HOLDER, GEOFFREY, 1930-2014.
Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade papers
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Geoffrey Holder papers >
Prose poetry and lyrics
Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade papers > Geoffrey Holder papers > Prose poetry and lyrics
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Subseries 6.4
Prose, poetry, and lyrics, 1960-2008
Boxes 134 - 137
Scope and Content Note
This subseries consists of writings by Geoffrey Holder dating from 1960 to 2008, including newspaper columns and essays for magazines, short stories, book-length works, poems, and songs. Related correspondence, editorial notes, notes by the artist, and drawings accompany some items. Writings by other authors that relate to Holder or were submitted to Holder for review are also present.
A significant number of newspaper columns and magazine essays dating from the 1960s evidence Holder’s early writing career. His editorial pieces include: "The Authentic Caribbean" (circa 1964), "The Awful Afro Trend" (SHOW: The Magazine of the Performing Arts, New York, New York, 1962), "Barefoot in Lagos" (SHOW: The Magazine of the Arts, New York, New York, 1962), "The Body Does Not Lie" (Cosmopolitan Magazine, New York, New York, 1962), "A Man of Many Talents" (New York Journal-American, 1960), "The Twist? It's Not a Dance" (The New York Times, 1961), and several untitled essays. "Rewards," Holder’s essay on Martha Graham for (SHOW: The Magazine of the Arts, New York, New York, 1962-1963) is represented in multiple drafts, with editorial proofs, notes, and related correspondence.
The subseries also contains several unpublished short stories and fairy tales. They include: "Aurora's Golden Aura: A Tale of a Sleeping Beauty," "Cinderella in New Orleans," "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag," "Hansel & Gretel Jackson and the House of Fruitcake," "Mr. Orpheus Black," "The Odyssey of Anna in Her Red Pumps," "The Pied Piper: Felix the Singing Detective," and "Sister Alice in Wonderland." Several of these were compiled in Geoffrey Holder’s Tall Tales (circa 2008), an unpublished collection of Holder’s stories. Some of the stories exist in multiple versions and are also represented in subseries 6.2, where they include or have been adapted as screenplays, synopses, and musicals.
Drafts of several book-length projects authored by Holder, with related editorial notes and correspondence, are also present. Manuscripts by Holder include: Choucun (undated), an autobiographical text titled Geoffrey Holder Biography (circa 1984), and Geoffrey Holder's Caribbean Cookbook (1973). Several drafts of Jennifer Dunning’s book Geoffrey Holder: A Life in Theater, Dance, and Art (2001) are also present.
Arrangement Note
Arranged in alphabetical order by title.
Processing Note
Items in this subseries are authored by Geoffrey Holder unless otherwise stated. Any original labels included by the donor have been transcribed in file level scope and content notes. Unidentified writings are detailed in file level scope and content notes.
| Box | Folder | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 219 | 23 | Afro-American Dance, 1974 April |
| 137 | 1 | "Anna and Her Red Pumps," hell, with printed reference images, undated |
| 137 | 2 | "Annie's Mother left her Father," lyrics, undated |
| 134 | 1 | "Aurora's Golden Aura: A Tale of a Sleeping Beauty," short story, 1996 |
| 134 | 2 | "The Authentic Caribbean," essay, circa 1964 |
| 134 | 3 | "The Awful Afro Trend," essay for SHOW: The Magazine of the Performing Arts (New York, New York), circa 1962 |
| 134 | 4 | "Barefoot in Lagos: An American Cultural Platoon Finds Nigerian Tastes, Manners, and Critical Skills Far from Underdeveloped," essay for SHOW: The Magazine of the Arts (New York, New York), circa 1962 |
| 134 | 5 | "The Body Does Not Lie," essay for Cosmopolitan Magazine (New York, New York), with correspondence, 1962 January-May |
