Hannah Kahn (1911-1988)

Papers, 1940-1987

6 boxes (3 linear feet)

Ms. Group 94

Biographical note: Poet, translator, and poetry review editor for the Miami Herald. Born in New York City. Author of Eve's Daughter (Hurricane House, 1962), Time, Wait (University Presses of Florida,1983), and co-editor of Wind Child, by Orma Jean Surbey (Olivant Press, 1969). Authored more than 400 poems, published in literary and popular periodicals, including American Scholar, Harpers, Saturday Review, Southwest Review, Ladies' Home Journal, McCall's, and Saturday Evening Post. Winner of awards from the Poetry Society of America, the Poetry Society of Great Britain, and from several state poetry societies and magazines. 
(Source: Contemporary Authors Online. The Gale Group, 2000. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group. 2001 (http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC)

Summary: Manuscripts of major and minor works, including translations of the Yiddish poet Racjel Zychlinsk (2 boxes), correspondence (3.5  boxes), and miscellaneous documents (clippings, published poems, biographical material, etc., 0.5 boxes).

Provenance: Received by bequest from Hannah Kahn

BOX 1:Major Manuscripts.

1. Ride a Wild Horse; poems by Hannah Kahn. [74] leaves. Typed ms. One poem, "The Collector," listed in the table of contents, is missing.
   

2. Ride a Wild Horse; poems by Hannah Kahn. [74] leaves. Typed ms. (Xerox). Lacking half-title page. Includes "The Collector."
   

3. Ride a Wild Horse; poems by Hannah Kahn. [70] leaves. Typed ms. (Xerox). "Epithalamium" struck from Contents. 3 poems missing.
   

4. Chant for the Dead (marked through with new title. Choosing Tigers. [52] leaves. Typed ms. In portfolio marked S. H. Hay version. Annotations and revisions in several hands, some are by the author; many are initialed "LR."
   

5. Choosing Tigers, poems by Hannah Kahn. [57] leaves. Typed ms.
   

6. Time, Wait (title page with title "Choosing Tigers" marked through) [70] leaves. Typed ms. With revisions, probably in Kahn's hand and in other's.
   

7. Time, Wait [68] leaves. Typed ms. Printed title page.
   

8. Find Me in Fire, by Hannah Kahn. [72] leaves. Typed ms.
   

9. Mercy Is God's by Hannah Kahn [drama] [1], 15 l. Typed ms.
   

10. Mercy Is God's [drama] [1], 33 l. Typed ms.
    

11. The Quiet One [47] leaves. Typed ms. With annotations of poems to add and omit.
    

12. From the Brink; poems by Racjel Zychlinska. Translated by Hannah Kahn. 32 leaves.

 

Box 2: Minor Manuscripts.

1. Racjel Zychinska - Translations and correspondence, 1972
   

2. Racjel Zychinska - Translations and correspondence, 1976-1978; 1985
   

3. Stories - Typed mss.: The Flaming Book, Coffee and Cake, The Old Man, Leave It to Mama, Death of a Modern Poet, Of Flesh and Bread, Sasparilla (Bright Star), And the Grass Was God, Late Evening, More Sunlight than Shadow, Hair Ribbons from Aunt Mollie, Appointment at Four O'clock,    Password in Flame, Retreat, and Sorrow's Child. Also included are published copies of And The Grass Was God and Hair Ribbons from Aunt Mollie (Saturday Review).
   

4.  "Extra copies - Published Poems" - Typed mss. (7 pieces) and printed poems, excised from publications (4).
   

5.  Poems (typed mss.,16 leaves) sent to Eunice Tietjens for review, 1941, and correspondence between Kahn and Janet Tietjens Hart, 1973.Some of the leaves have annotations, presumably by Eunice Tietjens. Some of the poems list name as Hannah Shomer Kahn.
   

6.  Poems submitted to contests - 34 typed mss., and correspondence and supplemental material.
   

7.  "Work Copies of Poems in Various Stages" (16 leaves)
   

8.  "Poems to be Retyped and Mailed Out, or in the Mail," 1973, 1981-86 - 30 leaves and supplemental poetry
   

9.  Typed poems, 1938, 1956-58, 1961-1976
   

10. Miscellaneous typed manuscripts
    

11. Student Papers, 1967-1969.

   12. Typed poems in looseleaf notebook, 1935-1940. 38 leaves

Box 3: Literary Correspondence, 1940-1987

There are two series of literary correspondence. Although differing in dates of coverage, they overlap in dates covered and in correspondents. They are primarily correspondence with poetry editors, publishers, and poetry societies regarding the sale and publication of Hannah Kahn's poems. A small amount of personal correspondence is included. Some carbon copies of letters by Kahn are included, but the bulk is by other writers. The correspondence is filed alphabetically in each sequence in virtually the same order in which it was received from Kahn's estate. 
There is a name index to the Literary Correspondence.

