Carol Bergé

An Inventory of Her Papers in the Manuscript Collection at the Harry Ransom Center

Biographical Sketch

Carol Bergé, born in 1928, in New York City, was primarily a poet and fiction writer. She was educated at New York University, 1946-1952, and at the New School for Social Research, 1952-1954. Bergé worked as a journalist and editorial assistant during the 1950s for such organizations as Simon and Schuster and Forbes magazine. In 1970, she founded CENTER Magazine and Press and served as editor and publisher until 1992. She also served as editor of The Mississippi Review (1977-1978) and of Ahsahta Press (1983).

Bergé lectured extensively at such universities as the University of New Mexico, the University of California at Santa Cruz, Indiana University at Bloomington, the State University of New York at Albany, and the University of Southern Mississippi. She was a board member of organizations such as American Center of P.E.N. and Poets and Writers. Bergé was also awarded numerous literary honors. These include the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation fellowship (1964), four fellowships-in-residence at the MacDowell Colony (1970-1975), and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction (1980).

Bergé was a prominent figure in New York's East Village poetry scene of the late 1950s and 1960s. Her work could be characterized as including "Beat" and early feminist elements, but reflects such diverse influences as Chaucer, Shakespeare, D. H. Lawrence, Dylan Thomas, William Carlos Williams, and Pablo Neruda. Bergé was involved with poets of the San Francisco poetry renaissance as well as poets of the Deux Megots, Le Métro cafe, and participated in the multimedia "happenings" which characterized New York's East Village poetry scene. She was involved in the origins of the poetry series at St. Mark's Church in the Bowery, which continues to introduce and support contemporary poets. In this capacity, and as very much a part of an urban avant-garde, she helped organize a number of important benefits and conferences.

A selection of her early poems was included in Imamu Amiri Baraka's (LeRoi Jones') 1962 anthology Four Young Lady Poets. Her later poems were frequently anthologized and appeared in numerous important literary magazines of the 1960s-1980s, as well as in journals such as Poetry and The Nation. In 1964, she published the first of a dozen small press books, The Vulnerable Island. A volume of reportage, The Vancouver Report, was published in 1965, and two poetry volumes, Poems Made of Skin and Circles, as in the Eye, were published in 1968 and 1969. In 1971, Bergé published From a Soft Angle: Poems about Women, which reflected a trend towards women's issues as a focus in writing. During the 1970s, Bergé's writing focus moved into prose and fiction. Her first novel, Acts of Love: An American Novel, appeared in 1973. In 1981, she published a collection of short fiction pieces entitled Fierce Metronome, and in 1984, she published her second novel, Secrets, Gossip and Slander.

Carol Bergé died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February 12, 2006.

Scope and Contents

The Carol Bergé Papers, 1960-1969, include drafts, notes, manuscripts, galleys, and page proofs of her works, plus correspondence, research materials, clippings, and contracts. The manuscripts for Poems Made of Skin (1968) and Circles, as in the Eye (1969) are found in this collection, as are those prose pieces that focus on local histories of contemporary art/literary scenes and trends. The bulk of the collection consists of Bergé's extensive correspondence with friends, writers, and editors. Also included are notes and press releases for the numerous benefits in which Bergé participated or organized. The remainder of the collection includes manuscripts by other authors, most of which were gifts to Bergé. The materials found in this collection document Bergé's work and life prior to 1970.

In addition to Bergé's own work and life, the papers touch upon several subject areas: the poetry of the "Beats," the San Francisco poetry renaissance, the New York East Side scene (especially the Deux Megots poets) and early modern feminist trends in poetry. The papers also document the numerous poets and editors with whom Bergé corresponded. Significant correspondents include: Imamu Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Nelson Ball, Paul Blackburn, Jerry Bloedow, Robert Creeley, David Cunliffe, Edward Dahlberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, George Hitchcock, David Ignatow, Lenore Kandel, Denise Levertov, Gordon Lish, Walter Lowenfels, W. S. Merwin, David Ossman, Margaret Randall, Tom Raworth, Ed Sanders, Diane Wakoski, and Louis Zukofksy. A complete list of correspondents is located at the end of this guide.

The collection is arranged in four series: Works, 1960-1969 (1.5 boxes), Poetry Readings, 1961-1967 (1 box), Poetry Manuscripts Collected, undated (0.5 box), and Correspondence, 1960-1969 (2 boxes). While the materials have been arranged into these series, the original order of material within folders has generally not been altered.

Series Descriptions

Series I. Works, 1960-1969 (1.5 boxes)

This series consists of notes, drafts, manuscripts and proofs of Bergé poems, essays and early chapbooks. These manuscripts have been placed in alphabetical order by title, but the original order of material within the folders created by Bergé has not been altered. Published works represented include: Circles, as in the Eye (1969), Poems Made of Skin (1968), and The Vancouver Report (1964), as well as the article "An Informal Chronograph of Some New York Poets, 1960-1965." Also included are her prose pieces concerning the contemporary poetry scene. There are several notebooks (calendars and address books) which include, besides addresses and daily schedules, notes and drafts for poems. Correspondence relating to the creation of these literary works is also present in this series.

Series II. Poetry Readings, 1961-1967 (1 box)

This series consists of notes, articles, press releases, and lists of poets for the various readings and benefits that Bergé helped organize. The bulk of the material represents a large benefit for El Corno Emplumado and its editor Margaret Randall. Also included are notes and flyers concerning problems that developed when the Deux Megots readings moved to St. Mark's Church in the Bowery in the East Village in New York City. The materials in this series were arranged by Bergé in chronological order and by event.

Series III. Poetry Manuscripts Collected, undated (0.5 box)

This series consists of originals and photocopies of manuscripts by Bergé's friends and colleagues. These manuscripts were often inscribed to her as gifts or were used in conferences and lectures. These include a number of concrete and/or mixed media poems (e.g. drawings, maps, postcards) as well as printed matter. Many other manuscripts of Bergé's friends and colleagues are found in the correspondence series. Materials in Series III are in alphabetical order by author. Significant poets represented here include: Paul Blackburn, Cid Corman, Fielding Dawson, Ted Enslin, Allen Ginsberg, Anselm Hollo, Robert Kelly, Jackson Mac Low, Margaret Randall, Ed Sanders, Gael Turnbull, and Diane Wakoski.

Series IV. Correspondence, 1960-1969 (2 boxes)

This series consists of extensive correspondence from Bergé's friends, colleagues, and editors. The majority of the correspondence is in a loose chronological order from 1962 to 1967. Remaining correspondence is in alphabetical order; individuals for whom there is more extensive material have separate folders, and there is one general correspondence folder. Bergé often kept carbons of her own letters and responses with the appropriate incoming correspondence. The original arrangement is maintained with no differentiation between incoming and outgoing correspondence.

The correspondence documents the numerous poets and editors with whom Bergé corresponded. The letters reflect Bergé's thoughts on relationships, lifestyles, and sexuality as well as the status and publication of her works. Also found in this series are poetry manuscripts and professional and literary criticism by Bergé and others.

Restrictions

Access:

Open for research

Related Material

Administrative Information

Acquisition:

Purchase, 1969 (R5081)

Processed by:

John Minniece, Eric Speas; Revised January 1994 by David Hatfield Sparks

Sources:

Container List

Index of Correspondents