II. Correspondence

The heart of the collection is the correspondence between Wallace Stevens and his family, scholars, poets, editors, business associates and friends. All of the correspondence (except that relating to genealogy) has been fully catalogued in the Manuscripts Catalogue.

Although there is some correspondence of minor importance, such as friends' greetings while Stevens was convalescing in 1955, most of it has an interest from either a biographical or poetical viewpoint. Many of the letters from Stevens were published by his daughter in Letters of Wallace Stevens, ed. Holly Stevens, 1966. But still unpublished is the other side of the correspondence--to Stevens--amounting to about 2,500 pieces. The bulk of Stevens' letters are carbon copies, with the exception of his letters to Barbara S. Church, Wilson E. Taylor, and Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens. Stevens began to keep carbon copies regularly only after the early 1940s, so his letters from the earlier period are scarce in the collection. A brief notice of the kinds of correspondence in the collection is given below:

Family Letters

The most significant family figure represented in the correspondence is Stevens' wife, Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens (1886–1963). Her real name was Elsie Viola Kachel, but when her mother remarried, Elsie took on the surname Moll. Most of the correspondence is from Stevens to Elsie, 1907 (before their engagement) to 1935. (271 pieces; WAS 1776-2047). The principal letters from Elsie are to her stepfather and mother, Lehman W. and Ida Bright (Smith) Kachel Moll and to her half-sister, Dorothy La Rue (Moll) Weidner.

Additional family correspondents include:

Literary Correspondents

The crux of the collection deals with Wallace Stevens' poetry; a majority of the correspondence falls into this category. The following list deals only with some of the correspondents, including those who were important in their own right or important for the quality of the correspondence. The list is by no means complete. Many of the editors of journals, critics and publishers that figure in the collection are not on the following list but may be found alphabetically in the Manuscript Catalogue in the Library. All letters in the list are addressed to or written by Stevens.

Note: Marguerite G. Flynn, whose name figures in some of the correspondence, was Stevens' secretary and stenographer. She personally answered some of Stevens' letters, especially in 1955 when Stevens was hospitalized. Letters written by her are catalogued under her name, not Stevens'.

Foreign Correspondence

Although Stevens never travelled abroad (other than to Havana, Cuba), he was always interested to read about foreign places and to correspond with foreigners. Some of the most engaging correspondence is with foreign writers, whose letters with Stevens are among the finest in the collection for the insights they give into Stevens the man and the poet.

Notable correspondents include:

In addition, there is correspondence regarding tea. Stevens was a connoisseur of fine foods and enjoyed sending away for tea in particular. These letters with the Associated Tea Syndicate (WAS 1170-1176) and the Ceylon Tea Plantation Company (WAS 1346-1349), 1935-1938, give some idea of his personal habits.

Business Associates

The collection does not contain letters from the files of the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company. The following correspondents were business associates as well as friends: