Descriptive Summary
Brenan, Gerald,
1894-1987
Gerald Brenan Collection
1911-1978
TXRC98-A15
21 boxes (8.75 linear feet)
and 2 oversize folders
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center,
University of Texas at Austin
British author Edward
Fitzgerald Brenan briefly entered the Bloomsbury circle in 1919, introduced by
his friend Ralph Partridge, before moving semi-permanently to Spain later that
year. Brenan's works dealt with the Spanish culture and literature, and his
feelings of exile during the years of the Spanish Civil War, which forced him
and his wife to leave the country between 1934 and 1953. The collection
contains holograph and typescript drafts for eight of Brenan's books including
A Holiday by the Sea (1961) and
South from Granada (1957). Also present is
a large accumulation of correspondence with various Bloomsbury artists, most
notably Dora Carrington and Ralph Partridge.
English.
Biographical Sketch
Edward Fitzgerald Brenan (1894-1987), was born in Malta, the son of an
English army officer. He spent his earliest years in India and South Africa
before being sent to England for his formal education. He studied first at
Radley College and then at the Military Academy at Sandhurst, but studied art,
poetry, and philosophy on his own with the help of John Hope-Johnstone. With
Hope-Johnstone, Brenan traveled through France, Italy, and Dalmatia when he was
eighteen, before joining the 5th Gloucesters in 1914. With his regiment he saw
action in the Ypres salient, on the Somme, and in the second battle of the
Marne. In 1918 he was awarded the Military Cross and the Croix de Guerre.
In 1919 Brenan was introduced into the Bloomsbury group by
Hope-Johnstone and his fellow officer and friend, Ralph Partridge. It was
through Partridge that Brenan met Lytton Strachey and Dora Carrington. In the
fall of 1919, Brenan set out for Spain, settling in the primitive village of
Yegen, living there more-or-less continuously until 1934. Partridge and
Carrington, recently married, and Strachey visited him in 1920, and
Carrington's fondness for Brenan is thought to have started on this trip. She
carried on a voluminous correspondence with Brenan for the next several years
and in 1922 they had a brief affair, which was soon discovered by Partridge.
There was a year of silence between the three, before reconciliation took place
and an often stormy friendship continued for the remainder of their lives.
Brenan remained in Spain, marrying the American poetess Gamel Woolsey in
1930, and working on poetry and beginning several novels. In 1934 the Brenans
left Yegen for Churriana and then for Gibraltar, seven weeks after the civil
war started. They were unable to return to Spain until 1953. They spent this
time in Aldbourne and Brenan expressed his feelings of exile from Spain by
completing three major works on Spanish life and literature. On his return to
Spain he began a series of autobiographical works, including
South from Granada,
A Life of One's Own, and
A Personal Record.
In 1969 Brenan moved to the mountain village of Alhaurin el Grande. He
was awarded the Order of Commander of the British Empire in 1982 and in 1984,
after a brief stint in a nursing home, he was declared a living monument of
Spain and was supported by the municipality of Alhaurin until his death in
January 1987.
Scope and Contents
Holograph and typescript manuscripts, and correspondence represent the
majority of the Gerald Brenan Collection, 1911-1978. The collection is
organized into three series, with materials arranged alphabetically by title or
author: I. Works, 1912-1969 (9 boxes), II. Correspondence, 1911-1978 (10.25
boxes), and III. Miscellaneous, 1912-1964 (1.75 boxes). Many items in this
collection include notes on date and context, added by Brenan while gathering
his papers together. This collection was previously accessible through a card
catalog, but has been re-cataloged as part of a retrospective conversion
project.
The Works Series contains holographs and typescripts for eight of
Brenan's books, including
A Holiday by the Sea (1961),
A Life of One's Own (1979),
A Personal Record (1977), and
South from Granada (1957). Also included are
individual articles, poems, and reviews written by Brenan and a notebook of his
early verses. Several of the diaries, upon which he based his autobiographical
works, are present, including ones that cover his service in World War I, his
relationship with Dora Carrington, and his later friendship with Joanna
Carrington, Dora's niece. The titles in this series are indexed in the Index of
Works at the end of this guide.
