Collection Guide
This document describes a Manuscript Collection held by the
Special Collections DepartmentUniversity of Iowa Libraries
e-mail: lib-spec@uiowa.edu
Guide Contents
Biographical and Historical Information
Scope and Contents of the Collection
Administrative Information
Access and
Restrictions:
Biographical Note
Susan Glaspell was born in Davenport, Iowa, probably in 1876, though she often gave the date of her birth as 1882. She attended schools there, graduating from Davenport High School in 1894. She attended Drake University in Des Moines and did course work at the University of Iowa and University of Chicago. The day after she graduated from Drake, she started work as a reporter at a Des Moines newspaper. After two years of reporting she had accumulated enough material to start writing, and she quit her job, moved back to Davenport, and devoted herself full time to free-lance writing. Her first book, The Glory of the Conquered, appeared in 1909. She made enough money on this book to move to the Latin Quarter of Paris for a year. On her return, she spent some time on a farm in Idaho before moving to Provincetown, Massachusetts. There, in 1913, she married George Cram Cook, another Iowan, and with him started a theatre company that was to become the Provincetown Players. Glaspell and Cook were active in the little theatre movement, and the Provincetown Players were known for presenting the work of American playwrights. Their two principal writers were Eugene O'Neill and Glaspell herself.
J. Roethler, April 2005
Scope and
Contents
This small collection consists of clippings, biographical sketches, a bibliography -- all photocopies, and a small amount of correspondence.
Related Materials
Andrews, Clarence. "Iowa Literary History, 1971 -- 1991." Books at Iowa, (April 1992)
Farran, Don. "Recollections of the Federal Theatre." Books at Iowa 18 (April 1973)
Noe, Marcia. "Susan Glaspell's Analysis of Midwestern Character"
Acquisition and Processing
Information
Guide posted
to Internet:
Bibliography: "Susan Glaspell: A Bibliogrpahy of Dramatic Criticism"
Biographical sketches
Clippings
Correspondence
Baker, Lloyd F.
Hutchins, Miss
Kauti, H.
Levy, Mrs. William Auerbach
Mabie, E.C.
Reservation Department, University Theatre, University of Iowa
Rudyard, Charlotte
Vance, Mrs.
White, Mr.
Hedgerow Theatre
Inscriptions
Miscellaneous
Photographs
Writings
""Finality' in Freeport: A Great Agitation That Proved 'A Tempest in a Teacup.'" Delineator, Vol. 17 (July 1916). Short story. Photocopy.
"Joe (Oct. 27, 1915)." Poem
"A Timeless Tale -- Tom and Towser." Short short story, appearing in Down-town News, December 1985. The place of publication is not noted; it is probably Davenport. An inset editor's notes says, "Dr. William Roba, Instructor at Scott Community College, discovered the following short story while doing research on local history. He thinks it might be Susan Glaspell's first published story. . . ."
Gift of William Vilhauer
Ten reel-to-reel audio tapes
Mary Heaton Vorse, December 1, 1962
Ida Rauh, December 11, 1962
George Greenberg, November 27, 1962
Nina Moise, Received June 13, 1964
Walter Abel and Mary Morris, December 30, 1960
Mr. and Mrs. William Zorach on the work of the Provincetown Players, Recorded December 29, 1960
Four other tapes contain interviews with Lawrence Langner, Cleon Throckmorton, and Norma Millay (sister of Edna St. Vincent Millay).
Microfilm
Provincetown Players office files (2 reels)
Washington Square Players Scrapbook (1 reel).