Series 1, 1940 -1970: Principal and noted correspondents include Hiram Hayden (filed mostly under American Scholar), Charles  Angoff, Conrad Aiken, Witter Bynner, Pearl S. Buck, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Ted Malone, and Grant Morrison. Correspondence is often filed under the name of a periodical or publisher, rather than the an individual. Corporate correspondents include American Mercury, Atlantic Monthly, Florida Magazine of Verse, Golden Quill Press, Good Housekeeping, Harper's, Human Voice Quarterly, Ladies Home Journal, Letter, McCall's, New Yorker, Poem, Poetry, Poetry Society of America, Poetry Society of Georgia, and  Saturday Review. 

Series 2, 1957-1986. Principal correspondents include Charles Angoff, Gwendolyn Brooks, Witter Bynner, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Sara Henderson Hay, Thomas H. Middleton (Saturday Review), and Fran Tanner. Corporate correspondents include American Scholar, Good Housekeeping, Hallmark Cards, Konglomerati Foundation, Ladies Home Journal, Library of Congress (Gwendolyn Brooks), McCalls, McGraw Hill Book Company, New Letters, Poem, Poetry, Poetry Society of Georgia, Poetry Society of Virginia, Saturday Review, Southwest Review, WEID, and Yankee.

 

Box 4 :Personal Correspondence, 1968-1987 and Readers' Letters

Correspondence 1968-1987 (A-Z): These letters are exchanged more often with individual friends and acquaintances, than with publishers, editors, etc., although not exclusively so. Most of the correspondence is also literary in content, often with aspiring poets.  The most extensive correspondence, with psychologist  Haim Ginott and his wife, Alice (ca 17 items, 1967, 1970-76), includes photographs of his gravestone with an epitaph from Kahn's writings. There is an exchange of letters with science writer Loren Eiseley. Many of the correspondents are from the Miami area, or elsewhere in Florida, including Gary L. Harmon, Hans Juergensen, Jean Lee Latham, Helen Muir, Claude Pepper, Thelma Peters, Richard Pettigrew, Edmund Skellings, and Charles Willeford.

Readers' letters, 1951-1960

Readers' letters, 1951-1987

Box  5: Specific Correspondence

1.     Academy of American Poets (Marie Bullock, Judith Higgins, etc.) 1968-1984

2.     Association for Retarded Citizens, Dade County

3.     Chambless, William (Bill) - Correspondence, 1962-1963

4.     Droster, William C. (College of DuPage) - Correspondence, 1970-1984

5.     Kahn, Eve and Gene ("Chicago Kahns") - Correspondence and information about H. Kahn's nephew and wife, 1974-1976

6.     "Kahn kids" - Correspondence from and information about Hannah Kahn's children and grandchildren, 1978-1985

7.     Letters and poems from Children [Melvin, Danny & Vivian) and grandchildren, 1941-ca. 1985

8.      Letters from Suzy Freedman's class 

9.     Miami Herald Readers Correspondence

10.     National Association for Retarded Children - Correspondence

11.     Poet laureate of Florida (Correspondence, recommendations, etc.) 1976-1980

12.     Poetry Society of America (Correspondence, etc.), 1976-1983

13.     Reprints, royalties, copyrights - Correspondence, 1966-1976

14.      Sandahl, Eric - Correspondence, 1962-1985

15.     Correspondence with art student at UF (drawings, photograph) 1976-79

Box: 6  Eve's Daughter and Miscellaneous Material

1.     Eve's Daughter - Correspondence, ca. 1962-1963

2.     Eve's Daughter - Newspaper clippings (photocopies), primarily reviews

3.     Eve's Daughter - Print references

4.     Eve's Daughter - Readers' Letters 
   
   Hannah Kahn: Clippings, Programs, Periodicals
   

5.     Clippings

6.     Copies of other poets works

7.     Dedication: Fred Shaw Memorial Plaza and other programs

8.     Diplomas and certificates
   
       Hannah's Waltz (ms. score and lyrics) by Ruth Greenfield - Filed in oversize drawers
   

9.     Human Voices Quarterly, v.1:2, May, 1965 - Includes poems by Hannah Kahn

10.     Periodical issues with articles about Kahn

11.     "The Poet and the Birthday Girl," by Madeleine Blais, Tropic, May 8, 1983. Article about   Hahn and her retarded daughter Vivian. Includes many readers' letters received in response to the article.

12.     Published poems - Clippings of approximately one hundred poems

13.     "Stranger," Poem by Hannah Kahn set to music by Olive Dungan and by others. Published and manuscript scores and correspondence.

14.     Miscellaneous - Essay by Kahn on Florida poets, color photograph of Kahn, and completed Kingsley Double-crostic, May 7, 1960

  

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