The Correspondence Series is composed of large accumulations of letters
between Brenan and many members of Bloomsbury, as well as other artists, in
addition to individual letters written to and from friends and acquaintances.
Incoming and outgoing letters are interfiled, arranged alphabetically and then
chronologically where possible. Where dates are unknown, letters from Brenan
precede within the folders the ones he received. Particularly well represented
in this collection by almost 900 letters is correspondence between Brenan and
Dora Carrington. Other correspondents include Roger Fry, David Garnett, John
Hope-Johnstone, Ralph and Frances Partridge, V.S. Pritchett, and Gamel Woolsey
Brenan. Additional correspondents can be identified using the Index of
Correspondents in this guide.
The Miscellaneous Series is composed primarily of letters between
Brenan's friends. This includes 21 letters from Ottoline Morrell to Dora
Carrington, 75 letters from Frances Partridge to Gamel Woolsey Brenan, and 107
letters from Gamel Brenan to Llewelyn Powys. Also included are a diary and page
proofs for a book by Gamel Brenan, and the statement of release for Charles
Claridge and Hope-Johnstone from Monfalcone prison. Letters in this series are
also listed in the Index of Correspondents.
Elsewhere in the Ransom Center are 78 photographs of Brenan, his
friends and family, and landscapes, located in the Literary Files of the
Photography Collection, one Vertical File of newspaper clippings about Brenan
and his works, and several books from his personal library.
Acquisition
Gifts and purchases, 1963-1996 (R1248, R1611, R2847, R3520, R4347,
R5170, R7969, R8284, R11698, R13799)
Access
Open for research
Processed by
Chelsea Jones, 1998
Index Terms
Correspondents
Bell, Clive,
1881-1964
Bell, Vanessa,
1879-1961
Carrington, Dora de
Houghton, 1893-1932
Fry, Roger Eliot,
1866-1934
Garnett, David,
1892-1981
Hope-Johnstone,
John
Morrell, Ottoline Violet
Anne Cavendish-Bentinck, Lady, 1873-1932
Partridge, Frances,
1900-
Partridge, Ralph
Powys, John Cowper,
1872-1963
Powys, Llewelyn,
1884-1939
Powys, Theodore Francis,
1875-1953
Pritchett, V.S. (Victor
Sawdon) 1900-
Purdy, James
Taylor, Ernest
Woolsey, Gamel
Subjects
Authors, English--20th
century
Bloombury group
Spain--Civil war
Spain--Politics and
government
Spain--Social life and
customs
Document Types
Christmas cards
Diaries
Love letters
Sources
Who's Who in Bloomsbury. Alan and
Veronica Palmer. (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987).
