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Scope and Contents |
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The records of the London-based writers' organizations English PEN and PEN International,
founded by Catharine Amy Dawson Scott in 1921, contain extensive correspondence with
writer-members and other PEN centres around the world. Their records document campaigns,
international congresses and other meetings, committees, finances, lectures and other
programs, literary prizes awarded, membership, publications, and social events over
several
decades. Spanning 1912 to 2008 (bulk 1926-1997), the PEN Records reflect the major
historical events in the aftermath of World War I, the interwar period, World War
II, and
the Cold War in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Topics of central importance
include PEN's work to promote the power of literature to bring people together across
cultures, languages, and countries around the globe; fight for freedom of expression;
defend
writers imprisoned and/or persecuted for their ideas and work; support writers in
exile; and
encourage broader transmission of literature through translation. The collection also
highlights PEN's relationships with allied international organizations sharing similar
concerns, UNESCO and Amnesty International among them. |
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The records are arranged into three series: I. English PEN and PEN International Records,
1915-1986 (bulk 1926-1951; boxes 1-122); II. PEN International Records, 1921-1981
(bulk
1951-1973; boxes 123-204); and III. English PEN Records, 1912-2008 (bulk 1976-1997;
boxes
205-362). The records are primarily written in English with sizeable amounts in French,
German, and Spanish, and lesser amounts in numerous other languages. Non-English items
are
sometimes accompanied by translations. The records in Series I. arrived in three accessions
between 1968 and 1978 and were previously accessible via an onsite card catalog. Materials
in Series II. (acquired 1990) and Series III. (three accessions, 2003-2015) were listed,
but
not organized or cataloged. This finding aid replicates and replaces information previously
available in the card catalog and now incorporates descriptions for the previously
uncataloged materials. |
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The bulk of the PEN Records revolve around the work of three long-serving PEN officers
based in London: Hermon Ould (International General Secretary, 1926-1951), David Carver
(International General Secretary, 1951-1974), and Josephine Pullein-Thompson (English
PEN
General Secretary, 1976-1993, and English PEN President, 1994-1997). Storm Jameson,
who was
English PEN President during the difficult war years from 1939 through 1944 is also
well
represented. Their correspondence joins that of many other prominent English PEN centre
officers and members, including Lettice Cooper, E. M. Forster, Antonia Fraser, John
Galsworthy, William Golding, Graham Greene, Ronald Harwood, Michael Holroyd, Francis
King,
John Lehmann, Rosamond Lehmann, Iris Murdoch, Kathleen Nott, Harold Pinter, J. B.
Priestley,
V. S. Pritchett, George Bernard Shaw, Stephen Spender, Tom Stoppard, Noel Streatfeild,
C. V.
Wedgwood, H. G. Wells, and Rebecca West. Because PEN's membership diversified greatly
from
its initial poets, playwrights, essayists, and novelists, their correspondence represents
numerous biographers, critics, editors, historians, journalists, literary agents,
radio
producers, publishers, and translators, as well as genre writers who produced children's,
detective, fantasy, mystery, romance, and science fiction works. PEN also frequently
corresponded outside its membership with heads of state, cultural ambassadors, politicians,
state officials, lawyers, activists, businesses and organizations, publishers, editors,
and
the general public. |
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Other PEN centres around the world also corresponded with General Secretaries Hermon
Ould
and David Carter as they carried out PEN International's activities, and their
correspondence is often rich and informative. Many distinguished authors were
correspondents, including Heinrich Böll, Nadine Gordimer, Seamus Heaney, Yasunari
Kawabata, Thomas Mann, Arthur Miller, Elmer Rice, Salman Rushdie, and Wole Soyinka
to name
only a few. Among the correspondents are 43 Nobel laurates in Literature as well as
six
winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.The most extensive PEN centre files represent America,
France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Scotland, and the Writers in Exile centre in London.
Among the most frequent centre correspondents were Jean de Beer, Heinrich Böll,
Richard Friedenthal, Yves Gandon, Robert Goffin, László Kéry,
Robert Neumann, Jan Parandowski, Carlos de Radzitzky, Paul Tabori, Victor E. van Vriesland,
and Sophia Wadia. |
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The annual PEN Congress files are also of great substance, especially for the 1st
through
41st Congresses held between 1923 and 1976. Files for the 28th (1956) and 46th (1976)
Congresses are particularly extensive because those congresses took place in London.
Other
notable congresses are the historic 11th Congress held in Dubrovnik in 1933 shortly
after
the Nazi book burnings and the 17th Congress which met in London in 1941, the only
congress
held during World War II. In addition to correspondence related to planning, arrangements,
and themes for these international meetings, the records include key information such
as
texts of proceedings and resolutions, reports of the International General Secretary,
and
PEN International Executive Committee meeting agendas and minutes. |
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PEN's frequent campaigns to financially assist refugee writers are evidenced through
correspondence, financial documents, and files for funds administered such as the
Refugee
Writers' Fund, the Fund for Exiled Writers and its successor, the Fund for Intellectual
Freedom. The records also reflect the pivotal advocacy role PEN played in many high-profile
cases of literary and political significance: helping free journalist Arthur Koestler
from a
death sentence in 1937; supporting Salman Rushdie in exile during the fatwa affair;
and
campaigning on behalf of Ken Saro-Wiwa and Wole Soyinka, two writers imprisoned for
their
work in Nigeria. |
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The International Executive Committee minutes located in the PEN Congress files are
complemented by 12 English PEN Executive Committee minute books spanning 1931 through
1970.
