Lee Baxandall Papers
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Creator
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Abstract
The Lee Baxandall Papers (dates 1888-2001, bulk 1965-1989) contain writings, research files, and correspondence related to the works of publisher and writer Lee Baxandall. Lee Baxandall was a literary critic, poet, and playwright who specialized in Marxism and aesthetics. Baxandall studied English and Comparative Literature at the University of Wisconsin—Madison where he became attracted to New Left scholarship, and later became an editor for the journal Studies on the Left from 1960-1967. His papers contain research files he compiled in the 1960s and 1970s on Marxist and leftist writers, artists, and intellectuals from the mid-19th to the early-20th century. The collection also contains manuscripts and correspondence related to Polish philosopher Stefan Morawski, who was a frequent collaborator of Baxandall's. Materials from a 2004 accretion largely relate to Baxandall's work after 1975 and contain an assortment of research files, as well as drafts, photographs, pamphlets, scripts and periodicals related to Baxandall's poetry, plays, and advocacy of naturism.
Historical/Biographical Note
Lee Baxandall was a publisher and literary critic who specialized in Marxism and aesthetics. Born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1935, he received an MA in English from the University of Wisconsin--Madison where he also pursued doctoral studies in comparative literature and wrote extensively on Marxist theatre, art, and literature. At the University of Wisconsin he became attracted to New Left scholarship, and later became an editor for the journal Studies on the Left from 1960-1967. Baxandall had a special interest in the works of German playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht and translated many of his plays into English. He edited several anthologies on Marxism and literature, and published essays on art criticism in periodicals including: The Nation, Partisan Review, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, and the New York Times.
Throughout his publishing career, Baxandall worked closely with Polish philosopher Stefan Morawski. He translated several of Morawski's works on aesthetics into English for publication in the United States. In 1973 Baxandall and Morawski co-edited the anthology Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels on Art and Literature, which they later republished in 1974 for the series Documents on Marxist Aesthetics (DOMA). Baxandall and Morawski worked together for several years to produce an additional 11 volumes in the series, but it appears that they were never completed.
Baxandall lived in New York City throughout much of the 1960s, but returned to his home in Oshkosh following the death of his father in 1970. Baxandall ran the publishing company Green Mountain Editions, which produced issues of the periodical Green Mountain Quarterly between 1975 and 1977. Baxandall was also a proponent of naturism and the Free Beach movement. He was the founder of the Naturist Society in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and wrote a popular guide to nude beaches in 1986. He died in Oshkosh in 2008.
Arrangement
The Lee Baxandall Papers are divided into three series. Series I: Research Files contain of two sets of research files that are arranged in alphabetical order by name or topic. Series II: Translations and Lee Baxandall Publications are contained in rough groupings by publication title or record type.
Materials in Series III: 2004 Accretion are the least well arranged and are contained in rough groupings based on record type and topic. In many cases these grouping are broken-up across several boxes and contain materials related to files in Series I and Series II.
Scope and Content Note
The Lee Baxandall Papers (dates 1888-2001, bulk 1965-1989) contain writings, research files, and correspondence related to the works of leftist literary critic Lee Baxandall. Research files in this collection focus predominantly on Marxist scholars and intellectuals, with the most intensive research on the works of Brecht. These files were compiled in the 1960s and 1970s and largely consist of Baxandall's notes and copies of theoretical works by a variety of mid-19th and early-20th century artists and intellectuals. A small portion of these files more specifically address topics related to early-American socialist theater.
The collection also contains drafts of Baxandall's writings and translations of works by Marxist intellectuals. The majority of his translations relate to the writings of Polish philosopher Stefan Morawski, and include extensive correspondence between the two. Materials related to Baxandall's writings also include translation of the works of Wilhelm Reich, and correspondence with publishers and colleagues regarding his various projects.
A second donation of Baxandall's papers received in 2004 includes additional research files, drafts, notes, correspondence, and newspaper clippings related to Baxandall's work in literary criticism. A substantial amount of these materials consist of additional correspondence and drafts related to Baxandall's work with Stefan Morawski. These materials are largely dated after 1975, and reflect both the personal and professional relationship between Baxandall and Morawski. There are also drafts of Baxandall's plays and poetry, which include copies of scripts, photographs, flyers, and published works. Baxandall's best represented plays are Potsy and Claws of the Eagle, Claws of the Jaguar. Additionally, the collection contains periodicals, essays, and ephemera related to Baxandall's interest in the politics of sexual expression and his advocacy of naturism. It also includes correspondence and publications produced by the small press Green Mountain Editions in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Subjects
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (and related rights to publicity and privacy) to materials in this collection created by Lee Baxandall was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Lee Baxandall Papers; TAM 151; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials were donated by Lee Baxandall in 1975 and 2004. One folder of correspondence between Lee Baxandall and publishers, which was found in the repository, was added to the collection in 2014. One folder of materials related to the small press Green Mountain Editions was found in repository and added to the collection in 2016. The accession numbers associated with these gifts are 1998.012, 2004.037, 2014.083, and 2016.068.
About this Guide
Processing Information
This collection was received in two accretions in 1975 and 2004. Boxes from the 2004 accretion were initially established as a separate collection, Lee Baxandall Addendum (TAM 151.1). They were incorporated into the Lee Baxandall Papers in 2016 as Series III: 2004 Accretion. Additionally, there are several materials in Series I and Series II that are dated after the initial 1975 donation. These materials were possibly added to the collection prior to the donation of the 2004 addendum, however, there is no documentation to indicate when they were received. One folder of publication correspondence from the 1980s, which was found in the repository in 2014, was added to Series III.
This collection was minimally processed in 2016, at which time the collection was divided into three series, a box-level inventory was created, and materials were rehoused into archival folders. Materials in the collection were not arranged at this time. Series I: Research Files is arranged alphabetically by subject name. This arrangement was established prior to the 2016 processing, and it is unclear whether this arrangement was established by the creator or by the library upon receipt of the collection.
Rehousing of materials resulted in changes to the extent of the collection, and the contents of boxes were combined. Additionally, Series III: 2004 Accretion contained several hanging files. The hanging files were removed, and their contents were placed together in archival folders to maintain the original groupings. Duplicate copies of publications and brochures were removed.
In December 2016, one folder of correspondence, articles, and notes related to the small press Green Mountain Editions was added to Series III: 2004 Accretion in box 52.