Gerald Brenan Collection--Folder List
Series I. Works,
1912-1969
1
1
Unidentified
1
2
A-D
1
3
The Bustard Shoot, typescript with edits,
1963,
25pp
1
4
Diaries of the war years,
1914-1919,
147pp
1
5
Diary notes,
1919-1924,
56pp and 1 notebook
1
6-8
Diaries, 9 holograph notebooks,
1925-1964
1
9
E-K
1
10
Early verses, holograph and typescript,
1912-1950,
112pp
2
1
The History of Poor Robinson,
typescript,
1925,
74pp
A Holiday by the Sea
2
2-3
Holograph and typescript with corrections,
1936-1950,
524pp
2
4
Holograph and typescript,
223pp
2
5
Typescripts with edits,
344pp
2
6
Author's notes, holograph,
9pp
2
7
Rejected pages, holograph,
23pp
3
1
L-O
A Life of One's Own
3
2
Holograph and typescript with significant revisions,
1952-1961,
125pp
3
3-4
Typescript with edits,
ca. 1950,
420pp
3
5-6
Typescript with author's edits and some printer and
editor marks,
444pp
4
1-2
Typescript, 444pp (continued)
4
3-4
Typescript with author edits, inserts and
paste-ins,
388pp
4
5-7
Typescripts with author edits,
428pp
5
1-3
Typescripts with edits,
441pp
5
4
Chapters XIII and XIV, holograph,
154pp
The Life of St. Teresa
Holograph draft with revisions,
1926,
200pp (removed to oversize folder 1)
A Chapter on St. Ignatius, holograph draft with
revisions,
1926,
135pp (removed to oversize folder 2)
The Lighthouse Always Says Yes
5
5-6
Holograph with edits,
650pp
6
1
Holograph, 650pp (continued)
6
2
Discarded pages, holograph and typescript,
158pp
6
3
Insertions for final revision, holograph and
typescript,
158pp
6
4
Notes, holograph,
17pp
6
5
The Oued Draa, typescript with
edits,
1959,
50pp
6
6
P-R
A Personal Record
6
7-8
Holograph with author revisions,
1966-1969,about
1000pp
7
1-6
Holograph, 1000pp (continued)
7
7
Typescript,
1966-1969,
747pp
8
1-2
Typescript, 747pp (continued)
8
3
Poems:
1944-1960, typescripts with edits,
87pp
8
4
S-Z
South from Granada
8
5-6
Holograph and typescript with edits,
428pp
9
1
Holograph,
205pp
9
2
Author's note, holograph,
2pp
9
3-5
Typescript, early draft,
434pp
9
6-7
Typescript,
356pp
Series II. Correspondence,
1911-1978
10
1
Unidentified; A-G
10
2
Anrep, Helen,
1925-1943
Carrington, Dora,
1919-1932
10
3
Extracts and copies of letters
10
4
1919-May 1920
10
5
June-Dec. 1920
1921
10
6
Jan.-July
10
7
Aug.-Sept.
10
8
Oct.-Dec.
1922
11
1
Jan.-May
11
2
June-Dec.
1923
11
3
Jan.-May
11
4
June-Dec.
1924
12
1
Jan.
12
2
Feb.-Mar.
12
3
Apr.
12
4
May-June
12
5
July-Aug.
13
1
Sept.
13
2
Oct.-Dec.
1925
13
3
Jan.-Feb.
13
4
Mar.-Apr.
13
5
May-June
13
6
July-Dec.
14
1
1926
14
2
1926, unsent letters to Carrington
1927
14
3
Jan.-Apr.
14
4
May-Dec.
14
5
1928-1932
15
1
Davis, Bill and Annie,
1957-1976
15
2
Fry, Roger,
1925-1934
15
3
Garnett, David,
1929-1969
15
4
H-Z
15
5
Holroyd, Michael,
1967-1969
Hope-Johnstone, John,
1911-1922
15
6
1911-1914
16
1
1915
16
2
1916-1917
16
3
1918
16
4
1919-1922
16
5
MacCarthy, Mary,
1927-1934
Partridge, Frances,
1927-1969
16
6
1927-1960
17
1
1961-1965
17
2
1966-1969
Partridge, Ralph,
1915-1960
17
3
1915-1923
17
4
1924-1932
17
5
1933-1952
18
1
1953-1954
18
2
1955-1960
18
3
Powys, Llewelyn,
1931-1936
18
4
Powys, Theodore Francis,
1930-1936
Pritchett, Victor Sawdon,
1940-1978
18
5-7
Undated letters
19
1
Undated (continued)
19
2
1940-1949
19
3
1950-1960
19
4
1961-1978
19
5
Purdy, James,
1957-1966
19
6
Rhys, Jean,
1967-1968
20
1
Taylor, Ernest,
1914-1915
20
2
Waley, Arthur David,
1927-1932
Series III. Miscellaneous,
1912-1964
20
3
Unidentified; A-Z
Brenan, Elisabeth Gamel
20
4
Diary, letters and works
20
5-6
Letters to Powys, Llewelyn,
1930-1939
20
7
Incoming correspondence, A-Z
20
8
Partridge, Frances, 75 letters to Gamel Brennan,
1932-1964
21
1
Partridge, Frances (continued)
21
2
One Way of Love, page
proofs,
288pp
21
3
Poems,
1954-1962
Carrington, Dora
21
4
Incoming correspondence, A-Z
21
5
Morrell, Lady Ottoline, 21 letters to Dora Carrington,
1918-1932
21
6
Synopses of Brenan's correspondence with Bill and Annie
Davis
21
7
Taylor, Ernest, 16 letters to John Hope-Johnstone,
1913-1915
21
8
Envelopes
Gerald Brenan Collection--Index of Correspondents
Index entries that include the notation (from Brenan) indicate that
the person is the recipient of correspondence from Gerald Brenan.
