The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University

MERTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH:
Van Doren, Mark, 1894-1972

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Descriptive Summary

Record Group: Section A - Correspondence

Dates of materials: 1939-1973

Volume: 208 item(s); 316 pg(s)

Scope and Content

This is a file in the correspondence of Thomas Merton under the heading: "Van Doren, Mark".

Biography

Mark Van Doren won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1940 for his 1939 volume of collected poems and was a literary critic and professor. He had a profound effect on Merton as a professor of English at Columbia University in New York. Van Doren was at Columbia from 1920 to 1959. Merton stayed in contact with Van Doren after leaving Columbia and after entering the monastery. Van Doren selected the pieces for Merton's Thirty Poems and helped get them published. Merton also knew Van Doren's wife, Dorothy, and sons Charles and John. Mark Van Doren visited Merton at Gethsemani a few times and met once with him in Louisville. (Source: The Road to Joy, p. 3.)

Usage Guidelines and Restrictions

Usage permission for letters to Merton from Columbia University must be obtained from the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library. See the "A. J. Flogge" collection for the original of the letter dated August 30, 1957.

Related Information and Links

See also Cold War Letters #99 and other published letters from Merton to Van Doren in The Road to Joy, pp. 3-55; and see also one published letter in Witness to Freedom, pp. 161-162.

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

Series NumberSeries NameTotal Records
1 Correspondence between Merton and Van Doren 151
2 Correspondence between Van Doren and Others 57

