Hilda Doolittle papers
Biographical/Historical note
Hilda Doolittle (1886-1961), born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was a writer and poet of the Imagist movement who published under the name "H.D." Her work is characterized by the strength of her images, economy of language, and widespread use of classical mythology for models on which to base her early poetry. H.D.'s first published poems appeared in the journal Poetry in 1913, after she sailed to Europe in 1911 and joined London's literary circles. She married fellow poet and translator Richard Aldington in 1913. After a few short years, the couple permanently separated, although they did not officially divorce until 1938.
H.D. lived in Europe for the remainder of her life, maintaining a lifelong relationship with the novelist Winifred Ellerman. "Bryher," as Ellerman was called, saved H.D. from a serious illness and depression after her daughter Perdita was born in 1919. Perdita was eventually legally adopted by Bryher, who was married to Kenneth Macpherson at the time. H.D. and Bryher often shared a home over the years and frequently traveled throughout Europe together. Following a severe mental breakdown after World War II, H.D. moved to Switzerland with Bryher, where she lived and wrote until her death in 1961.
Through H.D.'s early connections with poets such as Ezra Pound and D.H. Lawrence, she grew interested in and quickly became a leader of the Imagist movement, and is regarded by some as the finest of all Imagist poets. However, her poems did not receive as much widespread appreciation and acclaim during her own lifetime, perhaps because many of her poems spoke to an audience that was unready to respond to the strong feminist principles articulated in her work. As Norman Holmes Pearson, H.D.'s literary executor, remarked after her death, "we may not yet know how to read her."
Scope and Contents
This small collection consists primarily of correspondence between H.D. and her brother Harold Doolittle and his wife Nettie, as well as correspondence between Bryher and Harold. There are also a few letters written by H.D.'s mother Helen Doolittle; another brother Melvin Doolittle; a distant relative W.F. Doolittle; Norman Holmes Pearson; and miscellaneous business letters written to Harold Doolittle. Most of the letters were written by H.D. and Bryher, during the 1930s and 1940s in Europe.
The correspondence is described using the following abbreviations: TL = typed letter; AL = autograph letter; TLS = typed letter signed; ALS = autograph letter signed; TPCS = typed postcard signed; APCS = autograph postcard signed.
Creator
- H. D. (Hilda Doolittle), 1886-1961 (Person)
- Bryher, 1894-1983 (Person)
Dates
- Creation: 1924-1949
Language of Materials
English
Extent
1 box(es)
Access
The Hilda Doolittle Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.
Use
In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was given in 1997 by James William Johnson, Professor of English at the University of Rochester from 1955 to 1997.
Preferred Citation
[Item title, item date], Hilda Doolittle Papers, D.257, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Subject
- H. D. (Hilda Doolittle), 1886-1961 (Person)
- Bryher, 1894-1983 (Person)
- Title
- Hilda Doolittle papers
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
- Date
- undated
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Library Details
Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library