| 219 | 24 | Calypso Song: A Tribute to Mr. Geoffrey Holder, undated |
| 134 | 6 | Caribbean folk tales by Auntie Kay [Kathleen Warner], with correspondence, illustration, and envelope, 1969 April 15 |
| 134 | 7 | The Caribbee Caper by Peter Davis, with correspondence, 1970 November 23 |
| 134 | 8 | Choucun, manuscript, undated [1]
Originally arranged in a folder labeled "Choucounne" and "Black Gods, Green Islands." |
| 134 | 9 | Choucun, manuscript, undated [2] |
| 134 | 10 | "Cinderella in New Orleans," story drafts and reference material, undated |
| 137 | 3 | "Cindy" and "Cinderella in New Orleans," drafts and reference material, 1994 August and undated |
| 134 | 11 | "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag," short story, 1996 and 2002 |
| 134 | 12 | "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag," short story, revised text, 2008 |
| 134 | 13 |
"Dreaming of a Black Christmas," short story, undated
Possibly written by Geoffrey Holder. |
| 137 | 4 | Dufty, William, lyrics and correspondence, 1997 August |
| 134 | 14 |
Fairy tales, synopses and stories, undated [1]
Includes: "The Ugly Duckling," "The Garden of Eden," "The Bell," "She Was No Good," "The Naughty Boy," "Thumbelina," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "Simple Simon," "The Nightingale," "The Angel," "The Butterfly," "The Happy Family," "The Legend of the Wicked Prince," "Heartbreak," "The Princess and the Pea," "The Cripple," "The Story of a Mother," "The Old House," "The Gardener and the Squire," "The Wild Swans." "The Bell" includes post-it note with the following list written in script: "Stories left to be done: The Cripple, The Gardener, The Garden of Eden, The Old House, Story of A Mother, Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina." |
| 137 | 5 |
Fairy tales, synopses and stories, undated [2]
Includes: "The Butterfly," "The Angel," "Simple Simon," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Nightingale." |
| 220 | 3 | Genesis, annotated bible verse, undated |
| 219 | 25 | "Geoffrey Holder," undated |
| 134 | 15 | Geoffrey Holder Biography, circa 1984
Includes note: "Ron Original Re Type." |
| 134 | 16 | Geoffrey Holder Biography, annotated draft with comments, circa 1984 |
| 134 | 17 | Geoffrey Holder Biography, comments and partial manuscript, circa 1984 |
| 134 | 18 | Geoffrey Holder Biography, draft, circa 1984 [1] |
| 134 | 19 | Geoffrey Holder Biography, draft, circa 1984 [2] |
| 134 | 20 | Geoffrey Holder Biography, draft, circa 1984 [3] |
| 134 | 21 | Geoffrey Holder Biography, draft, circa 1984 [4] |
| 134 | 22 | Geoffrey Holder Biography, notes, 1984 March and undated |
| 134 | 23 | Geoffrey Holder Biography, sections with notes and envelope, circa 1984 |
| 137 | 6 | Geoffrey Holder: A Life in Theater, Dance, and Art (2001) by Jennifer Dunning, annotated draft, undated |
| 134 | 24 | Geoffrey Holder: A Life in Theater, Dance, and Art (2001) by Jennifer Dunning, chapters 1, 2, and 3, undated |
| 135 | 1 | Geoffrey Holder: A Life in Theater, Dance, and Art (2001) by Jennifer Dunning, chapters 4, 5, and 6, undated |
| 135 | 2 | Geoffrey Holder: A Life in Theater, Dance, and Art (2001) by Jennifer Dunning, draft, postcard, and envelopes, undated |
| 135 | 3 | Geoffrey Holder Memoirs, first draft, 1984 March 8 [1]
Note: "Ron Richardson original" written on envelope. Draft of Geoffrey Holder Biography. |
| 135 | 4 | Geoffrey Holder Memoirs, first draft, 1984 March 8 [2]
Draft of Geoffrey Holder Biography. |
| 135 | 5 | Geoffrey Holder's Caribbean Cookbook, 1973 [1] |
| 135 | 6 | Geoffrey Holder's Caribbean Cookbook, 1973 [2] |
| 137 | 7 | Geoffrey Holder's Caribbean Cookbook, 1973 [3] |
| 135 | 7 | Geoffrey Holder's Caribbean Cookbook, editing notes, circa 1973 |
| 135 | 8 | Geoffrey Holder's Caribbean Cookbook, manuscript, circa 1973