Container List

SeriesDateTypeTo/FromFirst LinesPubFull TextNotes
11939/03/24 HLS[x]from MertonWell here is this Joyceish thing. It is a dialogue between a master and pupil. What is not clearYes  
11939/03/30 HLS[x]from MertonSurprised Mr ffin Daruian, and daylighted for your brief lettuce right in these stole of James' JoysYes  
11939/04/04 HLS[x]from MertonI will be delighted to come to dinner Friday - (Good Friday is not really any stricter than other   
11939/08/18 HLS[x]from MertonThanks for your letter. No, I hadn't known about the mermaids with fishes' heads!Yes  
11939/10/24 TLS[x]from MertonI am sending you a masque and a poem. The masque has little or nothing to do with the pastoral:Yes  
11940/04/no? HNS[x]from MertonHere is a poem I wrote. Cobre is a place in the mountains of Cuba near Santiago and the VirginYes [note is written on a typescript of Merton's poem, "Song for Our Lady of Cobre"]
11940/06/16 TLS[x]from MertonYou see I am back here living in Lax's hut. I got back from Cuba a month or so ago. It was fineYes  
11940/08/25 TLS[x]from MertonIt turns out I had to give up my plans about the monastery: my mind was changed for me, not by me.Yes  
11941/01/28 TLS[x]from MertonI am sending you a new poem which is different from any other porm [sic] I ever wrote in some ways,Yes  
11941/02/no? TLS[x]from MertonThanks for the letter, I was happy you liked the poem. Some time ago I became a Franciscan TertiaryYes  
11941/11/10 TLS[x]from MertonThis is the carbon of a book I am trying to sell--that same agent is working on it. I thought youYes  
11941/11/14 HLS[x]from MertonThank you for the letter, and I am very happy you liked the Journal, and want to send it to Sloane.Yes  
11941/11/28 TLS[x]from MertonThanks very much for sending Sloane's opinion on the <u>Journal</u>. I was rather pleased thatYes  
11941/12/09 TLS[x]from MertonMany thanks for the letter, which I am in too much of a hurry to answer now. I am sending these notYes  
11941/12/13 HLS[x]from Merton<u>Letter to My Friends</u> [-] Explaining that I am entering the Trappists, in Kentucky.  [dated "St Lucy's Day 1941" - circular letter to friend in poetic form explaining his entry into the Trappists at Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky - contains a separate note for Van Doren at the end of the letter in which he transfers rights to Van Doren for his manuscript of <i>Journal of My Escape from the Nazis</i>]
11942/04/14 HLS[x]from MertonWe are allowed to write letters very seldom, but I got special permission to send you someYes  
11942/05/15 HLSto MertonI have sent your poems <u>and</u> Journal to Bob, who is happier at Friendship House than I have   
11943/05/12 HLS[x]from MertonLet these poems serve for news of my religious life. My only activity is to remain motionlessYes  
11944/01/15 TLS[x]to MertonI have sent you by express the following manuscripts by Thomas Merton: Two bound volumes of Journals  [filed at St. Bonaventure with a proposed anthology of poetry that Merton suggests to Van Doren (by various poets, not Merton)]
11944/02/22 HLS[x]from MertonTomorrow it will be Lent and I won't be able to write my letters as I am writing this in haste now.Yes  
11944/04/16 HLS[x]from MertonDay by day in this monastery I realize more and more how far I have fasted to show gratitude to allYes  
11944/12/26 TLS[x]from MertonSince we cannot write during Advent this is my first chance to thank you for the "30 Poems".Yes  
11945/11/07 (#01)TLS[x]from MertonI was waiting til everything got settled with Laughlin before sending these back. Now they are noYes  
11945/11/07 (#02)other[x]from Merton*=not published. other marks don't count [-] not published * - AFTERNOON [-] ARIADNE  [a list of Merton's poems with marks designating whether each had been published]
11945/11/07 (#03)other[x]from MertonManuscripts of poems removed from letter dated 7 Nov. 1945: The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani   
11946/06/17 TLS[x]from MertonHow are you? Here's a bunch of things. I guess the paper shortage is holding up the new book   
11946/07/07 HLSto Mertonho, I'm still here, and for once all my family are with me. They send their love with mine.   
11946/09/19 TLS[x]from MertonMaybe by now the ms of the Journal of Escape from the Nazis has got back to you.Yes  
11947/11/05 (#01)HLS[x]from MertonFor a long time I have meant to write and haven't had the chance. I don't ever know if I thankedYes  
11947/11/05 (#02)other[x]from MertonPOEM IN THE RAIN AND THE SUN. [-] Watching the world from my peeled doorlight [-] Without my rain  [poem by Merton]
11947/11/22 HLSto MertonThank you for a good letter and a good poem. The poem is one of your richest and best, but since   
11948/03/14 HLSto MertonYour new book, of which Laughlin sent me, generously, three copies, has been read again and again,   
