Eliseo Vivas (1901-1993) Papers

The Eliseo Vivas Papers fill 17 boxes (one is half-size) and span the period 1922-1987. They are arranged in five categories: biographical materials, correspondence, teaching files, speech manuscripts and papers, and publications. Some of the materials are written in Spanish.

The biographical materials include personal data, bibliographies, clippings, family materials, financial records, an interview, and note books. Of special interest are a two and one-half page biographical article by T. S. Hayes and a four page “Statement of the Major Ideas That Have Controlled My Work” prepared by Vivas (Box 1, Folder 1). The bibliographies include a copy of the 22-page section from Viva Vivas. The clippings deal mostly with Vivas's speeches but also include several likenesses in newspapers and magazines (dating from 1923). The family materials include items about his daughter, Marta Elvia Vivas Zogbaum (e.g., birth certificate, passports, and obituary), and some legal and financial items related to his father, Eliseo Vivas Perez (Box 1, Folder 2). The financial records include periodic reports of the distribution of family funds in Venezuela. The 17 page interview, published in 1950, is written in Spanish; accompanying it is a 9 page English typescript in which Vivas made addtiions and corrections. The notebooks contain a variety of material (Box 2, Folders 8-9; Box 3, Folders 1-2) ranging from the intensely personal (thoughts and personal examinings, often recorded late at night), through notes and ponderings on readings, philosophical problems, and daily life, to views on colleagues and notes for papers and books.

The correspondence, occupying slightly more than nine boxes, comprises the largest category. The general correspondence is arranged chronologically by date. There are only five folders of subject correspondence. Of special value are the many letters to and from Vivas dealing with contemporary matters in philosophy and literary criticism. Frequent correspondents include Henry Regnery, Hugh Curtler, Murray Kreiger, Angelo Bertocci, Donald Zoll, Merle Browne, Stephen Tonsor, Russell Kirk, and Mark Graubard. Of special interest are two letters from Katherine Anne Porter (April 26 and July 3, 1960, Box 4, Folder 3) which deal at some length with her writings and literary views as well as with D. H. Lawrence and Vivas's work on Lawrence. Joseph Wood Krutch is represented by a typed postcard (May 19, 1968; Box 6, Folder 4) commenting on a Vivas article. This category also contains many letters from Marta Elvia and a few to her from Vivas. Marta Elvia was a free-lance editor, feminist, and wife of the artist and sculptor, Wilfrid Zogbaum.

In the subject correspondence two folders are of some interest for the light they shed on Vivas and the correspondents. One (Box 13, Folder 3) contains materials by, to, and about Sarah Cohen Vivas; the other (Box 12, Folder 11) contains letters from Ann Henry, and a few from Vivas. They were close friends in the 1930's.

The teaching files contain many handwritten lectures and parts of lectures.

The speech manuscripts and papers include drafts and notes.

The publications files include small amounts of correspondence, typescripts, and notes related to several books. Of interest is a 3 page summary of a book, “A Study of the Liberal Ethos”, which Vivas apparently never carried further. Most of this category consists of drafts of, or notes for, various articles. Here also is the text of a poem, “New York”, written in 1924. Book reviews occupy eight folders. Many of the reviews are clippings or tearsheets from the original magazines or newspapers. Of interest is the section on criticism of Vivas's writings (Box 16, Folder 9; Box 17, Folders 1-9) which includes manuscript material, reprints of articles, and printouts of microfilmed theses.