Additional administrative files also document a number of other PEN committees, among
them
the Books for Prisoners Committee, the Censorship Committee, the Women Writers Committee,
and most extensively, the Writers in Prison Committee formed in 1960. |
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Throughout the PEN Records are draft writings by both well-known and more obscure authors. These include speeches given at congresses, conferences, lecture series, and dinners, as well as original fiction, poetry, and essays submitted to various literary contests or anthologies compiled or co-published by PEN. Files for two such anthologies contain full drafts of unpublished manuscripts: Fundamental Values (1943-1944) and London Calling (1942), the latter edited by Storm Jameson. Some production materials for the English PEN monthly newsletter, PEN News (1927-1964) are present, although most published centre newsletters have been transferred to the Ransom Center Library and are now cataloged in the online University of Texas Library Catalog. |
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The Series Descriptions provide much more detailed descriptions of the contents of
each of
the three series of the PEN Records. This finding aid also includes an Index of
Correspondents (11,825 names); an Index of Writings; and supplemental information
compiled
in Appendix I: PEN Officers; Appendix II: PEN Congresses; and Appendix III: PEN Centres. |
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Special Note on PEN Names
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To simplify searching, the name "PEN" has generally been
used rather than the earlier form "P.E.N." The only uses of
"P.E.N." in this finding aid are found in the Index of
Correspondents when names from letterheads were cited. |
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Because most PEN centre names have changed over the years, files for the PEN centres
have
been alphabetized according to this form: "PEN Centre: country
(city)" in order to keep centre materials together logically and easier to navigate
by users. |
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For example: |
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- PEN Centre: Canada (Montreal), rather than PEN Québec (per current centre
website).
- PEN Centre: Canada (Toronto), rather than PEN Canada (per current centre
website).
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Appendix III. in this finding aid provides a listing of all PEN centres arranged by
geographic region, gives their founding year (if available), the current centre name
(from
centre website), and the current standard name form used by libraries (if available). |
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Physical Processing Note
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All of the PEN Records have been rehoused into archival-quality boxes, folders, and
sleeves. While most of the materials in Series I. had already been placed in protective
mylar sleeves during earlier processing, none of the materials in Series II. and Series
III.
had been rehoused. During physical rehousing of the latter two series, potentially
damaging
metal fasteners were removed and papers that had been clipped together were placed
in white
paper sleeves to maintain their previous groupings. Many brittle papers, such as newspaper
clippings, were also been placed into protective paper or mylar sleeves. |
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Some original PEN file folders for materials in Series I. were previously retained
and are
now located in boxes 116-122. For Series II. and III., original folder titles and
any
additional notes written on the original folders were removed and kept with the contents
of
that folder during physical processing. Member files in Series III. were originally
filed in
nearly 2,000 individual folders. These were replaced with individual white paper sleeves
and
placed in alphabetical groups in archival-quality file folders unless the individual
member
file was extensive enough to warrant its own archival folder or folders. For each
member,
the segments of their original member folder with labeling and other handwritten notes,
usually regarding membership status, were also retained. |
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Series Descriptions |
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Series I. English PEN and PEN International Records, 1915-1986 (bulk
1921-1951) |
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This series occupies 122 boxes and includes correspondence and other documentation
dating from the founding of PEN in 1921. Although the records do represent founder
Catharine Amy Dawson Scott, General Secretary Marjorie Watts (1921-1926), and Presidents
John Galsworthy and H. G. Wells, the bulk of the records in this series were created
and
maintained by General Secretary Hermon Ould (1926-1951) and his assistants. This series
is arranged into four subseries: A. Correspondence, 1915-1969; B. PEN Centres,
1922-1964; C. PEN Congresses, 1923-1965; and D. Administrative Files, 1921-1986. Most
of
the records are written in English, but substantial French-, German-, and
Spanish-language items are present. |
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Materials in this series of the PEN Records arrived in three acquisitions (R4104 in
1968; R5841/5842 in 1973; and R8286 in 1978) and were then described in a card catalog.
Please see the explanatory note at the end of this finding aid for information regarding
the original arrangement of this segment as well as the abbreviations commonly used
in
the descriptions. This finding aid revises and replaces cataloging previously available
only in the card catalog. Printed ephemera (mimeos and photoduplicated information,
brochures, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, etc.) in Series I. was removed during
original cataloging and separately housed in the Vertical File (12 boxes). These printed
materials have now been reintegrated into Series I., with the exception of PEN centre
newsletters, which were transferred to the Ransom Center Library and cataloged as
serial
publications. |
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Subseries A. Correspondence, 1915-1969 (boxes 1-76) |
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This subseries combines the card catalog segments previously denoted as Letters
(PEN's outgoing letters, filed alphabetically by recipient name) and Recipient (PEN's
incoming letters, filed alphabetically by author name). The correspondence is now
arranged in a single alphabetical order combining each PEN correspondent's Letters
and
Recipient items, enabling users to view outgoing and incoming correspondence together.
An Index of Correspondents in this finding aid lists the names and folder locations
for these correspondents. |
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The correspondence documents the early history of "the
PEN" to establish the founding London, or English PEN centre, and
International PEN, the original umbrella organization for all individual PEN centres.