11948/03/30 (#01)HLS[x]from MertonEaster gives me a chance to acknowledge your beautiful letter about <u>Figures for an Apocalypse</u>Yes [published transcript of the letter from <i>The Road to Joy</i> includes an error - in the last sentence of the third paragrah, "constant" should be "contact" to read "particular contact with God"]
11948/03/30 (#02)HLS[x]from MertonI liked very much the poem on your card. Do you know we do not have any of your books here?   
11949/04/08 TALS[x]from MertonI write to you although it is Lent because my correspondence is now completely out of handYes [contains a brief handwritten note at the end by Dom James Fox, abbot of Gethsemani at the time]
11953/04/07 TLS[x]from MertonIt was wonderful to get the letter and the book, which both arrived long enough before Lent for meYes  
11953/07/21 TLSto MertonYour words about <u>Spring Birth</u> gave me the greatest pleasure. I was particularly happy   
11953/08/11 (#01)TLS[x]from MertonIn case I do not get a chance to write again before next March, I am doing so now in order to tellYes  
11953/08/11 (#02)other[x]from MertonAN ELEGY FOR THE MONASTERY BARN (Gethsemani- July 30th, 1953.) [-] As though an aged person  [poem by Merton]
11953/08/11 (#03)other[x]from MertonTOWER OF BABEL [-] Oratorio [-] Part One. [-] 1 - Musical introduction - formal and solemn, followed  [poem by Merton]
11954/05/19 HLSto MertonI must clear something up. You will remember that I said when we were with you I had written you   
11954/06/03 TLS[x]from MertonIt was fine to get not one but two letters from you. I am fascinated by the stories. I have readYes  
11954/06/16 HLSto MertonWell, here's a third (don't be alarmed), to thank you for reading the stories and saying they were   
11954/10/16 TLS[x]from MertonAt last it is raining and I not only have the time to write a letter but am more or less in a moodYes  
11954/11/15 HLSto MertonOf course you are free to use the poem <u>I/They Spoke</u>. You always have such freedom,   
11955/10/14 HLSto MertonDorothy and I are on the move again - probably for the last time in our lives - and yesterday,   
11955/12/30 TLS[x]from MertonYour wonderful letter from Beaune was a happy surprise. Thank you for thinking of me at the GrandeYes [earlier copy missing second page - second page (full letter) now copied from collection at Columbia University]
11956/01/12 HLSto MertonThis is your poem if you want it. I wrote it the next day after Bob's in the middle of December,  [contains Mark Van Doren's poem "Once in Kentucky (To Thomas Merton)"]
11956/02/11 TLS[x]from MertonWe want to live in the minds of other people and we are surprised when we find ourselves there,Yes  
11956/03/18 HLSto MertonThank you for finding what you did in my poem about you, and thank you for these two poems of yours,   
11956/07/03 TLS[x]from MertonHere are the poems I threatened to send, but at the moment I have not found Birdcage Walk.Yes  
11956/07/30 TLS[x]from MertonI was deeply moved by your last letter. Certainly there is little one can do about beingYes  
11957/04/09 TLS[x]from MertonAs I prepare to tell you that I have dedicated my last book of poems to you and Dorothy, I reflectYes  
11957/05/01 HLSto MertonOn this perfect May Day, high and blue, with cool air hiding in corners to surprise the warm air   
11957/08/21 HLSto MertonBelieve it or not, I have written an autobiograph, to be published next year by Harcourt Brace,   
11957/08/30 TLSfrom MertonYour letter was wonderful. The idea of the autobiography is a fine one, and I am sure it will beYes [letter loaned to Merton Center in 2001 and became part of permanent collection in 2016]
11957/09/12 TALSto MertonA confession. I was careless about my dates, or rather about my times. We can reach Gethsemani   
11957/09/17 HLS[x]from MertonBy all means come in the afternoon of the 28th. I will be expecting you about two. That will giveYes  
11958/11/20 TLS[x]from MertonWell, they are hammering again, and I am sitting down to another letter. This time it is FatherYes  
11958/12/18 TLS[x]from MertonQuixote is here, where he belongs, among so many others like himself, and most welcome.Yes  
11959/06/06 TALS[x]from MertonI have not yet really written you the "Dear Mark" letter I should have written for the "feast"Yes  
11959/07/24 TLS[x]from MertonThis is to you both since I have special thanks to each of you. First to Dot for this book, which IYes  
11959/10/17 HLS[x]from MertonDo not be surprised at the letterhead- I am just in here for a minor operation. But while hereYes  
11959/10/31 TL[c]from MertonMy last letter to you from the hospital was a little inadequate, especially as I was peeved aboutYes  
11959/11/02? HCSfrom MertonTo Mark and Dorothy with all love from Tom. [The following printed:] Lovingly prayerful best wishesYes [card and envelope loaned to Merton Center in 2001 and became part of permanent collection in 2016 - the catalog of rare book dealer Glenn Horowitz place the Christmas card with the envelope of 1959/11/02, which must have come in the same group of paper, but the envelope could be for letter of 1959/10/31]
