Jerome Charyn Papers
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Abstract
Jerome Charyn was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1937, and since 1963 has published short stories such as: 'On Second Avenue,' and more than twenty novels, the first of which is entitled: 'Once Upon A Droshky.' His reputation as a major writer has been fueled in part by a disregard for the limitations of established literary genres and a unique approach to the historical, romance and detective novel. The Jerome Charyn Papers are comprised of his personal archive from the years: 1937-1997.
Biographical Note:
Jerome Charyn was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1937. He entered the New York literary scene in 1963 upon publishing two of his short stories: 'Faigele,' 'the Idiotke' and 'On Second Avenue' in Commentary. His first novel, Once Upon A Droshky, which draws on his childhood experiences of the Jewish neighborhoods of the Bronxand earned for him a reputation as an emerging and major writer. In his more than twenty novels, Charyn has escaped the confines traditionally imposed on literary genres and has created a unique approach to historical, romance and detective novels. His works have been translated into French, German, Italian, Spanish, Greek and other languages, and Charyn currently resides in Paris.
Arrangement
Folders are arranged alphabetically by subject/author heading.
The files are grouped into thirteen subject-based series and further subdivided into subseries.
Missing Title
- Series I: Correspondence
- Series II: Accounting
- Series III: Education and Employment
- Series IV: Notebooks, Notes and Source Materials
- Series V: Date Books
- Series VI: Photographs
- Series VII: Periodicals
- Series VIII: Newspapers
- Series IX: Typescripts and Galleys
- Series X: The Good Policeman TV Series
- Series XI: Publishers Catalogs
- Series XII: Events
- Series XIII: Audiovisual Materials and Ephemera
- Series XIV: Miscellaneous
- Oversize Materials
Scope and Content Note
The Jerome Charyn Papers is a part of the Archive and Manuscript Collection at the Fales Library, New York University. The Fales Library is the primary special collections division of the NYU libraries, housing over 200,000 volumes of English and American literature from 1700 to the present. Strengths of the collection include the development of the English and American novel, with an emphasis on the Gothic and the Victorian novel.
The Jerome Charyn papers comprise the personal archive of Jerome Charyn. The collection consists of notebooks, notes, manuscripts and galleys, cover designs, posters, correspondence, photographs, audio- and videotapes, ID's, high school and college essays, tax documents and other biographical materials spanning 1937-1997. The collection also includes periodicals, newspapers and clippings containing works by or about Charyn. Oversized archival materials from the various series are located in two flat oversize boxes at the end of the collection.
SERIES DESCRIPTION
SERIES I: Correspondence (1955 - 1997)
The correspondence comprises over 8 linear feet of letters, both business and personal. The correspondence is mostly incoming, with only one folder (Subseries C) of the drafts and facsimile copies of the outgoing correspondence. The series is arranged alphabetically by correspondent and then chronologically. Some correspondence is dated in American format (mm/dd/yy) and some in European format (dd/mm/yy). It is not always possible to determine which of these formats has been used, so some letters may have been misplaced.
Subseries A contains incoming letters (1955 - 1997) from publishers, literary figures, friends and relatives and other individuals and organizations. Correspondents include Walter Abish, John Barth, Saul Bellow, Ellen and Harold Brodkey, Don Delillo, Stanley Elkin, John Irving, Joyce Carol Oates, Cynthia Ozick, and John Updikeamong many others.
Subseries B contains incoming letters (1962 - 1997) from those individuals and organizations which have contributed exceptionally large volume of correspondence.
Subseries C contains drafts, facsimiles and copies of the outgoing correspondence (1963 - 1998).
SERIES II: Accounting (1964 - 1980)
Series II contains copies of income tax returns, bank account statements and checks, check stubs, receipts and expense records, medical and utility bills. Series is arranged chronologically.
