245 items

• Letter from Curtis harnack to Louise Kertesz
  Dated January 24th, 1979. A letter from Curtis Harnack, Executive Director of Yaddo,.to Louise Kertesz. The letter contains two photos of Muriel Rukeyser. The cost of the photos was eleven dollars.
• Letter from Cyril Stanley Smith to Louise Kertesz
  Dated April 6th, 1976, a typed letter from MIT professor Cyril Stanley Smith to Louise Kertesz in response to her inquiries about Willard Gibbs and The Traces of Thomas Harriot: “You ask about scientists’ views on W. G. Frankly, I have never met one who liked it. Most of them think that it is not the biography of a scientist. For all of its studies of incoming and outreaching influences, it fails to catch the intellectual experience of the scientist in finding and clarifying his problem and doesn't distinguish between the moments of insight and the hard work of verification and transmission” (underlined in red by LK). Suggests that both WG and The Traces “are somewhat questionable if they are judged by the standards of down-to-earth well disciplined science or history of science, and they may even me [sic] a bit unreliable as biography.” Suggests that the two books need to be supplemented by more critical scientific biographies.The letters are underlined and have handwritten notes by Louise Kertesz.
• Letter from Denise Levertov and Louise Kertesz
  From Denise Levertov to Louise Kertesz. Original typewritten letter stapled to a letter from Kertesz to Levertov (see below) and a four-page description, clearly by Denise Levertov, entitled, “About Muriel,” and dated August 28, 1980. The latter description does not appear to belong to the letter’s envelope, dated August 8, 1977. Levertov’s letter talks about how Muriel became important to her after she wrote her poem ‘no more masks’: “It was with her poem ‘no more masks’ written after her first stroke and followed by the evident effort to carry through that resolve, as one can see in the tighter, tauter, far more direct language and rhythms of the book from Speed of Darkness on, that her poetry began to interest me.” Levertov also praises Muriel’s work as an activist, such as when she went to South Korea on behalf of the poet Kim Chi Ha. The letter also states that Denise tried to contact Muriel after Denise’s mother died, but she has not heard from Rukeyser, which worries her. Levertov also suggests contacting Jane Cooper. Interestingly, the letter is on two pages, with the very end of the letter being on the beginning of the first page, upside down. Letter has handwriting and underlining with a red crayon or pen on both sides.
• Letter from Denise Levertov to Louise Kertesz
  Dated January 20th, 1981. A handwritten letter on three small pages from Denise Levertov to Louise Kertesz. States that Louise has done a good job publicizing the book and getting people’s attention. Denise suggests that Louise write to Hayden Carruth from the University of Syracuse (which Louise later does) and get him to review it. Says that one day, Louise’s book will be looked at as important. Also contains a photocopy, dated October, 1980, from Choice, of a description of Louise’s book. “Along with the recently published Collected Works …, this book should do much to locate Rukeyser within the pantheon of modern American poets. Whether or not the high praises Kertesz lavishes on the poetry will hold up in later years remains to be seen in further, possibly more disinterested, studies.”
• Letter from Dirk Jan Struik to Louise Kertesz
  Dated April 12th, 1976, a typed letter from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) professor Dirk Jan Struik to Louise Kertesz, in response to her inquiries about Muriel Rukeyser’s Willard Gibbs: “I never read Muriel Rukeyser’s book on Willard Gibbs, but did read that one on Thomas Harriot. This was some years ago, and I only remember off hand the general impression it made on me, namely that I got little out of it.”
• Letter from Dwight MacDonald to Louise Kertesz
  Dated October 18th, 1976. A letter from Dwight MacDonald to Louise Kertesz. Answers questions Louise posed him in a June 25 letter about “that editorial roughing up of Muriel Rukeyser in the Sept.-Oct. 1943 PR”; “why MR was put down similarly by other critics of the period (Jarrell, Bogan, Humphries)”; and “why Shapiro and Lowell got Pulitzer prizes and MR didn't”; his “opinion of her work to date.” Letter is crossed out in some places and has some handwriting on it.
• Letter from Dwight MacDonald to Louise Kertesz
  An original, typewritten letter, dated March 1st, 1979. The letter is from Dwight Macdonald to Louise Kertesz. Louise had sent Macdonald a letter on November 24th of last year, and he apologizes for replying to the letter so late. Macdonald will give Louise permission to use his quote in her book if she includes a disclaimer that says, “Asked permission to publish the above quote, Mr. Macdonald agreed on condition his full position on the “Poster Girl” episode be stated, thus, “I just confess this, while I deplore the brutal tone, especially against such a gentle and decent person as Muriel and myself, would have used more of the rapier and less of the battle-axe, I have to agree, on re-reading it, with the general content of the R.S.P.;s attack on the political morality and literary taste of ‘Poster Girl’-who is of course Muriel as she behaved in World (sic) War II and not as she does now, politically and aesthetically.”. Macdonald says that he hopes it is not too late, or Louise objects to printing it. Macdonald says that if Louise refuses to print it, she is “...a damned fool, my dear Ms. Kertesz, for refusing a choice bit of Macdonald prose-as well as a bigot”. However, he really doesn't fear this. Instead, he fears it is too late to submit it. There is a handwritten postscript on the letter that asks, “What is MI?”. The letter is also filled with typewriter errors, crossed out sections, and added. handwritten words.
• Letter from Eric J. Carpenter to Louise Kertesz
  Dated January 10th, 1979. A letter from Eric J. Carpenter to Louise Kertesz. Carpenter gives letters and microfiche to Louise Kertesz due to receiving permission from Monica McCall. Attached, another letter dated January 17th, from Eric J. Carpenter to LK. States that the letters 'crossed in the mail’. Carpenter had sent copies of Rukeyser’s letters on the 9th, and hopes Louise has received them by now. Louise did not request the microfilm of her manuscripts. Both letters from the University of New York at Buffalo.
• Letter from Esther Broner to Louise Kertesz
  Dated June 8th, unknown year. The letter is from Esther Broner at Wayne State University to Louise Kertesz. The letter states that Bauer has been inquiring about Louise’s book, and that Cathy Davidson suggested that Louise sent a copy to Linda Wagner at the Department of English at Michigan State University. The letter ends by saying that Bauyr hopes that they can bring “this fine book to the attention of the critical world.”
• Letter from Esther Broner to Louise Kertesz
  Dated July 6th, 1981. A typewritten letter is from Esther Broner to Louise Kertesz. The letter begins by saying that Carolyn Kizer, “the fine poet,” is willing to review Louise’s book. Bauer asks that LSU send her a review copy and that Louise send a note to Carolyn’s address. Bauer then goes on to say that she talks to everyone about Louise, and to send a copy of the book and a note to Susan Jordan of the New Women’s Times Feminist Review at her address. Broner had also talked to Louise Bernikow [sic], but states that ‘...she’s competitive—wants to do a bio of Rukeyser herself.”
• Letter from Frish Corcorran to Louise Kertesz
  Dated October 16th, 1979, a typewritten letter from Frish Corcorran to Louise Kertesz. The letter states that the last time that they corresponded was in June, and that Corcorran had informed Louise of the reproduction fee-range depending on use. Corcorran wondered what had happened to Louise’s project, and that they looked forward to hearing from Louise.
• Letter from Frish Corcorran to Louise Kertesz
  Dated October 12th, 1979, a typewritten letter from Frish Corcorran to Louise Kertesz. The letter starts by thanking Louise for the letter that she sent on June 1st. Corcorran is requesting information regarding the reproduction of a photograph by Imogen of Muriel Rukeyser. The fee will range from $50-$100 dollars, depending on certain details. Corcorran asks them to let them know about how the photograph will be used, such as inside the text or the cover, and what size it is to run, such as ½ page, ¼ page, or full page, how many books would be published, and the price of the book. As soon as they have this information, they can draw up a reproduction agreement and finalize the use of the photograph.