In general, the box and folder number are followed by the recipient of
the letter(s) and the date of the letter(s) when known. Where there is no
number, there is only one letter. So in the example
- Birell, Francis, 1889- --10.1 (to Brenan, nd)
Francis Birell sent a letter to Brenan on an unidentified date and it
is located in box 10, folder 1.
When a correspondent received as well as sent letters, or sent letters
to more than one recipient, the sender and/or recipients are listed beneath the
name of the sender and the date or span of dates of the correspondence are
followed by the box and folder number. So in the example
- Fry, Roger Eliot, 1866-1934--
- 17 to Brenan, 1925-1934--15.2
- 3 to Dora Carrington, 1917-1926--21.4
- to Gamel Woolsey, 1934--20.7
Roger Fy sent 17 letters to Brenan between 1925 and 1934, which are
located in box 15, folder 2 and sent three letters to Dora Carrington between
1917 and 1926 which are located in box 21, folder 4, as well as one letter to
Gamel Woolsey in 1934, which is located in box 20, folder 7.
- Allen, Jay--10.1 (to Brenan, nd)
- Anrep, Helen--
- 3 to Brenan, 1934--10.2
- 5 from Brenan, 1925-1943--10.2
- Araquistáin, Luis, 1886-1959--10.1 (5 to Brenan, 1940-1944)
- Bagenal, Barbara Hiles--10.1 (3 to Brenan, 1922-1923)
- Birell, Francis, 1889- --10.1 (to Brenan, nd)
- Bell, Clive, 1881-1964--21.4 (to Dora Carrington, 1919)
- Bell, Vanessa, 1879-1961--21.4 (7 to Dora Carrington, 1931-1932)
- Brenan, Elisabeth Gamel--See Woolsey, Gamel
- Brenan, Gamel--See Woolsey, Gamel
- Brenan, Hugh Gerald--
- to Brenan, 1947--10.1
- from Brenan, 1916--10.1
- Cannan, Gilbert, 1884-1955--21.4 (7 to Dora Carrington,
1915-1916)
- Carrington, Dora de Houghton, 1893-1932--
- 465 from Brenan, 1919-1932--10.3-14.5
- 434 to Brenan, 1919-1932--10.3-14.5
- 2 to Gamel Woolsey, 1931--20.3
- 2 to John Hope-Johnstone, 1922--20.3
- Connolly, Cyril, 1903-1974--10.1 (5 to Brenan, 1953-1963)
- Davenport, John--10.1 (10 from Brenan, 1949-1955)
- Davis, Annie and Bill--15.1 (140 to and from Brenan, 1957-1976)
- Duncan, Rose Marie, 1916- --10.1 (to Brenan, 1948)
- Fry, Roger Eliot, 1866-1934--
- 17 to Brenan, 1925-1934--15.2
- 3 to Dora Carrington, 1917-1926--21.4
- to Gamel Woolsey, 1934--20.7
- Garnett, David, 1892-1981--
- from Brenan, 1929-1969--15.3
- 37 to Brenan, 1929-1969--15.3
- Garnett, Rachel Alice--10.1 (to Brenan, 1931)
- Gregory, Alyse, 1884-1967--
- 2 to Brenan, 1947--10.1
- to Gamel Woolsey, 1947--20.7
- Hamish Hamilton Ltd.--15.4 (2 to Brenan, 1965)
- Holloway, John, 1920- --20.3 (1 to Alyse [Gregory], 1959
- Holroyd, Michael--15.5 (13 to Brenan, 1967-1969)
- Hope-Johnstone, John--