11959/11/12 TLS[x]from MertonCharlie sent me his "confession" signed, "with love from Babylon" which immediately reassured me.Yes  
11960/02/22 HLS[x]from MertonFor once I am going to write this by hand for it is quieter, though you probably won't be able to   
11960/08/09 HPCSto MertonIf there were anything left to say about the solitary life, you said it in this beautiful book.   
11960/09/17 TALS[x]from MertonThank you for your card about the little book on Solitude. I knew you would like it and understandYes  
11960/12/02 HLSto MertonBefore I forget your postscript (you probably have), Paula Van Doren is my niece - my brother Paul's   
11961/02/16 (#01)TLS[x]from MertonIt is a very long time since I have written. The pretext is this mimeographed thing, a deadpanYes  
11961/02/16 (#02)other[x]from MertonORIGINAL CHILD BOMB [-] (Points for meditation: to be scratched on the walls of a cave)  [poem by Merton with a note to Van Doren: "+ for Mark - a dour meditation. Tom."]
11961/03/19 TLSto MertonLook here, young man, you're going to talk yourself out of Gethsemani. I don't really mean this,   
11961/05/13 (#01)TLS[x]from MertonAll I can say is that as June 6th approaches I am happy that no one but you will be going thereYes  
11961/05/13 (#02)other[x]from MertonTHE MOSLEMS' ANGEL OF DEATH [-] (Algeria 1961) [-] Like a jeweled peacock he stirs all over  [poem by Merton]
11961/06/14 (#01)HLSto MertonDorothy and I went down last week as guest of Columbia while you were given the medal.   
11961/06/14 (#02)other[x]to MertonAuthor Thomas Merton (the Reverend M. Louis, O.C.S.O.) an alumnus and former instructor in English  [news release from Columbia University about Merton receiving the University Medal of Excellence - dated 1961/06/01 and sent with 1961/06/14 letter by Van Doren]
11961/06/14 (#03)other[x] from Kirk, Grayson / to MertonGifted master of language, in poem and prose, light-hearted as you are grave, you have reached out  [statement from Grayson Kirk, President of Columbia University, on the occasion of Merton receiving the University Medal of Excellence - dated 1961/06/06 and sent with 1961/06/14 letter by Van Doren]
11961/06/14 (#04)HNS[x]from Russell [no surname]Bob Harron wrote the Merton citation. It was good to have a glimpse of you. [-] Yours [-] Russell  [dated 1961/06/06 and sent with 1961/06/14 letter by Van Doren]
11961/06/14 (#05)HNS[x]from Ayres, JeanPresident Kirk himself, I am told, wrote the Commencement citation for Thomas Merton, in addition  [from Jean Ayres, Assistant to Mr. Herpers at Columbia University, on the occasion of Merton receiving the University Medal of Excellence - dated 1961/06/08 and sent with 1961/06/14 letter by Van Doren]
11961/06/14 (#06)TLS[x]from Harron, RobertNothing could have pleased me more than the letter I received from you about the Merton citation.  [from Bob Harron, Assistant to the President at Columbia University, on the occasion of Merton receiving the University Medal of Excellence - dated 1961/06/12 and sent with 1961/06/14 letter by Van Doren]
11961/06/21 TLS[x]from MertonHere is the June solstice and I thank you for the medal in its box with its message of light   
11961/09/09 (#01)HLSto MertonYes, I'm to be in Louisville (Bellarmine College) December 1 and 2. And since I am due in   
11961/09/09 (#02)TLS[x]from Harron, RobertI have returned from an absence in the Middle West and, in going through recent files, came upon  [from Bob Harron, Assistant to the President at Columbia University - dated 1961/07/31]
11961/09/09 (#03)TL[c] from Merton to Grayson KirkYesterday evening I received from the Father Abbot of our monastery the University Medal for  [from Merton to Grayson Kirk, President of Columbia University - dated 1961/06/16 - poor copy, see "Kirk, Grayson" file for clearer version]
11961/09/20 (#01)TLS[x]from MertonIt was good to get your letter and I am very happy that you can come. Sunday is not the bestYes  
11961/09/20 (#02)other[x]from MertonA LETTER TO PABLO ANTONIO CUADRA CONCERNING GIANTS [-] At a moment when all the discordant   
11961/11/13 HLSto MertonI have learned that I have lectures (reading) to give both Friday and Saturday right in Louisville,   
11961/11/22 TLS[x]from MertonThank you for the latest letter: I was deeply touched that the Thurbers wanted a copy of the poemYes  
11961/12/07 HLSto MertonFor all your lovely deeds and words, much thanks. I shall never forget that day, at the retreat,   
11962/01/15 TLS[x]from MertonI hear indirectly that this awful business about Charlie is starting up again. I hope that it isYes  
11962/01/18 TLS[x]from MertonJ. was here and left yesterday. I asked him if there was anything new about CharlieYes  
11962/01/26 HLSto MertonYour first letter came by chance after the second but no matter: the whole thing is over   
