An Inventory of Her Collection at the Harry Ransom Center
Creator:
Barolini, Helen, 1925-2023
Title:
Helen Barolini Collection
Dates:
1959-1989, undated
Extent:
2 document boxes (0.84 linear feet)
Abstract:
Spanning 1950 to 1989, the collection
consists of the research files for Italian American author Helen Barolini's Festa: Recipes and Recollections of Italian Holidays (1988) and a
typescript for Love in the Middle Ages (1986).
Call Number:
Manuscript Collection MS-00228
Language:
English; some documents in Italian
Access:
Open for research. Researchers must create an online Research Account and agree to
the
Materials Use Policy before using archival materials.
Use Policies:
Ransom Center collections may contain material with sensitive or confidential information
that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers
are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable
living
individuals represented in the collections without the consent of those individuals
may have
legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy
may
arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be
deemed
highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Ransom Center and The University
of
Texas at Austin assume no responsibility.
Restrictions on Use:
Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the
owner of
the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright
holder
which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Ransom
Centers' Open Access and Use Policies.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Helen Barolini Collection (Manuscript Collection MS-00228). Harry Ransom Center, The
University of Texas at Austin.
Helen Barolini was born on November 18, 1925, in Syracuse, New York. She graduated
from
Syracuse University in 1947 and Columbia University in 1959. Barolini married Italian
writer, Antonio Barolini, on July 26, 1950 with whom she had three daughters. Antonio
died in 1971.
Throughout her life, Barolini has worked in various positions including translator,
instructor, associate editor for Westchester Illustrated , and
as a librarian in Westchester, New York. Barolini lived in both the United States
and
Italy.
Barolini was first published in 1966 with a book of poetry, Duet, alongside her husband. Her first novel, Umbertina , was published in 1979. She was also the editor of the anthology,
The Dream Book: An Anthology of Writings by Italian-American
Women (1985). The following year, she published Love in the
Middle Ages (1986), which was followed by Festa: Recipes
and Recollections of Italian Holidays (1988). Since 1991, Barolini published an
additional eight books and also contributed to periodicals and anthologies. Her work
"explored the challenges of assimilation, as well as the hard-won victories of feminist
emancipation experienced by Italian American women" (New York Times, 2023). Barolini received
several awards and fellowships including the Susan Koppelman Award, a National Endowment
for
the Arts grant, and fellowships and residencies with the Rockefeller Foundation, MacDowell
Colony, and Yaddo.
Helen Barolini died at the age of 97 at her home in Hastings-on-Hudson in New York
on March 29, 2023.
Sources:
"Helen Barolini." Contemporary Authors Online , http://galenet.galegroup.com
(accessed June 2018).
"Helen Barolini, Chronicler of Italian American Women, Dies at 97." The New York Times, 20 April 2023. (accessed November 2024).
"Book Publications." Helen Barolini , http://www.helenbarolini.com/works.htm
(accessed June 2018).
Scope and Contents
Spanning 1959 to 1989, the collection consists of the research files for Helen Barolini's
Festa: Recipes and Recollections of Italian Holidays (1988)
and a typescript for Love in the Middle Ages (1986) .
Subseries A. Festa: Recipes and Recollections of Italian
Holidays is primarily comprised of research files for Festa , the bulk of which are recipes and research notes about Italian holidays.
Other items include transcripts, clippings, and programs. Dates in parentheses reflect
the
original date of the photocopied item. For example, a clipping with the date listed
as "Clipping (1982), undated" means that the article was printed in
1982, but the date the photocopy was made is unknown. The original order of the folders
was
slightly altered to better reflect the order of the book. The original titles of the
folders
are in single quotation marks.
The condition of the materials is fair. There is a number of discoloration from newspaper
clippings and the original folders. Additionally, a small number of documents have
stains,
which have been place in polyester sleeves.
Subseries B. Love in the Middle Ages includes one typescript
of the novel with the original title, Run for your Life. Several portions of the typescript
are photocopies. The first folder includes the cover design and layout for the novel.
The
material is undated and in good condition. There is some minor wear to the edges.
Related Material
Helen Barolini Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University
Libraries
