urn:taro:utexas.hrc.00379 Paul Kresh: A Preliminary Inventory of His Collection in the Manuscript Collection at the Harry Ransom Center Finding aid created by Katherine Mosley Harry Ransom Center, 2006 Finding aid encoded by Thu Doan, 2008 Finding aid written in English. Collection Summary Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin Kresh, Paul, 1919-1997 Paul Kresh Collection 1940-1991 (bulk 1974-1981) Manuscript Collection MS-04964 16 boxes (6.72 linear feet) Paul Kresh, an author whose career included working as a publicist, record producer, and critic, wrote the first full-length biography of Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. The Paul Kresh Collection is divided into two series, I. Works by Kresh and II. Other Material, and includes items dating from 1940 to 1991. The bulk of the papers relates to Kresh’s biography of Singer, Isaac Bashevis Singer: The Magician of West 86th Street, and dates from 1975 to 1979. English and Yiddish Scope and Contents

Paul Kresh, an author whose career included working as a publicist, record producer, and critic, wrote the first full-length biography of Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. The Paul Kresh Collection is divided into two series, I. Works by Kresh and II. Other Material, and includes items dating from 1940 to 1991. The bulk of the papers relates to Kresh’s biography of Singer, Isaac Bashevis Singer: The Magician of West 86th Street, and dates from 1975 to 1979.

Among the papers are multiple drafts and fragments as well as research material, including copies of Singer’s manuscripts and correspondence, photographs of Singer, transcripts of numerous interviews Kresh conducted with friends, family, associates of Singer, and Singer himself, and copies of works about Singer. Kresh accompanied Singer on his trip to Stockholm to receive the Nobel Prize, and material relating to that trip is included. Galley proofs and Kresh’s correspondence regarding the book are also present.

Kresh also used material from The Magician of West 86th Street to write a juvenile biography of Singer, Isaac Bashevis Singer: The Story of a Storyteller, and that work is represented by drafts, proofs, and correspondence. Kresh’s other manuscripts included in the collection are typescripts of Through Darkest Stockholm with Dauntless Isaac,E. B. White’s Affable, Adaptable Animals Come to Life in Unabridged Recordings, and several drafts of his biography of George Gershwin, American Rhapsody: The Story of George Gershwin.

Kresh was also a music critic and writer who was involved in recording poetry and other readings. Series II. contains his correspondence about music articles, poetry recordings, and the 1978 Records of the Year Awards, as well as record catalogs, various flyers and brochures, and Kresh’s notes on recordings of radio broadcasts. A notebook contains Kresh’s notes on various stage productions, and a file on Sweeney Todd includes a transcript of an interview with Angela Lansbury. These items all date from 1974 to 1980.

 Acquisition:

Gift, 1997 (G10977)

 Access:

Open for research

 Processed by:

