GONNE, MAUD, 1866-1953.
Maud Gonne and W.B. Yeats papers, circa 1890-1938

Restrictions on access

Unrestricted access.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Special restrictions apply: Reproduction of materials from the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library is prohibited without permission of the NYPL.

Related Materials in This Repository

Maud Gonne collection and W.B. Yeats collection

Source

Purchase from Maggs Bros., Ltd. on behalf of Anna MacBride White, 2002.

Custodial History

Anna MacBride White is the granddaughter of Maude Gonne.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Maud Gonne and W.B. Yeats papers, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University.

Appraisal Note

Steve Enniss, former Director of Rose Library, acquired the collection as part of the Library's holdings in Irish literature.

Processing

Processed by Melissa Maday, January 2003.

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Biographical Note

Edith Maud Gonne was born December 21, 1866 at Tongham, Surrey. She was the daughter of Captain Thomas Gonne of the 17th Lancers and Edith Frith Gonne. Her childhood was spent in Ireland, London, and Paris. In 1891, she gave birth to Georges, fathered by Lucien Millevoie; a daughter, Iseult, followed in 1895. Devoted to the cause of Irish nationalism, Maud Gonne was active in many political causes including housing for evicted farmers, food for school children, and improved conditions for Irish political prisoners. In 1900 she founded the Daughters of Erin, an organization which promoted women's involvement in nationalist causes. The organization established classes in Irish history and language, among other activities. In 1902 Maud Gonne played the lead role in W.B. Yeats' Cathleen ni Houlihan. The following year, she married the Irish patriot Major John MacBride. The marriage ended in 1905. In later years, Maud Gonne was repeatedly imprisoned for her political activities. Her A Servant of the Queen, published in 1938, is her own account of her early life. Maud Gonne is remembered as the object of W.B. Yeats' love and for having inspired some of his finest poems.

Publication Note

The Gonne-Yeats Letters 1893-1938 (W.W. Norton, 1992)

Scope and Content Note

The collection is made up primarily of correspondence, including 375 letters from Maud Gonne to W.B. Yeats, written between 1890 and 1930. The collection also contains 27 letters from Yeats to Gonne from roughly the same period. Most of these letters were published in the volume The Gonne-Yeats Letters 1893-1938 (W.W. Norton, 1992) edited by Maud Gonne's granddaughter, Anna MacBride White, and A. Norman Jeffars.

In addition to the Gonne-Yeats correspondence, this collection also contains other correspondence, including two letters from Yeats to his longtime friend Olivia Shakespear, and one letter to him from his friend and patron, Lady Augusta Gregory. Most of the other correspondence in this collection relates to Maud Gonne's 1905 attempt to divorce her husband, John MacBride. Notable correspondents include Gonne's cousin, May "Bertie" Clay, John Quinn, John O'Leary, and Maud Gonne's lawyer, Mr. Williams. The majority of correspondence in the collection is holograph letters unless otherwise noted.

Series 2 of this collection contains the French transcripts of the divorce proceedings, as well as the final decree, which granted Gonne legal separation and custody of their son, but did not give her a divorce since neither she nor John MacBride were French citizens.

Arrangement Note

Organized into two series: (1) Correspondence and (2) MacBride divorce documents.

Finding Aid Note

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