Most of the correspondence in this series was written and maintained by Hermon Ould
(International and English PEN General Secretary, 1926-1951), or his assistant
secretaries Gladys Burke and Hubert Foster. The PEN correspondence concerns general
inquiries from authors and the public; solicitation of members for the London centre;
applications submitted for membership and the collection of "subscriptions" or annual dues from members; arrangements for and invitations
to London centre events, such as monthly dinners; and circulars sent to members
concerning meetings, news, and initiatives. |
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The correspondence also reflects the English PEN centre's work to encourage the
formation of additional PEN centres in other countries and their participation in
a
growing network of organizations dealing with the aftermath of World War I and
geo-political events before, during, and after World War II, as well as humanitarian
fund-raising campaigns, annual international congresses and other meetings, and
publications such as PEN News. A major backdrop to
Ould's years were the events triggering World War II and PEN's role as an advocate
for
refugees fleeing Nazi-controlled countries, as well as internal debates over the tone
an organization such as theirs should strike against anti-democratic / anti-free
speech ideologies, as expressed in letters by Storm Jameson (President of English
PEN,
1939-1944) and German PEN Centre members Karl Federn and Ruldolf Olden. |
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Besides Ould, the most frequent correspondents in this subseries include Arthur's
Press, Ltd., British Council, Norman Croom-Johnson (treasurer), Beatrice Erskine,
E.
M. Forster, John Galsworthy (President, 1921-1933), George Allen & Unwin,
Ltd., Ada M. M. Hales, W. G. Hole, Béatrice de Holthoir, Violet Hunt (a
founding member), International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation, International
Peace Campaign, Storm Jameson (President of English PEN, 1939-1944), League of
Nations, Henry Woodd Nevinson (English PEN President, 1938), Rudolf Olden (German
PEN), Pagani's Restaurant (site of many PEN dinners), Ernest Raymond, Richard Ellis
Roberts, Betty Ross, Denis Saurat (member of Wartime Presidential Committee,
1941-1947), Gladys Henrietta Raphael Schütze (bequeathed house to PEN),
Catharine Amy Dawson Scott, (founder of PEN), William Kean Seymour (treasurer), Evelyn
Sharp, Society for the Cultural Relations between the Peoples of the British
Commonwealth and the U.S.S.R, William Olaf Stapledon, Wilhelm Sternfeld, Alan Ernest
Wentworth Thomas, Basil Tozer, H. G. Wells (President, 1932-1936), Amabel
Williams-Ellis, and Alma S. Wittlin among many others. See the Index of Correspondents
for a complete listing of correspondent names. |
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The alphabetical correspondence files of Subseries A. includes a large and important
group of files comprising PEN's correspondence with the various emerging PEN centres
(boxes 42-55). The correspondence often dates back to each centre's founding and
contains letters from individual centre secretaries, presidents, and members, chiefly
to General Secretary Hermon Ould. Because of evolving names of individual PEN centres
over the years, the files in this and subsequent subseries are arranged alphabetically
by either country name, language (e.g., Hebrew, Yiddish), or other designation (e.g.,
Writers in Exile, Young PEN). The individual names of the PEN centre correspondents
were not previously included in the card catalog description, but have now been added
to the Index of Correspondents in this finding aid. |
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Subseries B. PEN Centres, 1922-1964 (boxes 77-79) |
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This subseries contains materials that were previously filed in the Miscellaneous
category and described in the card catalog. This subseries forms an important adjunct
to the individual PEN centre correspondence files in Subseries A. because it contains
third-party correspondence and items other than correspondence that were separated
from Letters or Recipient correspondence during the original cataloging process. Now
present in this subseries are form letters to members, third-party correspondence,
membership lists, programs, proposals, publications, reports, resolutions, speeches,
statements, and other Congress, meeting, or event-related items. Selected manuscripts,
reports, speeches, and other texts are detailed in the Index of Writings in this
finding aid. |
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Subseries C. PEN Congresses, 1923-1965 (boxes 79-90) |
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This subseries also contains materials that were previously filed in the
Miscellaneous category. Similarly this subseries contains form letters to centres
and
members and some onsite correspondence, along with a wide range of items documenting
the annual PEN Congresses: agendas, credentials, host city information, instructions,
itineraries, lists, messages from the president, motions and resolutions, notes,
printed ephemera (invitations, programs, menus, visiting cards, and press clippings,
most reintegrated from the Vertical File), proceedings, programs, reports, speeches,
statements, travel and accommodation information. Some items from this subseries are
also indexed in the Index of Writings. |
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Subseries D. Administrative Files, 1921-1986 (boxes 91-122) |
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This subseries also contains materials that were previously filed in the
Miscellaneous category and generally filed alphabetically by creator. In order to
group related materials together, the following general categories were established
and are arranged alphabetically: Annual reports; Awards and prizes; Campaigns;
Circulars to members; Committees; Conferences; Events; Financial and legal files;
Membership; Officers; Publications; and Scrapbooks and clippings. Among the highlights
are: |
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Campaigns, including the Refugee Writers' Fund,
1938-1951 (boxes 91-98). The files are chiefly correspondence with or about Austrian,
German, and Czechoslovakian refugees, but sometimes also include applications and/or
biographical information from the refugee and references or testimonial letters from
others. PEN staff and officers (Janet Chance, Stella Downie, Margaret Johnson, Storm
Jameson, Doreen Marston, Hermon Ould) and others corresponded with the refugees and
other agencies to help with visas, internment camp release, housing, weekly stipends,
employment, and access to English language classes and libraries. The names of the
individual refugees in these files were not listed in the card catalog, but are now
included in the Index of Correspondents in this finding aid. |
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Committees, including documents for the PEN
International and London Executive Committees. |
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Conferences, including writings from the Freedom of
Expression Symposium and the Tercentenary of Milton's Areopagitica, both held in London in 1944. |
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Events, including extensive documentation of the monthly
dinners held by the London centre (boxes 101-103), bulk from 1923 to 1939, with lists
of attendees and seating charts, plus some menus and speeches. The files for H. G.