Alternate title Caribbean Cuisine By Geoffrey Holder. Binder cover photocopied by archivist. |
| 135 | 9 | Geoffrey Holder's Tall Tales, manuscript, circa 2008 [1]
Includes: Title page, "Jubilee" (2002), "Mr. Orpheus Black" (undated), with annotations, "Sister Alice In Wonderland, Rhyme" (2002), "Sister Alice in Wonderland" (1998), "The Badness of Mr. Best" (undated), "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag" (2002), "Hansel and Gretel Jackson and the House of Fruitcake" (2002). |
| 135 | 10 |
Geoffrey Holder's Tall Tales, manuscript, circa 2008 [2]
Includes: Title page, "Mr. Orpheus Black" (undated), "Jubilee" (2002), "The Odyssey of Anna In Her Scarlet Pumps" (2002), "The Golden Aura of Aurora" (2002), "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag" (2002), "Sister Alice In Wonderland, Rhyme" (2002), "Sister Alice in Wonderland" (1998), "Hansel and Gretel Jackson and the House of Fruitcake" (2002), "The Badness of Mr. Best" undated; with post-it notes. |
| 135 | 11 | Geoffrey Holder's Tall Tales, stories and notes, circa 2002
Includes: "Mr. Orpheus Black," (undated), "Jubilee" (2002), "The Odyssey of Anna In Her Scarlet Pumps" (2002), "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag" (2002), "Sister Alice In Wonderland, Rhyme" (2002), "Sister Alice in Wonderland" (1998), "The Badness of Mr. Best" (undated); binder cover photocopied by archivist. |
| 135 | 12 | "Get Her-The Girl with the Long Name," Carmen de Lavallade biography by Geoffrey Holder, undated |
| 135 | 13 | "Hansel & Gretel Jackson and the House of Fruitcake," short story, circa 1990s |
| 135 | 14 | "A History of Waxey Gordon and the United States," book proposal by William Dufty, 1961 |
| 135 | 15 | Holder, Geoffrey as painter, anecdote, unidentified author, 1963 September |
| 135 | 16 | Holder, Geoffrey, autobiographical writings about painting, undated |
| 135 | 17 |
Holder, Geoffrey, biography, undated
Possibly written by William Dufty. |
| 135 | 18 | Holder, Geoffrey on acting, undated |
| 219 | 26 | "Holder songs," notebook, circa 1950s |
| 135 | 19 | "Hooray for Geoffrey Holder!," school paper by Ruth Van Laningham, 1981 November 2 |
| 135 | 20 | House of Flowers, photo caption, undated
Includes note: "first picture in book caption." |
| 219 | 27 | Job 3, handwritten bible verse, undated |
| 219 | 28 | "Jump Rope Rhymes and so on, for Geoffrey," undated |
| 135 | 21 | "Maladie d'Amour," song/poem, undated |
| 135 | 22 | "A Man of Many Talents," newspaper column, New York Journal-American, with correspondence and Holder biographies, 1960 August 31 and undated |
| 137 | 8 | "Mouge" and "Ti Paul," handwritten songs/poems with drawings, undated |
| 135 | 23 | "Mr. Orpheus Black," revised story, 2008 |
| 135 | 24 | "Mr. Orpheus Black," treatment and story, undated |
| 220 | 4 | "The Odyssey of Anna and her Red Pumps," 1998 |
| 135 | 25 | "The Odyssey of Anna in Her Red Pumps," prologue, undated |
| 135 | 26 | "The Odyssey of Anna in Her Red Pumps," songs, poems, artist notes, and drawings, undated |
| 135 | 27 | "The Odyssey of Anna In Her Scarlet Pumps," with French translation, 1997 August 4 |
| 220 | 5 | Peter and the Wolf, narration, undated |
| 135 | 28 | "The Pied Piper: Felix the Singing Detective," short story, 2000 |
| 219 | 29 | The Prodigal Prince, with reference image, circa 1999 |
| 135 | 29 |
"Red Shoes-Scarlet Pumps," "Mr. Orpheus Black," and "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag," revised texts, 2008
The order reflects the original arrangement. |
| 135 | 30 | "The Renaissance Experience, circa 1972 with Geoffrey Holder," unidentified author, undated |
| 135 | 31 |
"Rewards," Martha Graham essay for SHOW: The Magazine of the Arts (New York, New York), correspondence with notes and captions, 1962-1963
Correspondence with SHOW: The Magazine of the Arts (New York, New York) editors George Wiswell and Helen Lawrensen and editors from The Queen and Saturday Review. |
