|
Scope and Contents |
|
|
The Richard Llewellyn Papers comprise fourteen boxes of manuscripts,
correspondence, photographs, slides, negatives, personal effects, financial
papers, clippings, and other printed materials, dating 1939-1952 (bulk
1949-1952). Covering a brief period of Llewellyn's prolific life, the vast
majority date from Llewellyn's post-war years in the United States, where he
worked as a screenwriter for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Llewellyn's popularity as a
novelist and his work for stage and screen at that time is well documented in
this collection, which covers his writing, his lecture tours, his travels in
Europe and Latin America, and his private life. |
|
|
The collection is organized in four series: I. Works, 1949-1952; II.
Correspondence, 1940-1952; III. Photographs, 1949-1951, and IV. Personal
Papers, 1939-1951. By far the largest series in the collection is Works, which
contains manuscripts for four books, including an unpublished novel, short
stories and articles, and scripts for stage, screen, and television. Many of
these manuscripts are in incomplete states, but others, such as those for the
novel
A Flame for Doubting Thomas and the play
"Plainsong," follow the creative process from
initial handwritten manuscript to final typescript. The vast majority of the
manuscripts date from 1952, and show the range of Llewellyn's interests at the
time, from Argentina to post World War II Italy to children's stories to
historical fiction. Complementing the Works series is a series of letters from
his literary agent and publisher making reference to manuscripts upon which he
was working. |
|
|
Besides writing, Llewellyn led an active life as a lecturer, traveling
around the United States; the collection contains routine correspondence about
these travels, as well as itineraries, schedules, and train ticket stubs from
the time. Also present is financial and legal documentation pertaining to his
stay in America, such as letters of reference, salary stubs, and a tax form.
Additionally, materials relating to Llewellyn's travels in the early 1950s,
including a large group of photographs, pamphlets and maps acquired up by the
author, and correspondence from local friends and acquaintances document his
visits to Italy, Latin America, and other places. |
|
|
Llewellyn's personal life during these years is documented as well.
Correspondence with family and friends is scattered throughout Series II,
highlighted with letters from his fiancée Nona Sonstenby, his father William
Llewellyn Lloyd, and an unidentified lady friend in Italy. Also present are
many personal papers, such as Llewellyn's birth certificate, military records,
and financial papers. |
|
Series Descriptions |
|
|
Series I. Works, 1949-1952 (11 boxes) |
|
|
Eleven boxes of manuscripts comprise Series I, the largest of the
four series in the collection. Containing manuscripts for books, short stories,
articles, and play, television, and film scripts, the series has been arranged
into three subseries--the first contains materials relating to Llewellyn's
books, the second contains short stories and articles, and the third covers
scripts of all kinds, whether film, play, or television. All titles are
arranged alphabetically within each subseries. |
|
|
Most of the works in this series are in the form of annotated
typescripts, corrected with stapled manuscript fragments, which are enhanced by
the occasional presence of autograph manuscripts. Of particular note in each
subseries are Llewellyn's talented sketches, drawn on the verso of manuscript
pages. Although unidentified, they appear to refer to characters in a
manuscript, or are studies of female nudes. |
|
|
Manuscripts for four novels by Llewellyn--
A Few Flowers for Shiner, A Flame for Doubting Thomas, None But the Lonely Heart, and an
unpublished novel set in Venice--are present in subseries A. While the
subseries contains multiple drafts of
A Flame for Doubting Thomas and
Llewellyn's unpublished novel, the manuscripts for
A Few Flowers for Shiner and
None But the Lonely Heart are less
complete. Two manuscript versions of
A Few Flowers for Shiner are present,
the first consisting of handwritten pages, arranged partially by chapter by the
book dealer from whom the collection was purchased. This autograph manuscript
is incomplete, but contains the earliest drafts for the novel. A complete
typescript, heavily annotated, complements this first draft. The subseries
contains multiple drafts of
A Flame for Doubting Thomas, starting
with the first complete typescript that was rejected by Llewellyn's publisher
and completely reworked, through a final version. A series of heavily annotated
manuscripts has been sorted by the book dealer into groups detailing the
novel's many revisions. Alternately, the subseries contains only one version of
None But the Lonely Heart, a bound
carbon typescript, highlighted by a 1943 letter from Llewellyn to the publisher
Robert Lusty sending him the manuscript. Three incomplete and partially
unorganized versions of Llewellyn's untitled novel, possibly titled
"Checkmate in Venice," are also present in
this subseries. |
|
|
Subseries B contains manuscripts of short stories and articles
written by Llewellyn, many of which are in the form of carbon typescripts. Many
of these articles refer to Llewellyn's tour of Latin America and, particularly,
Argentina, in the early 1950s. The subseries is highlighted by a number of
