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Guide to the Seymour Krim Papers

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Collection Overview
Date Span:1950-2012
Creator:Krim, Seymour (1922-1989)
Extent:4.75 linear feet.
Collection Number:MSC0367
Repository:University of Iowa Special Collections
Summary:Journalist and essayist. Correspondence, typescripts, notes, reviews, published copies, etc. relating to his literary career and his contributions to beat literature and the new journalism movement.

Seymour M. Krim (1922- 1989) was born in New York City. He spent one year attending the University of North Carolina and then had a wartime job with the Office of War Information. He moved to Greenwich Village and began working as a writer. He edited Nugget magazine, was a reporter for the New York Herald Tribune and contributed essays and reviews to many publications, including the Village Voice. Krim was closely associated with the literary Beats. He is regarded as one of the fathers of "new journalism" or c"reative non-fiction". He taught at a number of institutions including the Iowa Writers' Workshop and Columbia University. In 1986, while teaching in Haifa, he suffered a major heart attack. On August 30, 1989, after becoming almost completely disabled, he ended his own life.

The Seymour Krim papers are arranged chronologically within an alphabetical sequence. Included are drafts of his articles, essays, and reviews. There are also typescripts and reviews from his published collections, among which are: The Beats; Views of a Nearsighted Cannoneer; You and Me; Shake It for the World; Smartass; and others. His unfinished book, Chaos, is also represented. The collection contains over three boxes of correspondence arranged chronologically, including letters from Jim Burns, Malcolm Crowley, Charlotte Curtis, Fielding Dawson, James Dickey, Robert Duncan, Elinore Eisinger, Charlotte Gafford, Ralph Gleason, Irving Grossber, Pete Hamill, Daryl Hendersen, Milton Hindus, Richard Hugo, J.R. Humphreys, Alan Kapelner, William Kennedy, Milton Klonsky, Arthur Krim, Norman Mailer, W.H. Manville, David Markson, Harvey Matusow, John Nichols, Gerald Nicosia, Anthony Powell, Dan Propper, Dotson Rader, Dachine Rainier, Morris Renek, Alan Ross, Francis Schwartz, Michael Seide, Mark Schechner, C.P. Snow, Irving Stettner, Gay Talese, H.L. Van Brunt, Dan Wakefield, Richard Walton, Tom Wolfe, and Richard Yates. An index to the correspondence is available in the repository.

Alternate Extent Statement: Photographs in Box 10; Video Material in Box 8; Ephemera in Boxes 7 and 8.

Access: This collection is open for research.

Use: Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.

Acquisition: The Seymour M. Krim Papers were purchased from Mr. Krim.

Preferred Citation: Seymour Krim Papers, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa.

Repository:University of Iowa Special Collections
Address:Special Collections Department
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone:319-335-5921
Curator:Greg Prickman
Email:lib-spec@uiowa.edu
Website:http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/

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This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.


Dates:
20th century
20th century

Topics:
American fiction
American literature
American poetry
Authors, American
Beat generation in literature
Journalism
Poets, American
Short stories, American

Genre/Form of Materials:
Drafts (Documents)
Video recordings

Browse:
English & American Literature
Writers Archive at Iowa
Journalists and Journalism