Series 29c: General Correspondence, Eudora Welty Collection (Z/0301)

Series 29c: General Correspondence.

Dates: 1932-2002; n.d.
Size: 15.33 cubic ft.

Introduction to the series:

This subseries consists of the general incoming correspondence of Eudora Welty. Unlike the Select Correspondence in Series 29b, the letters in this series are not usually part of regular, substantive, or numerous exchanges with Welty, but are rather penned for occasional greetings, or for specific queries or purposes. Indeed, a considerable part of this General Correspondence could be classified as “fan mail.” There are letters of admiration from members of the public, strangers to her. Inspired by her work, her appearances on television, or news articles about her, these letters request autographs, book signings, photographs, or even meetings with Welty herself, and sometimes take the form of birthday or Christmas cards. A number of such letters or cards are from high school and college students, sometimes sent as part of a class exercise, expressing admiration after reading one of Welty’s works for a class assignment, or asking questions of Welty for a paper or project.

Nevertheless, the General Correspondence should be seen as a complement to the Select Correspondence, furthering the information available on Welty’s family, her life in Jackson, and her professional career. Some letters contain information on Welty’s own family. There is correspondence from genealogists investigating the various branches of the Welty family, some of them being Welty family members themselves. Other letters are from people who directly knew members of Welty’s family, such as her brother Edward. A number of letters in the General Correspondence come from residents of Jackson who knew Welty and her family: neighbors; friends of mutual friends, and people who worked for Welty and her family in her home or garden. Further glimpses of Welty’s life in Jackson may be obtained from letters of representatives of Jackson organizations in which Welty took an active interest herself, such as New Stage Theatre or Millsaps College. Indeed, the General Correspondence contains numerous letters regarding Welty’s support of both local and national philanthropic, civic, and arts organizations, including some requests from prominent national or local celebrities such as Patricia Kennedy Lawford, José Ferrer, or Thalia Mara.

The General Correspondence may also be of use for documentation of Welty’s professional career and activities. There are numerous letters from publishers and editors. Some concern works of Welty in publication; some are requests for literary contributions, such as essays, short stories, or introductions by her; and others are invitations for her to read or review works of other writers. Similarly, the General Correspondence contains many letters from presidents and professors of universities and colleges transmitting requests and arrangements for Welty to read or lecture at their institutions, and some from friends or acquaintances she made on such trips. Letters in the General Correspondence also trace the honors received by Welty: the degrees awarded by educational institutions; the monetary grants received from foundations or endowments; literary prizes like the PEN/Malamud Award; and marks of international acclaim such as the French Légion d’Honneur.

There are occasional letters in the General Correspondence that directly relate to those contained in the Select Correspondence. These include both letters sent by acquaintances of Welty’s long-standing friends such as Rosie Russell or Charlotte Capers, and requests received from students or scholars seeking Welty’s help in their research on Welty’s friends, such as Elizabeth Bowen.

Of particular interest for the researcher are the notes by Welty herself that sprinkle envelopes and letters of the General Correspondence as they did the Select. Sometimes these notations take the form of a simple direction to self or secretary to “reply,” or an extraneous list or a macaroon recipe, but they may also consist of comments by Welty on her own work, or the draft of a substantive response.

Note on the Arrangement:

The General Correspondence is arranged by the date of the principal piece of correspondence. The bulk of this collection falls between 1980 and 2001. The dates have been established from the items themselves; lacking such a date, from the postmark of the envelope; or, in the case of an announcement, the date of the event. Undated correspondence and cards follow the dated correspondence. Placed last in the subseries are the oversized items.

Some correspondence mentions gifts or work sent to Welty. If these are not present with the letters, it indicates that these items no longer accompanied the correspondence at the time of processing. In those cases in which letters to Welty still enclosed substantive pieces of work, both the works (whether poetry, stories, genealogy, art or other genres) and their accompanying letters have been removed to another series where their context will be preserved and they may better serve the researcher.

Box List:

Letters lacking exact dates or bearing only approximate ones may be found near folders for the relevant months or years.

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