untitled stories and articles, most of which are heavily annotated and
unfinished, and cover a broad range of subjects. |
|
|
A final subseries, Scripts, contains stage plays, screenplays,
television scripts, and adaptations, reflecting Llewellyn's work in Hollywood
and for the English stage, dating from 1950-1952. As in subseries B, many of
these titles are unfinished, and some progressed only as far as a story line,
such as
"David,""Two-Timer," and
"Widow's Mite." Others are more complete,
such as
"Beau Brummel" and
"Plainsong." Of particular note is the
large number of historical screenplays upon which Llewellyn worked, including
ones on Beau Brummel, John Brown, and the artists' model Jane Avril. It appears
as though only one of these was successfully produced--the script for
"The Quiet Man," a 1952 Republic Pictures
movie, directed by John Ford, is present. Llewellyn is not listed in the film's
credits, but it appears that he worked on the first draft of the script, which
was later reworked and credited to screenwriter Frank Nugent. |
|
|
Series II. Correspondence, 1940-1952 (5 folders) |
|
|
This series contains primarily incoming letters to Llewellyn. Three
folders of correspondence are arranged alphabetically by last name, and a
folder of unidentified correspondence has been arranged by first name. An
additional folder of Christmas cards, highlighted only by some of Llewellyn's
own cards, is also present. |
|
|
Much of this correspondence consists of single exchanges pertaining
to Llewellyn's lecture tours in the early 1950s, and are interesting in that
they reflect his busy schedule and popularity at the time. More important,
however, are the particularly rich groups of letters from women with whom
Llewellyn was involved, including a series from his first wife, Nona Sonstenby,
and collections of correspondence from his agent and publisher, many of which
relate to manuscripts found in Series I. Also present is an earlier set of
letters from Llewellyn's father, William Llewellyn Lloyd, written during World
War II; they document Llewellyn's family life, about which he was intensely
private. |
|
|
Of particular note in this series are the group of letters from
Edith Haggard, Nona Sonstenby, and an unidentified Italian woman known only
as"Mussia." Each of these women had a personal
relationship with Llewellyn, and the letters reflect that warmth and intimacy.
Edith Haggard worked at the Curtis Brown Agency, with which Llewellyn was
affiliated. Nona Sonstenby was Llewellyn's first wife; these letters date from
their engagement, and are scattered throughout with annotated newspaper
clippings. The letters from Mussia indicate a close relationship, but it is
unclear who she is or how Llewellyn knew her. Photographs in Series III show
that they spent time together on Llewellyn's visits to Italy. |
|
|
A large group of letters from the Curtis Brown Agency contains
routine information about various plays and books upon which Llewellyn was
working, as well as a series of letters from 1952 relating to the manuscript of
A Flame for Doubting Thomas, in which
President Alan Collins makes specific recommendations and suggestions for
improving the novel. (Series I contains the manuscripts to which Collins
refers.) Similarly, correspondence from the publisher Michael Joseph Ltd.
contains editing suggestion for
A Few Flowers for Shiner and
A Flame for Doubting Thomas. |
|
|
Other correspondents of note in this series include French spy
Mathilde Carré, aspiring screenwriter Loraine Fielding, writer Naomi Jacob, a
sketch by Florencio Molina Campos, as well as former military companions of
Llewellyn's, friends in Latin America, writing associates; also present are
materials relating to Llewellyn's tax problems in England. |
|
|
Series III. Photographs, 1949-1951 (2 boxes) |
|
|
Two document boxes of photographs document Llewellyn's travels,
1949-1951, and the people with whom he was associated. Almost all of the
photographs were unlabeled and none were organized before cataloging; they have
been sorted by the archivist into two groups, People and Places. The
photographs relate particularly to Llewellyn's visits to Italy. Multiple
photographs of his Italian friend Mussia are present, as well as a series of
snapshots from Rome and Venice. A large number of prints remain unidentified,
but it also appears that Llewellyn took photographs of his trips to Latin
America, Spain, and the United States. Also present are a large group of slides
and negatives that relate to the photographs in the series. |
|
|
Series IV. Personal Papers, 1939-1951, (1 box) |
|
|
This final series contains papers relating to Llewellyn's life, from
personal documentation to paycheck stubs. Many files document his work in the
United States, including with a file containing Llewellyn's application for an
immigration visa to the United States in 1946. Additionally, his paystubs from
California are present, as well as copies of itineraries and engagements around
the U.S. from 1946-1951. The series also contains a collection of works by
other writers; these consist mainly of short storylines and story drafts, but
is highlighted by a carbon typescript of Ignazio Silone's
Fontamara. A copy of Llewellyn's birth
certificate is present, as well as his Officer's Record Service, showing his
service during World War II. Additionally, the series contains materials saved
by Llewellyn, including a series of pamphlets written by Argentine President
Juan Peron. |