Wells' seventieth birthday dinner in 1936 are particularly complete. |
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Membership, including a file of original member
applications (boxes 106-109) dated 1929 to 1939. Some applications are complete while
others include only scant information. For some members, an application is not even
present, merely a sheet of paper recording their name and the date elected to
membership. A list of all member names in these files is located in folder 106.6. |
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Officers (boxes 109-110), including materials for John
Galsworthy, Hermon Ould, Jules Romains (including a dossier of letters and reports
on
his actions in America while International President), Catharine Amy Dawson Scott,
and
H. G. Wells. |
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Publications (boxes 110-112), including manuscripts for
an unpublished Fundamental Values volume (1943-1944) and for London Calling (1942), edited by Storm Jameson. A large array of material
represents the publication of PEN News, which also
includes reports sent from PEN Centres and reports on PEN Congresses that are useful
adjuncts to the files in Subseries B. and C. |
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Scrapbooks and clippings (boxes 112-115), including
PEN's invaluable chronologically arranged scrapbooks spanning 1921 to 1938 with
examples of letterheads, invitations, reports, and other printed materials circulated
to members and centres, as well as contemporaneously-collected press clippings. |
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These categories are followed by a small group of unintegrated Vertical File
materials (box 115) that could not be matched to their original sources, and a group
of original PEN file folders (boxes 116-122). It is not known if the original PEN
file
folders represent one or more of the three accessions making up Series I., but the
file folder names do give some idea of their original filing system. |
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Series II. PEN International Records, 1921-1981 (bulk 1951-1973) |
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This series contains 82 boxes of files created by David Carver, who served as PEN
International Secretary from 1952 until his death in 1974. The papers were acquired
as
Purchase R12143 in 1990 and have been arranged in three subseries: A. PEN Centres,
1921-1978; B. PEN Congresses and Other Meetings, 1938-1973; and C. Administrative
Files,
1941-1981. The contents of the files have been retained in the order kept by PEN,
often
reverse chronological order with the most recent items on top, moving backwards to
earlier items. Correspondent names in this series have been added to the Index of
Correspondents and selected writings appear in the Index of Writings. |
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Subseries A. PEN Centres, 1921-1978 (boxes 123-157) |
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This subseries contains chiefly correspondence between David Carver and PEN centre secretaries from 88 centres worldwide. Membership lists, annual reports, conference information, manuscripts and publications, press and publicity clippings, statements, and other centre documents are also frequently present. Published newsletters from individual centres were transferred to the Ransom Center Library and are cataloged in the online University of Texas Library
Catalog. |
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The PEN Centre files are arranged alphabetically by country name, language, or other
centre designation. Correspondence files are most extensive for centres in America
(New York), France (Paris), Germany (DDR / Democratic Republic; FGR / Federal
Republic), Ireland (Belfast; Dublin), USSR (while files detail attempts to form a
centre as early as 1923, a Russian centre was not established until 1988), and Writers
in Exile (London). The majority of the correspondence spans the years 1951 to 1973
and
is dominated by matters relating to the aftermath of World War II: the Cold War,
centres within the Iron Curtain, and relations between PEN and the Soviet Union. |
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Subseries B. PEN Congresses and Other Meetings, 1938-1973 (boxes
157-196) |
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This subseries contains correspondence between David Carver, PEN centres, committees,
and members concerning the planning and administration of annual congresses,
conferences, and other meetings. A chronological list of PEN Congresses and themes
is
available in this finding aid as Appendix II. |
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In addition to the annual congress held nearly every year during the summer, PEN
members met twice more during the calendar year for smaller meetings. In the spring,
London typically hosted a two-day meeting of the International Executive Committee,
including a reception for delegates and their guests. In the fall or spring, various
PEN centres hosted conferences that included a meeting of the International Executive
Committee and a Round Table Discussion with literary sessions on a chosen theme. These
Round Table Conferences more closely resembled the annual congresses, but on a much
smaller scale. |
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Beyond the regular PEN meetings held during David Carver's tenure, other meetings
documented in this subseries include a UNESCO International Conference of Artists
held
in Venice, Italy in 1952; the First Pakistan PEN Conference hosted by Pakistan PEN
in
1955; the Three-Day Conference, held twice in London in 1958 and 1961; the Asian
Writers' Conference, held in Manila, Philippines in 1962; and the Commemorative
Conference in Dubrovnik in September, 1963, held to memorialize the 11th PEN Congress
in 1933. |
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Also present are materials for congresses that were not held or were delayed,
including the cancelled 32nd Congress in Tehran, Iran in 1963, and the postponed 39th
Congress in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in Israel in 1973, delayed to 1974 due to the Yom
