An Inventory of His Collection at the Harry Ransom Center
Creator:
Silkin, Jon, 1930-1997
Title:
Jon Silkin Collection
Dates:
1952-1960, undated
Extent:
1 document box (.42 linear feet)
Abstract:
Jon Silkin was a British poet and also editor of the literary magazine Stand, which he founded in 1952. This collection contains drafts of poetry by Silkin as
well as manuscripts and correspondence by others, most of which relate to his editorship
of Stand.
Call Number:
Manuscript Collection MS-03836
Language:
English
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
Jon Silkin Collection (Manuscript Collection MS-03836). Harry Ransom Center, The University
of Texas at Austin.
Jon Silkin (1930–1997) was a British poet and also editor of the literary magazine
Stand, which he founded in 1952. This collection contains drafts of poetry by Silkin as
well as manuscripts and correspondence by others, most of which relate to his editorship
of Stand. The collection is organized in two Series I. Works, and II. Stand Contributions and Correspondence.
The Works by Silkin in Series I. are arranged alphabetically by title and include
handwritten and typed drafts and workings for his poems, many of which were extensively
revised. Most of the poems here were eventually collected in The Two Freedoms (1958), although some earlier and later poems are also present, most notably his
"Death of a Son." Many items are not dated, and some are written on the reverse of old letters and
manuscripts.
Manuscripts submitted to and/or correspondence to Stand, 1952-1956, dominate Series II. and represent the contents of Stand numbers 1, 2, 3 (1952), 6 (1953), 7, 8 (1954), and 11 (1956). Other correspondence
concerns Silkin’s own submissions of poetry to other little magazines and publishers
or other business matters. One file for Silkin includes his Stand editorials, one poem, book reviews, and a few outgoing letters. A file for Stand includes descriptions of issue contents, tables of contents, and some printed material.
Among the most extensive correspondents are the British Broadcasting Corporation,
Chatto and Windus, Ltd., George P. Elliot, Putnam & Company, Ltd., Publishers, and
D. Vincent Smith. All manuscripts and correspondence are alphabetized by author, all
of whose names are listed in an index at the end of this finding aid.
