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The Paul Malamud Collection of Bernard Malamud Letters contains approximately 150
letters, postcards, greeting cards, and notes from Bernard Malamud to his eldest
child and only son, Paul. The letters document their relationship for a period
of
over 30 years. Beginning in the early 1950’s when Paul was about four years old,
Malamud offers guidance as a parent and later, as a fellow writer, covering topics
such as good behavior, learning sports, practicing instruments, academic studies,
literature, writing poetry and fiction, politics, and work. Early letters were
often
written in short story form and illustrated by Malamud with line drawings of
himself, the family cat, trains, cars, and more. As Paul grew, the content of
the
letters became more sophisticated, so that by the age of seventeen his father
asks
his opinion of the Warren Commission, Stanley Kunitz’s poetry, and the reasons
for
Barry Goldwater’s landslide loss to LBJ. Throughout the letters Malamud consistently
expresses parental affection and concern for Paul in addition to describing his
own
writing, daily activities, travels, and thoughts on current events, arts, and
literature. |
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The collection also contains over 200 letters, postcards, greeting cards, and notes
to Paul from Ann Malamud and his “granny,” Ida Barbieri, as well as a few pages
of
notes by Malamud on Paul’s poetry, and an essay by Paul, “Bernard Malamud the
Writer.” |
