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Title: Bernard Malamud Papers, 1949-1992

Predominant Dates: 1952-1971

ID: MSS Malamud

Primary Creator: Malamud, Bernard

Extent: 20.0 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The Malamud Papers are organized into seven series. All archival materials within each series are arranged chronologically. Items in the Malamud library are organized alphabetically by title.

Languages of Materials: Chinese [chi], Croatian [hrv], Czech [cze], Danish [dan], Dutch;Flemish [dut], English [eng], Finnish [fin], French [fre], German [ger], Greek,Modern(1453-) [gre], Hebrew [heb], Hungarian [hun], Italian [ita], Japanese [jpn], NorwegianNynorsk;Nynorsk,Norwegian [nno], Portuguese [por], Romanian [rum], Serbian [srp], Slovak [slo], Slovenian [slv], Spanish;Castilian [spa], Swedish [swe], Turkish [tur]

Bernard Malamud (1914-1986), a major American novelist and short story writer, taught at Oregon State University from 1949-1961. A prolific author, he received a Pulitzer Prize (The Fixer, 1966) and two National Book Awards (The Magic Barrel, 1959; The Fixer, 1966) for his work. The Malamud Papers include an assortment of personal correspondence relating to Malamud's tenure as professor and writer at Oregon State University. In addition, the collection features several boxes of newspaper clippings, as well as signed first editions and published translations of his books.

The collection consists of newspaper clippings, book reviews, memorial service notes, correspondence, videos, and periodical articles covering the years 1949 through 1998. It also contains a collection of his published works in foreign language editions. The personal correspondence in the Malamud Collection consists of items to and from Chester Garrison (covering the years 1965-1985) and Sylvan Karchmer (covering the years 1952-1971). General correspondence spans the years 1949-1986, and includes letters written by his wife Ann Malamud. The newspaper clippings, mostly reviews of Malamud's books, cover the years 1952, when his first book, The Natural, was published, to 1971. The remainder of the collection includes various items such as Malamud's memorial service notes, an audio tape of the service, and four video tapes documenting his work.

Author Bernard Malamud was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 26, 1914. The son of recently emigrated Russian Jews, he spent his early years in New York City, attending the City College of New York and acquiring his M.A. from Columbia University in 1942. In 1949 Bernard Malamud moved to Corvallis, Oregon to teach English composition at Oregon State College (now Oregon State University) and remained there until 1961. He was the author of 13 books, including The Natural, his first book published in 1952.

He also published a collection of short stories titled The Fixer won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as one of the two National Book Awards he received during his lifetime. He died of a heart attack in New York City in 1986.

Accruals: No additions are anticipated.

More Extent Information: 15 boxes; 130 books

Statement on Access: Donors (James Groshong, Faith Norris, E. Nelson Sandgren, Bill Potts, John Haislip, Chet Garrison) wish to give consent before use. See the Use of Collections page for more information.

Physical Access Note: All materials in good to very good condition.

Acquisition Note:

Chester Garrison, former professor of English at Oregon State University, donated over forty manuscript items and a large clipping file of Malamud-related material.

Williard Potts, professor of English at Oregon State University, also donated several items to the collection.

Three dozen letters sent by Malamud to his friend, Sylvan Karchmer, were purchased by The Valley Library's Special Collections from a New York bookseller.

Ray Lewis White donated over 600 newspaper clippings relating to Malamud's career, spanning the years 1951-1971 in December 1998.

179 first edition and foreign language edition volumes of Malamud's work, thirty of which are Autographed by the author, were purchased by Special Collections in 1997.

Particia Potts donated approximately one dozen letters and greeting cards between Bernard Malamud and Bill Potts on November 1, 2010.

Related Materials:

Materials documenting the life and work of Bernard Malamud can be found at the Library of Congress and the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Other photographs can be found in Oregon Digital.

See also: "My Father is a Book," a reading by Janna Malamud Smith from the Threepenny Review essay and Bern Malamud: An Instictive Friendship by Chester Garrison.

Preferred Citation: Bernard Malamud Papers (MSS Malamud), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information:

Preliminary arrangement by Clifford S. Mead. Final arrangement by Trevor Sandgathe and Faye Harkins.

Processed by Special Collections staff, May 2000, July 2008, and December 2010.

Other URL: A preliminary container list was created for this collection on or before November 19, 2015.

Malamud, Bernard

American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
American Center of P.E.N.
American literature--Jewish authors.
Artists--United States.
Bennington, Vermont
Bennington College
Columbia University
Garrison, Chester
Groshong, James
Haislip, John
Harvard University
Karchmer, Sylvan
Malamud, Ann
Malamud, Bernard
Malamud, Bernard, 1914-1986--Archives
Newspapers--Sections, columns, etc.
New York (N.Y.)
Norris, Faith G. (Faith Grigsby), -1992
Oregon State University
Potts, Willard
Sandgren, E. Nelson
Universities and colleges--Massachusetts--Harvard.
Universities and colleges--New York--Columbia.
Universities and colleges--Oregon--Oregon State University.
Universities and colleges--Vermont--Bennington.

Audiotapes.
Correspondence.
Video recordings (physical artifacts)