- American poetry -- 21st century
- Audiovisual materials
- Authors, American -- 20th Century -- Archives
- Born digital
- Magowan, Robin
- Merrill, James, 1926-1995
- Poets -- United States -- 20th century
- Poets -- United States -- 21st century
- Poets, American -- 20th Century -- Archives
- Poets, American -- 21st century -- Archives
- Title
- Guide to the Robin Magowan Papers
- Author
- by Beinecke staff, Lucretia Baskin
- Date
- May 2017. Revised: June 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- September 2020: Added 2020 addition
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.