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Early letters in the collection are mostly from Merton and discuss arrangements to send some of his poetry to various publications with which Magner is involved. There is an undated poem which Magner has written and sends to Merton. Also, Merton's response to this or another poem in 1968 is a critique of one of Magner's poems but also gives some personal encouragement and spiritual advice.
James Edmund Magner Jr. was a poet and professor at John Carroll University in Ohio. He grew up in New York. In his early years, he helped underprivileged children, taught boxing and worked at a newspaper before serving in the United States Infantry from 1948-1951. After suffering a wounded knee in the Korean War, he returned to the United States and spent time at monasteries in New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. He was a Passionist seminarian for five years before leaving to earning a degree at the University of Pittsburgh. He continued his graduate work at Pittsburgh, earning his doctorate in 1966. He has published eight volumes of poetry. (Source: "James Magner Jr. Collection." Website of the Ohio University Library Archives and Special Collections. Accessed 3 Nov. 2005. ‹http://www.library.ohiou.edu/libinfo/depts/archives/mss/mss062.htm›.)
Please click here for general restrictions concerning Merton's correspondence.
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.
This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
Click icons for links: ✓="Published | Library Record", ✉="Scanned" | 🗷="Scanned, Viewable Only at Merton Center"
| # | Date | From/To | First Lines | Pub ✓ | Notes |
| | y/m/d | Merton | | Scan ✉ | |
| 1. |
1948/09/09 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
Thank you for your invitation to send rough copies of verses I have written for inclusion in your |
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Figures for an Apocalypse / A Man in the Divided Sea / drafts of poems
«detailed view» |
| 2. |
1948/10/09 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
This [is] to thank you for your gift of POETS AT WORK which I find extremely interesting. |
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materials at Olean / possession of Mrs. B. M. Marcus at the Olean House Hotel / notebooks in St. Bonaventure College library
«detailed view» |
| 3. |
1948/no/no? |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Worksheets for poems in A Man in the Divided Sea [/] Figures for an Apocalypse |
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notes for the Seven Storey Mountain / sending pamphlet "Cistercian Contemplatives"
«detailed view» |
| 4. |
1954/10/11 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
I can hardly believe two months have gone by since your letter of August. In any case I have been |
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sending worksheets of a poem Sports Without Blood / Dylan Thomas' death / "Fern Hill" / Jay Laughlin
«detailed view» |
| 5. |
1955/10/25 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
Here are some more worksheets I dug up when cleaning out the files. I thought I would send them |
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«detailed view» |
| 6. |
1968/07/01 |
TALS[x] from Merton |
Found your note yesterday, I don't know how long it had been there or if you are still here. Sorry |
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[the original of this letter seems now to be at the Ohio University Library] letter of encouragement / spiritual direction / advice on poem / view of Christ's message and the Pope's / conscience matter
«detailed view» |
| 7. |
1986/11/13 |
TALS to Center from Magner, James Edmund |
At James Laughlin's suggestion, I send to you a letter of Thomas Merton's (written, as I remember, |
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details the donation and disposition of accompanying letter, dated July 1, which Magner remembers as being from 1968
«detailed view» |
| 8. |
undated/no/no |
TLS[x] from Merton |
Thanks for asking me to contribute to GLASS HILL. Unfortunately my last dregs of verse have just |
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«detailed view» |
| 9. |
undated/no/no |
TALS to Merton |
There, along the road of fruited world, |
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[revised poem by Magner sent to Merton / could be one mentioned in 1968/07/01 letter]
«detailed view» |
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