Martin Seymour-Smith Collection
Scope and Content Note
The Martin Seymour-Smith Collection contains letters from Robert Creeley, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Robert Graves, Donald Hall, Philip Larkin, Tom Raworth, Giles Gordon, Terence Hards, Brian Higgins, Alan Hodge, Judith Nye, James Reeves, and Charles Sisson; notebooks, manuscripts, and/or proofs for many of Seymour-Smith's creative, critical, and biographical publications; photocopies of letters and diaries by Robert Graves; and photocopies of letters by Laura Riding Jackson.
Dates
- 1930-1981
Creator
- Seymour-Smith, Martin (Person)
Language of Materials
Collection material in English.
Terms of Access
The Martin Seymour-Smith Collection, 1930-1981, is open for research.
Copyright
Copyright of papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the Poetry Collection before requesting photocopies and/or publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Once permission is obtained, most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.
Biographical Note
Born in Highgate, London, Martin Seymour-Smith (1928-1998) was a British poet, critic, and biographer whose collections of poetry include Tea with Miss Stockport (1963), Reminiscences of Norma (1971), and Wilderness (1994). Seymour-Smith is also known for his biographies of Robert Graves, whom he befriended at a young age, Rudyard Kipling, and Thomas Hardy, as well as for his old spelling edition of Shakespeare's sonnets. He also wrote several critical works including Poets Through Their Letters (1969), Guide to Modern World Literature (1973), and Who's Who in Twentieth Century Literature (1976). His Collected Poems 1943-1993 was published in 2006.
Extent
76 Linear Feet (88 boxes)
Abstract
The Martin Seymour-Smith Collection contains letters from Robert Creeley, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Robert Graves, Donald Hall, Philip Larkin, Tom Raworth, Giles Gordon, Terence Hards, Brian Higgins, Alan Hodge, Judith Nye, James Reeves, and Charles Sisson; notebooks, manuscripts, and/or proofs for many of Seymour-Smith's creative, critical, and biographical publications; photocopies of letters and diaries by Robert Graves; and photocopies of letters by Laura Riding Jackson.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in three series: I. Letters (34 boxes alphabetized), II. Manuscripts (42 boxes alphabetized), III. Auxiliary material (12 boxes).
Acquisition Information
Purchased from Martin Seymour-Smith.
Accruals and Additions
No further accruals are expected to this collection.
Unprocessed Accession
18 feet of unprocessed material
Processing Information
Collection processed by Poetry Collection staff.
- Creeley, Robert, 1926-2005
- Finlay, Ian Hamilton, 1925-2006
- Gordon, Giles, 1940-2003
- Graves, Robert, 1895-1985
- Hall, Donald, 1928-
- Higgins, Brian, 1930-1965
- Hodge, Alan, 1915-
- Jackson, Laura (Riding), 1901-1991
- Larkin, Philip
- Nye, Judith L.
- Poets, English -- 20th century -- Correspondence
- Raworth, Tom
- Reeves, James
- Sisson, C. H. (Charles Hubert), 1914-2003
Source
- The Poetry Collection (Repository, Organization)
- Title
- Finding aid for the Martin Seymour-Smith Collection PCMS-0021
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by James Maynard and revised by Marie Elia.
- Date
- 2008
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Local Best Practices
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the The Poetry Collection Repository
420 Capen Hall
Buffalo New York 14260-1674 US
716-645-2917
716-645-3714 (Fax)
lpo-poetry@buffalo.edu