- 70 from Brenan, 1911-1922--15.6-16.4
- 34 to Brenan, 1911-1922--15.6-16.4
- 9 to John Davenport, 1943-1952--20.3
- John, Robin--20.7 (to Gamel Woolsey, 1959)
- Keynes, John Maynard, 1883-1946--21.4 (7 to Dora Carrington,
1917-1920)
- MacCarthy, Mary--
- from Brenan, 1927-1934--16.5
- 17 to Brenan, 1927-1934--16.5
- 2 to Gamel Woolsey, 1940--20.7
- McGee, Hetty--15.4 (to Brenan, 1959)
- Morrell, Ottoline Violet Anne Cavendish-Bentinck, Lady,
1873-1932--21.5 (21 to Dora Carrington, 1918-1932)
- Partridge, Frances, 1900- --
- from Brenan, 1929--16.6
- 114 to Brenan, 1927-1969--16.6-17.2
- 75 to Gamel (Woolsey) Brenan, 1932-1964--20.8-21.1
- Partridge, Ralph--
- 5 from Brenan, 1915-1960--17.3-18.2
- 141 to Brenan, 1915-1960--17.3-18.2
- 5 to Gamel Woolsey, 1953-1959--20.7
- Penrose, Alec--15.4 (from Brenan, 1927)
- Powys, A.R. (Albert Reginald), 1881-1936--15.4 (to Brenan, 1935)
- Powys, John Cowper, 1872-1963--15.4 (2 to Brenan, 1934, 1935)
- Powys, Llewelyn, 1884-1939--
- from Brenan, nd--18.3
- 32 to Brenan, 1931-1936--18.3
- 2 to Gamel Woolsey, 1931--20.7
- Powys, Theodore Francis, 1875-1953--18.4 (18 to Brenan,
1930-1936)
- Pritchett, Dorothy Roberts--15.4 (6 from Brenan, nd)
- Pritchett, V.S. (Victor Sawdon), 1900- --
- 542 from Brenan, 1940-1978--18.5-19.4
- 45 to Brenan, 1940-1978--18.5-19.4
- 2 to Gamel Woolsey, 1940--20.7
- Purdy, James--19.5 (9 to Brenan, 1957-1966)
- Ransome, Algernan Lee, 1883- --15.4 (to Brenan, 1962)
- Rhys, Jean--19.6 (9 to Brenan, 1967-1968)
- Russell, Peter, 1921- --15.4 (from Brenan, 1940)
- Strachey, Alix, 1892-1973--
- to Brenan, 1932--15.4
- to Dora Carrington, 1923--21.4
- Swan, Susie--15.4 (5 from Brenan, 1924-1925)
- Taylor, Ernest--
- 5 from Brenan, 1914-1915--20.1
- 16 to Brenan, 1914-1915--20.1
- 16 to John Hope-Johnstone, 1913-1915--21.7
- Thomas, Hugh--15.4 (to Brenan, 1964)
- Tracy, Honor, 1915- --15.4 (2 to Brenan, nd)
- Trevor-Roper, H.R. (Hugh Redwald), 1914- --15.4 (2 to Brenan,
1967)
- Waley, Alison, 15.4 (2 to Brenan, 1967)
- Waley, Arthur--20.2 (10 to Brenan, 1927-1932)
- Williamson, P.L.--15.4 (to Brenan, 1962)
- Woolley, Janetta--20.7 (to Gamel Woolsey, 1960)
- Woolsey, Gamel--
- to Alyse Gregory, nd--20.4
- 107 to Llewelyn Powys, 1930-1939--20.5-6
- to V.S. Pritchett, nd--20.4
- Wright, Ralph--20.3 (to David Garnett, nd)
Gerald Brenan Collection--Index of Works
- All the Beautiful Ladies--8.4 (part of To —)
- Announcement--1.2
- Ariel to Miranda--1.2
- At Last a Sensible Project for the Pacification of Ireland--1.2
- The Bullet, the Brickbat, and the Peachstone--1.2
- The Bustard Shoot--1.3
- Café Ideal, Seville--1.2
- The City of Sybarites--1.2