Kippur War fought in October 1973. |
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The files are arranged chronogically according to the meeting date. Meeting materials
were generally gathered into these groupings: correspondence; International Executive
Committee meeting (agendas, minutes, and resolutions); participants (guests of honor,
delegates, and members of centres); mailings to centres; press cuttings and releases;
program; sessions (literary, business, and inaugural); social; and travel. The files
are made up of the following types of materials: |
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Circulars and mailings to centre secretaries and
members; correspondence with centres, officers, committees, members, and
participants; |
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Planning documents: meeting site arrangements; travel
and accommodations arrangements and information; financial documents; program
development including theme; schedules for Congress inaugural, literary, and business
sessions; social activity planning for dinners, receptions, entertainments, and
excursions; attendee registrations; |
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Host centre / meeting site information: centre and
member lists, profiles and bibliographies of members; local embassy information and
visa applications; |
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Meeting documentation: Congress programs and packets of
printed information; lists of attendees, members, delegates, guests of honor,
translators, interpreters, and observers; election of officers and other business
such
as amendments to charter and rules; reports by International Presidents, International
Secretary, centres, and committees, including PEN International Executive Committee
agendas, minutes, meeting transcripts, and reports; session schedules and transcripts;
texts of resolutions, propositions, speeches, and statements; press clippings,
publicity releases, photographs. |
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Subseries C. Administrative Files, 1941-1981 (boxes
196-204) |
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This subseries contains records for fund-raising and other campaigns (Fund for Exiled
Writers, Fund for Intellectual Freedom, Hungarian Refugees, and International Writers'
Fund); correspondence with other organizations (COM.E.S. and Congress for Cultural
Freedom); and correspondence and papers relating to PEN International Presidents and
their elections. |
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The Fund for Exiled Writers (F.E.W.) and Fund for Intellectual Freedom (F.I.F.) are
connected in many ways. F.I.F. was started in the late 1950s by Arthur Koestler and
later became F.E.W. after PEN took over the administration of the fund. Included is
correspondence between the funders and the writers they aided plus supporting
documentation of individual cases. While F.I.F. groups were organized in Germany,
England (London), America (New York) and France (Paris), the majority of the material
represents the London branch. |
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Other campaigns documented relate to PEN's work for Hungarian refugees in the 1950s
and The International Writers' Fund, founded as a result of a resolution from the
31st
Congress in Rio in 1960. The fund was administered by PEN, with David Carver serving
as director and a small group of international writers serving as honorary chairs.
The
goal of the group was to support the professional development of writers worldwide
via
financial support for publishing, attendance at congresses, and at other professional
meetings. The files include general correspondence about the efforts of the group,
as
well as correspondence and submissions for an annual short story contest they
sponsored, organized primarily by Paul Tabori. |
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Materials related to PEN International Presidents and their elections complete the
subseries. Present are correspondence, press cuttings, and other material related
to
the elections in 1965, 1969, 1971, and 1974, and other correspondence related to seven
International Presidents and one Vice President of this era. Two of the presidents,
Victor Van Vriesland (1962-1965) and Heinrich Böll (1971-1974), are
represented by extensive correspondence. |
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Series III. English PEN Records, 1912-2008 (bulk 1976-1997) |
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This series occupies 158 boxes of material related to the work of the English PEN
centre. The records were acquired in three accessions: Purchase R15188 (2003); Gift
2009-07-006-G (2009); and Purchase 2015-12-018-P (2015). A majority of the files
originated during Josephine Pullein-Thompson's tenure as English PEN Secretary
(1976-1993) and President (1994-1997), and also reflect the work of her assistant
officers. Also present are files of Lucy Popescu, chair of the Writers in Prison
Committee from 1991 to 2006. While the records in this series primarily concern the
business of English PEN from 1976 forward, this series does include some earlier records
that were not retired until 2003 along with Pullein-Thompson's files. |
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English PEN files with materials dating from 1976 to 1981 in this series may also
be
relevant to PEN International business. Pullein-Thompson was the first secretary of
English PEN who was not also simultaneously the secretary of PEN International. Prior
to
1976, the duties of General Secretary for both English PEN and PEN International were
fulfilled by a single individual (i.e., Watts, Ould, Carver, and Peter Elstob), thus
the
records of the two entities were mixed until this point. PEN International and English
PEN did not formally split into two separate administrative bodies and move into
different offices until 1981. |
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This series is arranged into five subseries: A. General Correspondence, 1952-1995;
B.
PEN Congresses and Other Meetings, 1926-1998; C. PEN Committees, 1931-2008; D.
