MERTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH:
Dana, Doris, 1920-2006
Click here to exit print-formated view.
Descriptive Summary
Record Group: Section A - Correspondence
Dates of materials: 1966-1968
Volume: 33 item(s); 40 pg(s)
Scope and Content
This is a file in the correspondence of Thomas Merton under the heading: "Dana, Doris".
Biography
Doris Dana writes to Merton from New York and from her travels to France. Dana was the long-time companion of poet, educator, feminist, Nobel laureate and Chilean diplomat, Gabriela Mistral (pen name of Lucila de María del Perpetuo Socorro Godoy Alcayaga, 1889-1957). Dana translated and edited some of Mistral's poems. Dana seemed to be a mutual friend with Merton of both John Howard Griffin and Jacques Maritain. She visited Merton in early January of 1967, when she introduced Merton to the story of Ishi and sparked some of Merton's interest in Native Americans; and then visited him again in late October of 1967, when they traveled to Lexington together to visit Victor and Carolyn Hammer and John Jacob Niles.
Usage Guidelines and Restrictions
Related Information and Links
Other Finding Aids
If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
Series List
This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
Container List
| Series | Date | Type | To/From | First Lines | Pub | Full Text | Notes |
| | 1966/10/21 | telegram | from Fox, James / to Jacques Maritain | DORA COME ANYTIME AFTER NOV 2ND. PLEASE NOTIFY EXACT TIME OF ARRIVAL IN LOUISVILLE | |
| [message from Dom James Fox, Abbot of Gethsemani, to Jacques Maritain to notify Doris Dana about arrangements to visit Gethsemani Abbey] |
| | 1966/11/no? | TL[c] | to Merton | I am profoundly grateful to you and Abbot James for your telegram which you sent to Jacques Maritain | |
| [no date on letter - sent between October telegram from Fox and Dana's letter to Merton of December 7] |
| | 1966/12/07 | TL[c] | to Merton | Please forgive me my silence. Since I returned from Princeton I found myself in a calamitous | |
| |
| | 1966/12/14 (#01) | TLS | from Merton | Forgive my delay. Your letter itself reached me with some delay and as to your previous note | |
| |
| | 1966/12/14 (#02) | TL[c] | from Merton | Forgive my delay. Your letter itself reached me with some delay and as to your previous note | |
| |
| | 1967/01/04? | TNS | from Gannon, Leone | Your room is No.2 and it is open for you. Father Louise [sic] said he would see you at 9:30 | |
| [from Leone Gannon, who worked in Gethsemani Abbey's guesthouse] |
| | 1967/01/13 (#01) | TLS | to Merton | I cannot find the words to express to you how much my visit with you meant and always will mean | |
| |
| | 1967/01/13 (#02) | TL[c] | to Merton | I cannot find the words to express to you how much my visit with you meant and always will mean | |
| |
| | 1967/01/13 (#03) | TL[c] | to Montalva, Eduardo Frei | First of all I want to tell you how glad I am that you are coming to visit the United States, | |
| [from Dana to Eduardo Frei Montalva, President of Chile] |
| | 1967/01/13 (#04) | TL[c] | to Fox, James | I want to express my deepest thanks to you once again for having made it possible for me to visit | |
| [from Dana to Dom James Fox, Abbot of Gethsemani Abbey] |
| | 1967/01/20 (#01) | TLS | from Merton | The yeast and vitamins arrived the other day, and last evening Ishi came. I am very grateful | |
| |
| | 1967/01/20 (#02) | TL[c] | from Merton | The yeast and vitamins arrived the other day, and last evening Ishi came. I am very grateful | |
| |
| | 1967/01/23 (#01) | TLS | from Merton | Your letter reached me only after all the other things, and that is why I did not mention it | |
| |
| | 1967/01/23 (#02) | TL[c] | from Merton | Your letter reached me only after all the other things, and that is why I did not mention it | |
| |
| | 1967/01/23 (#03) | HNS | from Merton | I forgot to enclose these with my letter this morning. I don't know what to say about my possibly | |
| [sent in large envelope and reference to sending something, but enclosure not extant] responds to possibility of serving as executor for Gabriela Mistral's estate, stating it would likely not be a good idea but open to discussion |
| | 1967/01/31 (#01) | TLS | from Merton | First of all I want to thank you for the enormous surprise package. The chocolates will be greatly | |
| |
| | 1967/01/31 (#02) | TL[c] | from Merton | First of all I want to thank you for the enormous surprise package. The chocolates will be greatly | |
| |
| | 1967/01/no? | telegram | to Merton | ARRIVING FIRST FLIGHT OBTAINABLE MORNING JANUARY 4TH 9:54 AM stop DRIVING IMMEDIATELY TO ABBEY | |
| |
| | 1967/03/05 | HCS | from Merton | I thought you would like to see this piece on Ishi I wrote for the Catholic Worker. | |
| [card from Merton in a larger gray envelope in which was enclosed his essay, "Ishi Means Man" (not extant)] |
| | 1967/04/18 | HPCS | to Merton | On my way to Madrid from Paris, I stopped off to see many of the towns you lived in - and am sending | |
| visiting Prades, France / visiting Jacques [Maritain] in Toulouse / going to Madrid |
| | 1967/05/18 (#01) | TLS | from Merton | Many thanks for the Lanternari book which just arrived. You must have picked up some of my thought | |
| |
| | 1967/05/18 (#02) | TL[c] | from Merton | Many thanks for the Lanternari book which just arrived. You must have picked up some of my thought | |
| |
| | 1967/10/08 (#01) | TLS | to Merton | I have been feeling very guilty about my long silence and do ask for forgiveness. There are many | |
| |
| | 1967/10/08 (#02) | TAL[c] | to Merton | I have been feeling very guilty about my long silence and do ask for forgiveness. There are many | |
| |
| | 1967/10/11 | HLS | from Merton | I was very happy to hear from you and would be even more happy to see you soon. | |
| discussing dates for Dana to visit Gethsemani in late October of 1967 / suggests they go together to Lexington to hear music composed by John Jacob Niles from Merton's poems, which he hears are "rather unusual" |
| | 1967/11/25 (#01) | TALS | from Merton | Here is a copy of the study I was vaguely talking about in the car when you were here. I have | |
| |
| | 1967/11/25 (#02) | TL[c] | from Merton | Here is a copy of the study I was vaguely talking about in the car when you were here. I have | |
| |
| | 1967/11/29 (#01) | TALS | to Merton | Thank you for sending me the signed books which I much appreciated and thanks also for the magazines | |
| |
| | 1967/11/29 (#02) | TL[c] | to Merton | Thank you for sending me the signed books which I much appreciated and thanks also for the magazines | |
| |
| | 1967/12/28 (#01) | TLS | from Merton | Many things to thank you for. The Stephens book is beautiful, and I am glad at the good news | |
| |
| | 1967/12/28 (#02) | TL[c] | from Merton | Many things to thank you for. The Stephens book is beautiful, and I am glad at the good news | |
| |
| | 1968/07/no? | TLS[x] | from Merton to Friends | For various reasons I was quite busy during May and June, and so for July and part of August I am | Yes |
| [labeled "MIDSUMMER LETTER 1968" - circular letter sent to his friends] |
| | 1968/12/18 | HLS | from Griffin, John Howard | My window overlooks the mound of red clay where Tom was buried last evening. Typically, he was late | |
| Merton and Dana's mutual friend John Howard Griffin describes the delayed arrival of his body from Bangkok, stating Merton was "Typically, he was late for his own funeral" |
| | | | | | | | |
|