- Dedication: to the Princess of Georgia--1.2
- Dialogue in Heaven--1.2
- Diary, 1941--1.2
- Diary of my Life--1.2
- Dr. Partridge's Almanack--1.2
- Doggerel verses for Joanne--1.2
- The Engine Driver--1.9
- An English Writer Discovers Malaga--1.9
- Events in the Life of Don G.--1.9
- Fable of Hen and Egg--1.9
- The Factory--1.9
- Fawn Poems--1.9
- The Forest--1.9
- The Great Frost--1.9
- He Thought He Was Young--1.9
- Hetty Blues: for Hetty McGee--1.9
-
The History of Poor Robinson--2.1
-
A Holiday by the Sea--2.2-7
- Hymn to the Personal Pronoun - Thou--1.9
- Imaginary Map Drawn at Radley--1.9
- Immortality: the Gift of Antonia Fuentes--1.9
- Joanna--1.9
-
A Life of One's Own--3.2-5.4
-
The Life of St. Teresa--oversize folders
1-2
-
The Lighthouse Always Says Yes--5.5-6.4
- The Lord of the Castle and His Prisoner--3.1
- Lust Inactive--3.1
- The Mirror--6.6 (on verso of Phoenixes)
- Miss Harum Scarum--3.1
- Mortuary--3.1
- A New Libidium or Dictionary of Human Desire: Preface--3.1
- On Ford's `Tis pity she's a whore'--3.1
-
The Oued Draa--6.5
- Paper on Ezra Pound--6.6
- Parade--6.6
-
The peace of the trees...--6.6
- A Personal Record--6.7-8.2
- Phoenixes--6.6
-
Poems: 1944-1960--8.3
- Poem on Ideal Beauty--8.4 (part of To —)
- Portrait of Joanna--6.6
- The Prado--6.6
- Preface for
Babel in Spanish by John Haycraft--6.6
- Promises of Happiness--6.6
- Quelques sé guidilles foits parle douanier Brenan dans son
Mauvias Patois--6.6
- Reader's Report: Surrealism in Spain, Poetry by Paul Ilie--6.6
- The Rendezvous--6.6
- Review of
-
My Mission to Spain by Claude G.
Bowers--6.6
-
The People of the Sierra by J.A.
Pitt-Rivers--6.6
- Relaciones entre lo popluar y lo culto (Popular Influences in
Spanish Lyric Poetry)--6.6
-
The Structure of Spanish History by
Americo Castro--6.6
- Two Books on Spain--6.6
- Ritter von dem Heiligen Geist--6.6
- The Sage--8.4
- Selections from Ezra Pound's shorter poems--8.4
- The Seminarists--8.4
- Song of the Babes in the Woods--8.4
- Sonnet--8.4
-
South from Granada--8.5-9.7
- Spain Yesterday and Today--8.4
- The Spanish Caliphate--8.4
- The Spanish Club--8.4
- The Stork, the Eagle, and the Swallow; and the Plover--8.4
- Three Threshing Coplas--8.4
- To — --8.4
- To Antonia Fuentes--8.4
- To the Parasites of Literature--8.4
- To Those Who in All Ages Crucify Christ--8.4
- Unfinished Poem--8.4
- Verses to D.C. --8.4
- Verses Written on the Mersea Bus--1.9 (on verso of The Factory)
- Virginia: Notes written for a talk on the B.B.C.--8.4
- Why I Chose the Pseudonym George Beaton--8.4
- Word Poem on the Folly of Not Going to Windsor--8.4
- The Zegen Bestiary: Dediction to D.C.P.--8.4