Administrative Files, 1920-2006; and E. Photographs and Other Visual Materials,
1912-1990. Most of the records are written in English. Unless otherwise indicated,
the
contents of the files have been retained in the order kept by PEN, often reverse
chronological order with the most recent items on top, moving backwards to earlier
items. Correspondent names in this series have been added to the Index of Correspondents
and selected writings appear in the Index of Writings. |
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Subseries A. General Correspondence, 1952-1995 (boxes
205-210) |
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This subseries contains chiefly general files of correspondence between Josephine
Pullein-Thompson and her assistants with individuals, members, organizations, and
others documenting the day-to-day work of English PEN. Dominant is correspondence
with
the British Copyright Council and other organizations including the Arts Council,
the
Royal Literary Fund, Society of Authors, and UNESCO. There are also communications
with the British Home Office and the Prime Minister's Office, advocacy work for human
rights in Czechoslovakia, correspondence with other PEN centres, as well as responses
to general inquiries. |
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Most of the correspondence is from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. However, some
of
the files are obviously continuations of files carried over from previous secretaries
(Ould, Carver, and Elstob) as their correspondence is also present. |
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Subseries B. PEN Congresses and Other Meetings, 1926-1998 (boxes
211-233) |
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This subseries contains materials documenting the planning, administration, and
attendance of annual congresses and other meetings, arranged in three groups: PEN
International, English PEN, and non-PEN meetings. |
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The first group for PEN International contains materials for annual congresses,
meetings of the Assembly of Delegates (previously known as the International Executive
Committee meeting), and other conferences. The first two congresses are the most
extensive, as they both took place in London: 28th Congress in 1956 and 41st Congress
in 1976. Materials present include planning documents such as: meeting site
arrangements; travel and accommodation arrangements and information; financial
documents; program development including plans for the theme, schedules for congress
inaugural, literary, and business sessions; social activity planning for dinners,
receptions, entertainments, and excursions; and attendee registrations. |
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Congresses 44 through 61 (1979-1994) primarily document the experience of Josephine
Pullein-Thompson as an attendee of these meetings. Materials include congress programs
and packets of printed information; meeting agendas, minutes, and reports (many
heavily annotated by Josephine); session schedules; texts of resolutions,
propositions, and statements; travel arrangements and correspondence. |
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The second group for English PEN contains materials for meetings planned by and for
members of English PEN. The Annual General Meetings are similar to PEN International
Congresses, but focus specifically on members and the business of English PEN.
Material for the Annual General Meetings spans 1926 to 1993 and consists of two bound
books of minutes; agendas; minutes; notes; candidate biographies (submitted for
membership); account reports; and correspondence. The most extensive portion of this
group is made up of materials for English PEN social events and meetings, including
dinners, club nights, lectures, and parties, 1940-1996. Materials are arranged
chronologically and include planning documents such as: correspondence with guests
of
honor; catering arrangements; program development; financial documents; and
programs. |
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A small amount of material comprises the final group, non-PEN conferences and
meetings. One folder relates to the World Cultural Congress for Peace in Poland in
1948, another contains correspondence for a variety of other conferences from 1981
to
1985. |
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Subseries C. PEN Committees, 1931-2008 (boxes 233-255) |
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This subseries includes materials reflecting the work of numerous subcommittees
within English PEN, including committees for: archives and programming, books for
prisoners, censorship, development, executive, finance, house and hospitality, poetry,
projects, publicity, vigilance, women writers, and writers in prison. Documenting
the
work of these committees are meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, press cuttings,
and other materials. |
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Of great significance regarding the history of English PEN are the 12 bound volumes
that contain their Executive Committee minutes from 1931 through 1970. |
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However, the majority of the material in this subseries represents the work of the
Writers in Prison Committee under the leadership of Josephine Pullein-Thompson
(1981-1990) and Lucy Popescu (1991-2006). This committee was established in 1960 at
the 31st Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in response to a growing concern about
the
silencing of writers voices worldwide through persecution and detention. |
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English PEN's advocacy on behalf of imprisoned writers is evidenced in correspondence
with government officials, PEN members, detained writers and their families;
demonstration placards; fundraising documentation; holiday greeting cards sent to
prisoners; planning documentation for events in support of the committee, such as
the
Day of the Imprisoned Writer; meeting agendas, minutes, and notes; newsletters; press
cuttings and releases; reports and case lists; conference and congress material for
several PEN International Congresses and Writers in Prison conferences. Some of the
files concern Aung San Suu Kyi, Faraj Sarkohi, and Ken Saro-Wiwa. |
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Subseries D. Administrative Files, 1920-2006 (boxes 255-348 and
card boxes 353-357) |
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This subseries forms the largest subseries of Series III. The materials in this
subseries are arranged into the following groups: General information; Archives and
early records; Awards; Campaigns; Events; Financial and legal files; Mailings;
Membership; Officers; and Publications; each is further described below: |
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General information. Materials in this group provide a
general history of PEN as an organization with copies of charters; rules and
regulations; correspondence; examples of letterhead and programs; pamphlets and
newsletters spanning multiple decades from 1942 to 2001. |
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Archives and early records. Includes papers having to do
with English PEN's own archives, such as queries from researchers, correspondence
concerning the sale of books and some segments of their records, charity sales of
donated manuscripts, and early records kept for research purposes. Among the latter,
at least some of which was gathered together by first General Secretary Marjorie
Watts, are items by her mother, Mrs. Dawson Scott, John Galsworthy, Storm Jameson,
Hermon Ould, Jules Romains, and Watts herself, as well as menus from the first PEN
Club meeting in 1921, leases for premises, etc. Of particular note are materials that
formed the so-called Jules Romains dossier. |
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Awards. This group includes correspondence and
submissions for various English PEN awards, including Silver PEN, J. R. Ackerley
Prize, and a poetry prize, awarded during the 1960s to 1990s. Also present is similar
material for the Katherine Mansfield Menton and UNESCO / PEN short story prizes. |
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Campaigns. The majority of material present in this
group is related to Salman Rushdie and the fatwa issued against him by the Iranian
government following the publication of The Satanic
Verses in 1988. PEN defended Rushdie by lobbying government officials
(including members of Parliament), organizing support among members of PEN, working
alongside other partners (International Committee for the Defense of Salman Rushdie
and his publishers), and publicizing information in the local and international press,
most notably the World Statement, an ad that ran in multiple news sources in 1989.
