Gene Baro Papers

Primarily correspondence to Gene Baro from a wide assortment of friends and literary and artistic colleagues, some of his own letters, manuscript and published writings, and personal documents, including a few photographs, throughout Baro's adult lifetime, although bulk is from 1950 to 1965.

Most of the correspondence is from the period when Baro was at the University of Florida and Bennington College and may be regarded as primarily personal correspondence from friends, "professional" literary correspondence from publishers, editors, or other writers, and correspondence from literary figures, with whom he developed friendships, which may have overlapped with professional connections. A significant amount of correspondence concerns his activities as curator of UF's Creative Writing Collection.

Notable among the correspondents are Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings whose 55 letters constitute an important complement to the University of Florida's large collection of her correspondence. The largest number of letters is from the artist Albert Eugene Stadler, who was Baro's friend from childhood and heir upon his death. Letters from writer Clyde Miller, who lived with Baro at Cross Creek for several years, and UF professor William Carleton, represent two of his most important contacts from the University of Florida. A significant number of third-party letters to Miller are in the Baro Papers. The most prolific professional contact is New York Herald-Tribune Book Review editor Irita Van Doren. Correspondence with almost all literary figures seems to have dropped off by the mid-sixties. The smaller quantity of letters from the last twenty years of his life relates to his art endeavors and is less varied.

Principal correspondents include Robert O. Bowen (about 50 pieces), poet John Malcolm Brinnin (36 items), Princess Marguerite Caetani (38 items), William G. "Bill" Carleton (16 items), anthropological film maker Maya Deren (27 items), a young British friend, Dallas Edmonds (45 items), UF friend Stanley Fouraker (17 items), novelist Marianne Hauser (12 items), Colin Haycoft (12 items), John Clellon Holmes (15 items), Don. R. Howard (12 items), bookseller and publisher George Kirgo (10 items), landlord and friends, Mildred and Robert D. Leigh (about 40 items), Allan Lewis (10 items), David Loovis (14 items ), British journalist Roger Machell (28 items), Wallace Meyer (15 items), Clyde Miller (62 items), poet and editor Howard Moss (24 items), UF English professor Ants Oras (15 items), poet Bob Pack (16 items), Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (55 letters) and her husband Norton Baskin (32 letters), poet and Stand editor Jon Silkin (10 items), Albert Eugene Stadler (150 items), John and Ruth Stephan (32 items), British bookseller David Watmough (30 pieces), poet and editor John Hall Wheelock, (28 items), and novelist Marguerite Young (28 items).

Notable literary names in the correspondence, but in lesser quantities include Robert Bly, Paul Bowles, Kay Boyle, Truman Capote, James T. Farrell, Randall Jarrell, James Jones, Henry Miller, Marianne Moore Howard Nemerov, William Styron, May Swenson, and Dylan Thomas. Several of these letters regard contributions to the Creative Writing Collection.

There are also large segments of correspondence from various publishers or publications, often signed by well known figures, including American Scholar (21 items, mostly signed by Hiram Hayden), Atlantic Monthly (13 letters), Chtto and Windus (6 items, by C. Day Lewis), Harper's Bazaar (12 letters), Alfred A. Knopf, inc. (13 letters), the Nation (24 letters), New American Library (23 items, principally by Arabel J. Porter), New York Herald Tribune Book Review (about 130 items, mostly by Irita Van Doren), New Yorker (17 letters, mostly by Howard Moss), Poetry (about 40 pieces from Karl Shapiro and Henry Rago), Scribner's (20 items), University of Florida Libraries (45 letters, most by Stanley West, Director).

The manuscript portion of the papers is less rich, but does include a typed manuscript of "Northwind," and of an unpublished collection, "Looking for Winter," as well as several manuscripts of individual poems and short stories.

A detailed calendar has been prepared for some of the correspondence from Baro's closest friends, Albert Stadler and Clyde Miller, and individuals which have a special significance to the UF Libraries and its manuscript collections. These include Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and her husband Norton S. Baskin, and some of the individuals who were among their friends; important figures in the history of the University, such as William Carleton; and the Florida writers, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, also a friend of Rawlings, and Lillian Smith.