SERIES III: Education and Employment (1942 - 1996)
Series contains Identification Cards, essays and other papers documenting Charyn's education including Public School # 61, Herman Ridder Junior High School, the High School of Music and Artsand Columbia University. Employment materials include Curriculum Vitae, job applications and contracts, and student evaluations on Cinema History course taught by Charyn. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
SERIES IV: Notebooks and Source Materials.
The series contains notebooks, loose notes and source materials for Charyn's literary works. The notebooks are undated, but most of them carry handwritten titles and are arranged alphabetically according to these titles. Many notebooks had loose notes, clippings and other source materials laid in.
SERIES V: Date Books:
Series contains two address and telephone books, and appointment calendars for years 1969 - 1980, arranged chronologically. All appointment calendars had various receipts, bills, correspondence and notes laid in.
SERIES VI: Photographs
The series contains Polaroids, black and white and color photographs of Charyn, his family and friends, color photographs of New York, full-size photographic portraits of Charyn, contact sheets and cover designs. A large number of photographs are unidentified.
SERIES VII: Periodicals (1963 - 1997) contains magazines in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Basque and Greek. Series consists of 3 subseries each arranged chronologically and by the magazine name.
Subseries A contains magazines featuring works of fiction or articles written by Charyn.
Subseries B contains magazines featuring articles about Charyn, interview with him or reviews of his books.
Subseries C contains other magazines from the collection sent to Charyn by their publishers or used as source materials.
SERIES VIII: Newspapers, contains complete newspapers and newspaper clippings and contains magazines in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian. The series consists of two subseries.
Subseries A (Oversized) contains newspaper clippings used by Charyn as source materials or featuring articles written by or about him, or reviews of his books. The series is arranged alphabetically by book title. Original clippings are extremely fragile. Copies of clippings on regular paper are in good condition and are filed separately. Originals and copies do not duplicate each other.
Subseries B (Oversized - flat box) contains complete newspapers from the collection in English, French and German. Items are arranged in alphabetical order by newspaper title and stored in two flat oversize boxes, without individual folders.
SERIES IX: Typescripts and Galleys
The series contains galleys, setting copies, final typescripts originals and photocopies, edited typescripts with handwritten remarks and corrections, and typescript fragments of Charyn's fiction. The series is arranged alphabetically by name of the work. If the work had an earlier version under a different title, these versions are both filed under the later (final) title, with the previous title mentioned after the final one.
SERIES X: The Good Policeman TV Series (1992-1993)
The series contains paper materials relating to the production of The Good Policeman TV series, such as pilot episode drafts, beat sheet, call sheets, production documents, reports and schedules. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
SERIES XI: Publishers Catalogs (1977- 1997), contains catalogs from various English, French, German and Italian publishers which include books by Charyn.
SERIES XII: Events contains information on film and book festivals, art exhibitions and readings by Charyn and other authors. (1955 - 1997)
SERIES XIII: Audiovisual materials, computer disks and ephemera consists of four subseries.
Subseries A contains videotapes of The Good Policeman TV Series, Vasanta Productions, Inc. (1992-1993)
Subseries B contains other videotapes from the collection, such as interviews with Charyn, the CNN review of The Good Policeman, etc.
Subseries C (ephemera) contains 3 medals in a small box.
Subseries D contains audiotapes, floppy disks and a roll of film.
SERIES XIV: Miscellaneous contains various booklets, articles, cover designs, posters, drawings, lists, maps and other travel materials, etc.
Subjects
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People
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Access Restrictions
Materials are open to researchers. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.
Use Restrictions
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Jerome Charyn Papers; MSS 044; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.
Location of Materials
Provenance
The Jerome Charyn Papers were purchased by the Fales library in 1993-1998. Printed books were separated from the collection and are listed in BOBCAT. Archival materials were sorted into series and processed.
Separated Material
A list of New York Times Book Reviews removed from the collection is available from Fales Library, fales.library@nyu.edu.
About this Guide
Processing Information
In February 2019, materials from box 66 were refoldered.