Other campaigns are represented by a bound ledger book related to the Austrian
Writers' Fund from 1938, and correspondence lobbying against a proposed value-added
tax (V.A.T.) on books in the United Kingdom. |
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Events. These materials document planning for a variety
of programs and parties hosted by English PEN. Two lecture series make up the bulk
of
the material: the Hermon Ould Memorial Lectures given in the 1950s and 1960s, and
the
Writers' Day lectures, established in 1979 (later known as International Writers'
Day). The Ould lectures were given by important literary figures of the time such
as
J. B. Priestley, Edith Sitwell, and Bertrand Russell. Present alongside planning
documentation and correspondence are several copies of posters advertising the annual
event. The Writers' Day lectures have featured Tom Stoppard, Iris Murdoch, Saul
Bellow, and Nadine Gordimer, among others. The material for theses lectures includes
correspondence with writers invited to the series; meeting agendas and minutes;
planning arrangements for location, catering, and events schedule; programs;
registrations for attendees; and photographs. Additional photographs for Writers'
Day
can be found in Subseries E. |
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Financial and legal files. Comprising one of the larger
groups in this subseries, these files document the various financial activities of
the
English PEN Centre and its charitable wing, the PEN Literary Foundation, formerly
known as the Glebe House Foundation when formed in 1962. There are financial records
related to the Arts Council (a major financial supporter of PEN), John Galsworthy's
estate, the J. R. Ackerley Memorial Prize Trust, and the Writers in Prison Committee.
Materials include correspondence between accountant Antony Horner and other officers
of English PEN; charity correspondence; bank statements; receipts; financial
statements; annual reports; meeting agendas and minutes; fundraising plans; and other
documentation of financial activities. Further, there are also documents related to
the premises of English PEN at Glebe House and their eventual move to Dilke Street
in
1981, including correspondence and copies of leases. |
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Mailings. This group consists of a variety of
informational materials sent to members of English PEN and PEN International. The
larger of the two groupings, mailings to English PEN centre members, dates back to
the
1930s. Present are multiple copies of announcements; circulars; flyers; programs;
meeting minutes; membership lists; newsletters; samples of letterhead; schedules for
dinners, meetings, and other monthly and annual events; and subscription forms. The
second group, mailings to PEN International members, dates back to 1946, though the
bulk of the material is from the 1960s to 1970s. Materials include announcements;
annual reports; condensed minutes from International Executive Committee meetings;
General Secretary circulars addressed to PEN centre secretaries; and other memorandum,
most from the office of David Carver as General Secretary. In addition to English,
some materials are written in French. |
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Membership. Contains English PEN member cards maintained
by staff; English PEN member files; a smaller group of files re applicants; and a
collection of intermittent lists of members (English PEN, 1952-1992 and various other
PEN centres, 1956-1978), the latter resembling an earlier compilation of centre lists
in David Carver's files in Series II. A final group of files documents various
recruiting drives as well as a 1992 survey of English PEN members and some nonmembers
about the organization and its programming. The 1992 survey folders include returned
questionnaires, talleys, and a final report. |
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The member cards (card boxes 353-357) contain the following information: member name
and address/addresses; proposer and seconder for membership; date elected to
membership; membership class (full or associate); payment mode; and a record of annual
dues payments. There are also notes by staff denoting status, i.e., lapsed, resigned,
or deceased. The cards are arranged alphabetically in two groups (one retired in 2003,
the other retired in 2009). The latter group has a small second alphabetical group
of
cards for Writers in Prison honorary members. Member cards were probably instituted
sometime after 1939 following the earlier application files in Series I. that span
1929 to 1939 (see boxes 106-109). |
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The member files (boxes 288-328) have been retained as two groups of alphabetical
files. The first group (retired in 2003) spans 1941 to 2001 and represents 845
members. The second group (retired in 2015) spans 1941 to 2006 and represents 1,105
members. |
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Member files contain a member's original application for membership, sometimes with
attached lists of publications, résumés, and infrequently, examples
of their work. Occasionally there are files that contain only a member's application
(for example, P. L. Travers). However, most files contain both outgoing and incoming
correspondence, ranging from administrative dealings such as notification of election
to membership, payment of subscriptions, attendance at meetings and events, changes
of
address, etc. to very active members involved in various campaigns, committees, or
congresses over a number of years. The files often contain news clippings, including
obituaries for the deceased, and condolence letters. Occasionally original member
cards or photocopies were also filed in these membership files. |
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Member files for individuals who were English PEN Presidents or PEN International
General Secretaries (and whose member files overlapped their terms of office) were
moved to a separate group in this subseries under the heading of Officers. |
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Because the member files were created and compiled over approximately sixty years,
correspondents include the many PEN administrators, officers, and staff members who
served between 1941 and 2006. Individual member files spanning forty or even fifty
years of membership in PEN are not uncommon. Another group of PEN records spanning
about 1940 to 1980 is held by the University of Tulsa Special Collections Library
in
Oklahoma and may contain some member correspondence not in the Ransom Center's PEN
Records. |
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Officers. Mainly correspondence of English PEN
Presidents and PEN International Secretaries, along with some writings, clippings,
and
a few photographs. Some files concern special occasions for these officers, such as
dinners and parties to mark birthdays, anniversaries, end of office term, memorials,
etc. Because several of these files were apparently begun as English PEN member files,
some also include the officer's original membership application. There are also files
on recruiting a new General Secretary in 1992-1993 and Presidential nominees in 1993.
Officers represented here include: Alexandre Blokh; David Carver; Lettice Cooper;
Peter Elstob; Antonia Fraser; Ronald Harwood; Michael Holroyd; Margaret Storm Jameson;
Francis King; Rosamond Lehmann; Kathleen Nott; Hermon Ould; V. S. Pritchett; Josephine
Pullein-Thompson; Stephen Spender; Marjorie Watts; and C. V. (Cicely Veronica)
Wedgwood. The most extensive files represent: |
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David Carver (PEN International Secretary, 1951-1974): four folders of mainly
personal correspondence, including correspondence with close PEN associates such as
Hermon Ould, Storm Jameson, E. M. Forster, John Lehmann, Rosamond Lehmann, C. V.
(Cicely Veronica) Wedgwood, Rebecca West, and others. The files also include medical,
legal, and financial papers (some which concern his wife Blanche), as well as letters
concerning his musical performances from such notable figures as Elizabeth Poston
and
Gerald Moore. There are also a few letters from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor;
Carver worked as an assistant to the Duke when he served as Governor of the Bahamas
during World War II. There are also some writings by Carver, plus a file concerning
his memorial service and estate. |
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Storm Jameson (English PEN President, 1939-1944): fourteen folders with extensive
correspondence spanning 1937 to 1987 written to and received from: Hermon Ould
(1937-1951); David Carver (1951-1974), Peter Elstob (1974-1981), and Josephine
Pullein-Thompson, (1980-1987). There are also a few letters from E. M. Forster
(1939-1942), as well as some writings by Jameson and a number of clippings. |
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Hermon Ould (PEN International Secretary, 1926-1951): seven folders containing
clippings of early articles written by Ould (1920-1927), reviews of his book on John
Galsworthy (1934-1936), correspondence files of Henrietta Leslie with numerous PEN
figures arranging a dinner to honor Ould's lengthy service and making contributions
toward a monetary gift (1945-1946), as well as the gift album Ould received at the
dinner, plus a tribute pamphlet published after his death (1951). |
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Marjorie Watts (PEN International Secretary, 1921-1926): five folders dating
1940-1994, well after her years of service. Watts wrote two books about her mother,
Mrs. Dawson Scott, and over the years championed her mother's founding of PEN through
books and articles, an exhibition at the 1956 London Congress, and a founder's
centenary event in 1965. Watts' file also includes photocopies of a series of about
sixty letters from John Galsworthy to her mother and herself from 1917 to 1932. |
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Publications. This final group consists of material related to several PEN-produced publications. The largest group are the anthologies of poetry and short fiction published in various iterations by PEN and partners. The first, New Poems, was published annually starting in 1952. The idea originated with Hermon Ould, though he didn't live to see it realized. In 1978, New Poems became New Poetry and PEN partnered with the Arts Council in publishing the volumes. (Note: volumes of New Poetry present start with number 4, as numbers 1-3 were published by the Arts Council alone.). Also in 1978, PEN published their first anthology of short fiction, New Stories 3. Joint publication continued until 1983 when the Arts Council withdrew all involvement. In 1984, PEN published anthologies in association with Quartet Books beginning with New Fiction I; the last volume represented by materials in this collection is New Fiction III, published in 1989. The publication files are arranged chronologically according to the preceding timeline and include correspondence with writers and editors and original submissions. There are no page proofs or manuscript materials that show the editing process of the anthologies. The Ransom Center Library does have printed copies of some of the anthologies that can be located in the online University of Texas Library Catalog. |
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Other publications present are smaller amounts of materials related to The Book of PEN, PEN Books,
PEN Broadsheet (the newsletter of English PEN in the
1970s to 1990s), and PEN News. The materials for PEN Broadsheet include correspondence and production
materials such as mockups of layout and photographs. The material for PEN News is primarily correspondence from 2002-2003 for
editor Simon Burt. |
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Subseries E. Photographs and Other Visual Materials, 1912-1990,
undated (boxes 348-352, oversize boxes 358-362) |
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This subseries is the final subseries and contains mostly photographic prints and
a
few other visual materials (sketches, drawings, clippings) depicting PEN members and
events from the early days of PEN to the 1990s. Arranged alphabetically by subject,
most folders contain a small number of photos on each subject. Where possible,
original folder titles were kept. When found in large miscellaneous groupings, the
photographs were separated into smaller, identifiable groups. There were still several
groups of photos that could not be identified and are now grouped into a few "unidentified" folders. Images of David Carver, Hermon
Ould, and John Galsworthy are present along with visuals for other prominent PEN
members such as H. G. Wells, Marjorie Watts, Ronald Harwood, and Henrietta Leslie.
There are photos for PEN events such as congresses, dinners, and the Writers' Day
lecture series. A small group of negatives were removed to cold storage to optimize
preservation. |
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