Katherine Mosley, 2006

 Folder List Series I. Works by Paul Kresh, 1940-1991, nd 1 American Rhapsody: The Story of George Gershwin (early title Man of Two Worlds) 1 1 ‘Gershwin book (original),’ typescript 1 2-3 Typescript, with additional fragments 1 4 Typescript, pp. 1-76 1 5-6 Typescript, with photocopy photographs 1 7 Typescript 1 8 Correspondence 2 1 E. B. White’s Affable, Adaptable Animals Come to Life in Unabridged Recordings, typescript 2 Isaac Bashevis Singer: The Magician of West 86th Street 2 Typescript drafts 2 2-3 Original copy, including pp. 111-221 2 4-6 Original of first draft, fragments, beginning with p. 242 3 1 Fragment, pp. 1-223, titled Isaac Means Laughter: A Portrait of Isaac Bashevis Singer 3 2-4 Incomplete, with additional fragments, including title page Isaac Means Laughter: A Portrait of Isaac Bashevis Singer 3 5-6 Typescript 4 1-3 Typescript, continued 4 4-5 Fragment, pp. 1-141. With additional draft pages (pp. 163-166, 212-241, 348-363), correspondence with Knopf, and photocopies of Yiddish correspondence 5 1-2 Fragments, pp. 189-763 5 3 Fragments, pp. 777-779 and 764-790 5 4-5 Fragment, pp. 247-452 5 6 Fragment, pp. 12-167 5 7-9 Fragment, pp. 171-493, with p. 501 insert and p. 771 6 1-2 Fragments, pp. 462-653, 501, 462-467 6 3 Fragments, including pp. 652-779 and 751-787 6 4-5 Fragment, pp. 750-787 6 6 pp. 1-106, transcript of Maurice Carr interview, pp. 777-834, letter to Adrienne Rich 6 7-8 With letter to Dial Press 7 1-2 With letter to Dial Press, continued 7 3 Miscellaneous fragments 7 4 Miscellaneous fragments and notes, with transcript of 15 Nov. 1978 lecture 7 5 Fragments 7 6 ‘Revise and incorporate,’ fragments 7 7 ‘Corrections still to be made Singer book Feb. 13, 1979,’ typescript pages, proofs of acknowledgements, photocopy tearsheet of The Mistresses of Singer by Tova Reich 7 8 ‘Outline and summaries,’ notes and fragments, correspondence, and photocopy tearsheet of Singer’s review of Sovietish Heimland 8 1-5 Typesetting copy 9 1 Galley proofs fragment (to page 165) 9 2-3 Galley proofs 9 4-5 Galley proofs, with Kresh's corrections 9 6 Handwritten notes by unidentified person re. Magician draft 9 Research material, including copies of items by Singer 9 Correspondence 9 7-8 Photocopies of Yiddish correspondence, [ca. 1940s-1959] 9 9 Photocopy letters to Singer, some in Yiddish 10 Interviews by Kresh 10 1-2 ‘Transcripts of interviews 1975,’ interview and lecture transcripts 10 3-5 ‘Transcripts of interviews 1976-77' 10 6 ‘Singer interviews,’ transcripts, 1975-1976 11 1 ‘Singer interviews,’ transcripts, 1975-1976, continued 11 2-3 Interview transcripts, 1976-1978, with transcripts of reviews, 1957, 1967, 1969, 1975 11 Nobel Prize trip and research 11 4-5 Scandinavian travel brochures 11 6 ‘Singer book: Stockholm 12/5-10/78,’ Stockholm and Nobel Prize material 11 7 Receipts, flyers, pass to Nobel Prize events 11 8 Kresh’s Nobel Prize trip journal, typescripts 11 9-10 Nobel Prize clippings, including Kresh’s The Pixie Who Enchanted Stockholm and other clippings about Singer 11 11 ‘Nobel Prize material,’ clippings 11 12 Nobel Prize speeches and press conference transcriptions 12 1 Nobel Prize press information packet and typescript address by Lars Gyllensten 12 2 Gyllensten, Lars. The Nobel Prize in Literature, 1978 publication 12 3 Translation of the Speeches at the Nobel Festival, 1978, printed copy 12 Notes 12 4 Notes, interview transcripts, draft fragments 12 5 Notes about Dvorah Telushkin and other subjects, on versos of typescript brochure for Hebrew University of Jerusalem and American Friends of the Hebrew University 12 Photographs 12 6 Early photograph of Singer, with negative 12 7 Photographs 12 Printed material 12 8 'Articles' by and about Singer 12 9 ‘Articles,’ interviews, reviews, and other articles. With Singer’s review of Bruno Schulz’s Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass 12 10 Articles, interviews, reviews, Magician notes and draft pages, photocopies of Singer works, including What’s in it for Me? and The Future of Yiddish and Yiddish Literature, and a transcript of Literature and Folklore lecture questions and answers 12 11 ‘Book reviews,’ clippings of reviews of Singer’s books, with photocopy clipping of review by Singer of Afanasyev’s Russian Fairy Tales 12 12 ‘Buchen book,’ Irving Buchen’s Isaac Bashevis Singer and the Eternal Past, photocopy 12 13 ‘Children’s books,’ lists, Cricket, The Fable as Literary Form, script for A Very Young Old Man filmstrip about Singer, and photocopy tearsheets of Filming <emph render="italic">Zlateh the Goat</emph> by Gene Deitch 13 1 ‘Encyclopedia articles,’ with clippings, photocopies of Singer’s Yiddish correspondence, press releases, and other research material 13 2 Miller-Brody/Newbery Media catalog, 1979 [with listing for Why Noah Chose the Dove] 13 3-6 Printed material about Singer (primarily whole issues of periodicals but including Paul Rosenblatt and Gene Koppel’s A Certain Bridge: Isaac Bashevis Singer on Literature and Life) 13 7-8 Theater and film reviews, photographs, program 14 Singer works 14 1 In My Father's Court, typescript notes on 14 2 A Little Boy in Search of God, bound galley proofs 14 3 The Magician [screenplay by Irving S. White, Joseph Gross, and Menahem Golan, based upon The Magician of Lublin], bound typescript 14 4 Once on Second Avenue There Lived a Yiddish Theater, photocopy clipping 14 5 The Penitent, photocopy corrected typescript 14 6-7 Yarme and Kayle, typescript outline 14 8-10 A Young Man in Search of Love, photocopy of typescript translation by Joseph Singer with corrections by Singer, two copies, one with additional markings [by Kresh] 14 Kresh correspondence 14 11 1975-1976, including transcripts of letters by Singer 14 12-16 1975-1981, with suggested script for A Day in Coney Island with Isaac Bashevis Singer 15 1-2 Dial Press agreement and correspondence 15 3 Ginsberg, Mirra, interview transcripts and correspondence with/about after publication 15 4 'Singer 1991,' obituaries; articles, including ones by Kresh; and correspondence about Kresh's book and other subjects 15 Isaac Bashevis Singer: The Story of a Storyteller 15 5 'Original manuscript,' corrected typescript, with early photograph of Singer, correspondence, dust jacket, royalty statements 15 6 Typescript 15 7 Replaced on 2/84,' corrected typescript, with correspondence with publishers and photocopies of My Family the Singers by Brett Singer and reviews of books about sibling authors 15 8 ‘Feb. 84 version,’ corrected typescript 16 1-2 Final typescript, typesetting copy 16 3 Corrected proofs 16 4 Correspondence, clipping, proposal, quotes 16 5 Through Darkfest Stockholm with Dauntless Isaac, typescript Series II. Other Material, 1974-1980, nd 16 6 Correspondence re. music article, poetry recordings, and other subjects, 1975-1980, nd 16 7 Flyers and brochures (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Strand Book Store, Vocal Record Collector’s Society, New York Shakespeare Festival) 16 8 Kresh’s typescript biographical statement, [1974] 16 9 Murray Hill Records catalogs, 1976-1977 16 10 Notebook re. various stage productions, nd 16 11 Notes on recordings of radio broadcasts, nd 16 12 Stereo Review correspondence re. 1978 Records of the Year Awards and lists of recordings 16 13 Sweeney Todd / Angela Lansbury material, 1979