| 137 | 9 | "Rewards," Martha Graham essay for SHOW: The Magazine of the Arts (New York, New York), editorial proofs, 1962 |
| 135 | 32 | "Rewards," Martha Graham essay for SHOW: The Magazine of the Arts (New York, New York), original draft, circa 1963 |
| 135 | 33 | "Rewards," Martha Graham essay for SHOW: The Magazine of the Arts (New York, New York), partial draft, circa 1963 |
| 135 | 34 | "Rewards," Martha Graham essay for SHOW: The Magazine of the Arts (New York, New York), revised draft, circa 1963 |
| 135 | 35 | "Sam's White Day," short story by Judith Young Mallin, undated |
| 135 | 36 |
"Sister Alice in Wonderland," "Mr. Orpheus Black," "The Scarlet Pumps," and "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag," revised texts, 2008
Stories kept in their original arrangement. |
| 135 | 37 |
"Sister Alice in Wonderland," "Mr. Orpheus Black," "The Scarlet Pumps," and "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag," revised texts with title pages, 2008
Stories kept in their original arrangement. |
| 135 | 38 |
"Sister Alice in Wonderland," "Red Shoes-Scarlet Pumps," "Mr. Orpheus Black," and "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag," revised texts, 2008 [1]
Stories kept in their original arrangement. |
| 135 | 39 |
"Sister Alice in Wonderland," "Red Shoes-Scarlet Pumps," "Mr. Orpheus Black," and "Cindy and the Brown Paper Bag," revised texts, 2008 [2]
Stories kept in their original arrangement. |
| 135 | 40 | "Sister Alice in Wonderland," revised text, 2008 |
| 136 | 1 | "The Social Evolution of the Steelbands," unidentified author, undated |
| 136 | 2 | "Some Good-Some Not So Good: Tales by and Tales Retold by Leo de Lavallade," with correspondence, 1976 April and 1974 February 17 |
| 137 | 10 | "Song 4-What Is This World Coming Too," lyrics, 1997 July 3 |
| 219 | 30 | "Songs and Memories," notebook, circa 1950s |
| 136 | 3 | "The Story of Geoffrey," unidentified author, undated |
| 136 | 4 | "The Twist? It's Not a Dance," handwritten essay draft, circa 1961 |
| 136 | 5 |
Untitled essay, undated [1]
Subjects: Katherine Dunham, African-American dance. |
| 136 | 6 |
Untitled essay, undated [2]
Subjects: tourists, Caribbean, food, voodoo. |
| 219 | 31 | Untitled notebook, circa 1950s |
| 219 | 32 | Untitled notebooks, undated [1] |
| 219 | 33 | Untitled notebooks, undated [2] |
| 219 | 34 | Untitled notebook, undated [1] |
| 219 | 35 | Untitled notebook, undated [2] |
| 219 | 36 | Untitled notebook, undated [3] |
| 136 | 7 |
Untitled poem, undated [1]
Subjects: Adam, Lilith. |
| 136 | 8 | Untitled poem, undated [2] |
| 136 | 9 | Untitled poem/song, undated |
| 136 | 10 | Untitled story, unidentified author, with correspondence, undated |
| 136 | 11 |
Untitled synopsis, undated
With character named Slim. |
| 136 | 12 |
Untitled writing, undated
Possibly written by William Dufty. |
| 137 | 11 |
Untitled writing in verse, 2002 January
Possibly written by Geoffrey Holder. The subject is Ella Sheppard, original director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers at Fisk University (Nashville, Tennessee). |
| 136 | 13 |
Untitled writing in verse, with research and "Songs My Mother Taught Me" poem, 2002 January-February and undated [1]
The subject is Ella Sheppard, original director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers at Fisk University (Nashville, Tennessee). Research materials focus on Shappard and the abolishment of slavery in the United States. |
| 219 | 37 | Untitled writing in verse, with research and "Songs My Mother Taught Me" poem, 2002 January-February and undated [2] |
| 221 | 1 | Untitled writing on tourism, undated |
| 221 | 2 | Untitled writings, undated |
| 136 | 14 | "The World of Geoffrey Holder: Borders Dissolved," exhibition description by John Nunley, undated |
| 221 | 3 | "The Young Man and the Computers, with magazine," circa 1993 |
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