Summary Information
Abstract
Ben Sonnenberg, Jr., is a writer and editor best known for
founding
Grand Street,
a New York literary
quarterly, which he edited from 1981 until his retirement in 1989; the magazine
continued for another fifteen years before it finally ceased publication in the fall
of 2004. The bulk of the collection comprises correspondence between Ben Sonnenberg,
Jr. and literary contributors associated with
Grand Street.
Some
Grand Street
administrative files and a
small amount of personal material, including family letters and writings, are also
included.
At a Glance
Call No.: | MS#1457 |
Bib ID: | 6894663 View CLIO record |
Creator(s): | Sonnenberg, Ben. |
Title: | Ben Sonnenberg
Papers,
1956-2010
|
Physical description: | 9 linear ft. (20 document boxes)
|
Language(s): | In English.
|
Access: |
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least
two business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and
Manuscript Library reading room.
Box 8, folders 8 through 10 are restricted until 2022.
More information » |
Arrangement
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in three series.
Return to top
Description
Scope and Content
The majority of the collection consists of personal and professional correspondence
between Ben Sonnenberg, Jr.,
Grand Street
contributors, and other writers associated with the New York literary scene. The
correspondence is primarily literary in scope, with writers often responding to
criticism of manuscripts and works in progress, as well as providing "updates" on
work and home life. In addition to letters from contributors, the series includes
letters from other editors-some amicable, others less so-which provide an incisive
portrait of the New York literary culture in the mid-1990s.
Also included in the collection are administrative and financial records from
Grand Street
magazine, manuscripts of Sonnenberg's own
work, and a small amount of family and personal correspondence. Overall, the
material is in excellent condition, with the exception of newspaper clippings and
magazine articles, many of which are acidic and have been either separated or
photocopied to preserve their integrity.
Series I: Correspondence and Manuscripts, 1956- 2001
This series consists of correspondence from the mid-1960s through the 1990s,
with a strong emphasis the years immediately following Sonnenberg's
retirement as editor of
Grand Street
magazine
(1989-2000). In addition to written correspondence, materials include drafts
and manuscripts of written work, photos, drawings, and other ephemera
included with written letters. Of particular interest is correspondence with
W.S. Merwin, James Salter, James Laughlin, Anne Carson, and Susan Minot,
which spans multiple decades and provides a rich glimpse into their
respective literary careers. This series is arranged alphabetically.
Series II:
Grand Street
Administrative Records,
1983- 2001
Included in this series are administrative and financial records associated
with Grand Street, charitable donations and letters from fans and
contributors. The materials are arranged alphabetically.
Series III: Personal, 1969-2001
Personal materials, including manuscripts of Sonnenberg's writings, and
research materials, as well as photos and family correspondence comprise
this small series. The materials are arranged alphabetically.
Return to top
Using the Collection
Offsite
Access Restrictions
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least
two business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and
Manuscript Library reading room.
Box 8, folders 8 through 10 are restricted until 2022.
Restrictions on Use
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML approves permission to
publish that which it physically owns; the responsibility to secure copyright
permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Ben Sonnenberg Papers; Box and
Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Related Material
The Sally Belfrage Papers
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Return to top
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries. Rare Book and
Manuscript Library; machine readable finding aid created by Columbia University
Libraries Digital Library Program Division
Processing Information
Papers processed in July 2008 by Katie Gradowski, GSAS 2012
Papers catalogued in December 2008 by Lea Osborne
Machine readable finding aid generated from MARC-AMC source via XSLT
conversion January 22, 2009
Finding aid written in English.
xml document instance created by Lea Osborne
xml document instance edited by Patrick Lawlor
Return to top
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
All links open new windows.
Subjects
Heading | CUL Archives: Portal | CUL Collections: CLIO | Nat'l / Int'l Archives: ArchiveGRID |
---|
Amen, Grover. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Carson, Anne. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Danto, Arthur Coleman, 1924- | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Grand Street. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Hughes, Ted. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Laughlin, James. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Literature--Periodicals. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Little magazines--Periodicals. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Mailer, Norman. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Merwin, W. S. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Minot, Susan. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Munro, Alice. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
New York (State)--Periodicals. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Powell, Padgett. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Said, Edward. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Salter, James. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Sonnenberg, Benjamin,--Jr. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Sorel, Edward. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Return to top
History / Biographical Note
Biographical Note
Native New Yorker Ben Sonnenberg, Jr., is best known as the founder and editor of
Grand Street,
an influential literary and
cultural magazine based in New York City in the mid-1980s and 1990s. Sonnenberg's
exposure to the New York literary scene began early in his life: he was the son of
Benjamin Sonnenberg, the famous press agent who transformed the family home at 19
Gramercy Place into a central hub for the city's business and literary circles.
Sonnenberg both resisted and embraced his cosmopolitan upbringing, recalling his
childhood as that of a "younger son in a family of great English furniture." In and
out of private schools as a child, he eschewed college in favor of a rigorous
program of reading and self-education, traveling abroad and establishing close
relations with other writers including W.S. Merwin and Ted Hughes, both with whom he
would correspond extensively over the next three decades. In 1963, Sonnenberg
completed his first play, Jane Street, shortly before returning to New York to
pursue his literary career.
In 1981, Sonnenberg invested his inheritance in founding
Grand
Street,
a "little magazine" dedicated to literature, politics, and
cultural criticism. Hailed in the tradition of
The
Dial
and the
Partisan Review,
Grand Street
quickly established itself as a major
New York literary organ, with Sonnenberg hosting informal gatherings with friends
and contributors at his apartment on Riverside Drive. As an editor, Sonnenberg was
known for unprecedented generosity and trust in his writers, as well as his
oft-spoken desire to enfranchise rising talent: "[I want] the money to go into their
pockets," he frequently said of his contributors. Early contributors included
writers like Susan Minot and Anne Carson, whose work he assiduously promoted in
Grand Street
and through private foundations; the
magazine also regularly published works by Edward Said, Arthur Danto, Grover Amen,
James Salter, Padgett Powell, James Laughlin, Alice Munro, Edward Sorel, and others.
Through the 1980s, Sonnenberg's work at
Grand Street
was increasingly inhibited by failing health. He was diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis at the age of 34 and spent most of his adult life as a paraplegic,
composing his correspondence and literary materials by dictation. Sonnenberg retired
from the magazine in 1989; in 1991 he published his memoir,
Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy,
a well-received
account of his adolescence and his subsequent years abroad. Sonnenberg continues to
write poetry and film criticism, with essays appearing in
Raritan,
The Nation,
and other venues. He lives in New York
with his wife, Dorothy Gallagher.
Return to top