11962/02/04 HLSto MertonYour last two pieces, on Christian Action and Father  [includes typescript of Van Doren's poem "Prophet"]
11962/03/29 HLS[x]from MertonIf I have not written sooner about the Prophet poem it is probably because I am too busy withYes  
11962/04/03 HPCSfrom Merton~~~  [no words, just a wavy line - there is no signature or return address, but it is addressed to Van Doren and postmarked from New York]
11962/04/04 HLSto MertonI languished a whole day without the poems you promised. Here they are now, though,   
11962/05/30 HLSto MertonTrips and other silly things delayed my reading of your <u>Letters</u>. I'm sorry for myself,   
11962/08/09 (#01)TLS[x]from MertonHere, a poem. That is all. I have no other pretext for writing, but glad to have this one.Yes [Cold War Letters #99]
11962/08/09 (#02)other[x]from MertonGRACE'S HOUSE [-] On the summit: it stands on a fair summit [-] Prepared by winds: and solid smoke  [typescript of poem by Merton]
11962/08/09 (#03)transcriptfrom MertonHere, a poem. That is all. I have no other pretext for writing, but glad to have this one.Yes [Cold War Letters #99 - copy from bound set]
11963/07/28 HLSto MertonLong time no write, no see, but plenty often think about. And now comes <u>The Early Legend</u>,   
11963/08/18 (#01)TAL[c]from MertonThanks for the letter and above all for the book. THE book in every way: yours, ours, the year's,Yes [verso: draft of letter's first couple of lines]
11963/08/18 (#02)TLS[x]from MertonThanks for the letter and above all for the book. THE book in every way: yours, ours, the year's,Yes  
11963/09/07 HLSto MertonPaeans to you for your wonderful words about my giant book. I had feared it was too big,   
11964/01/07 TLSto Merton<u>Emblems of a Season of Fury</u> has been giving off daily, nightly, by my chair in the living   
11964/02/11 (#01)TAL[c]from MertonI have not been able to keep track of who owes who letter (as if there were scoresheets in theseYes  
11964/02/11 (#02)TLS[x]from MertonI have not been able to keep track of who owes who letter (as if there were scoresheets in theseYes  
11964/02/11 (#03)other[x]from MertonMESSAGE TO POETS [-] Brothers, I speak to you from a distance as one who should be there.   
11964/03/17 TLSto MertonYour last letter (not owed: letters aren't owed, any more than breaths are, or smiles) followed me   
11964/07/23 HLSto MertonI break the silence of your summer (if silence) to say that Ted Andrews, our Shaker furniture friend   
11964/08/04 (#01)TAL[c]from MertonThanks for the word in the silence. I am sorry only of the occasion for it. I had as a matterYes  
11964/08/04 (#02)TLS[x]from MertonThanks for the word in the silence. I am sorry only of the occasion for it. I had as a matterYes  
11964/12/19 (#01)TL[c]from MertonYes, you bet we got winter. Your card woke me out of hibernation. Not really. But I have not beenYes  
11964/12/19 (#02)TLS[x]from MertonYes, you bet we got winter. Your card woke me out of hibernation. Not really. But I have not beenYes  
11965/01/03 TLSto MertonI shouldn't answer your last letter so soon, but tomorrow we go away for six weeks and I don't want   
11965/09/29 HLS[x]from MertonHow are you? I hope in good health now, though last I heard you were in a hospital.   
11965/10/08 HLS[x]from MertonI'm fine, thank you. Hospital? I've never been in one - yet. True, in January I had a traumatic   
11966/02/16 TLSto MertonI have hesitated to intrude upon your retreat, which even the New York <u>Times</u> knows about,   
11966/02/24 (#01)TL[c]from MertonI did not know of the Journal Lax has been keeping. By all means send it along. If it is so good,Yes  
11966/02/24 (#02)TLS[x]from MertonI did not know of the Journal Lax has been keeping. By all means send it along. If it is so good,Yes  
11966/03/06 TLSto MertonThank you for telling us how you live - I know you live - and for the Tales of Nasrudin,   
11966/03/17 HPCS[x]from MertonLax's book is certainly the book of the year. I am really liking it and will send I think   
11966/07/25 (#01)TL[c]from MertonIt is so long since I wrote to you and so much water has gone under the bridge that the bridgeYes  
11966/07/25 (#02)TLS[x]from MertonIt is so long since I wrote to you and so much water has gone under the bridge that the bridgeYes  
11966/08/21 (#01)TLS[x]from MertonI forget if I ever sent you these scurrilous lines in praise of Bob Lax's movie career.Yes  
11966/08/21 (#02)other[x]from MertonWESTERN FELLOW STUDENTS SALUTE WITH CALYPSO ANTHEMS THE MOVIE CAREER OF  [typescript of a poem by Merton - "Western Fellow Students Salute with Calypso Anthems the Movie Career of Robert Lax"]
11968/02/26 HPCSto MertonHeavy footed, for heavy weather. Ponderous gods down here. We are on a two-  [verso: color postcard of a stone statue of the Aztec god Tlaloc - sent from Mexico]
11968/03/12 (#01)TL[c]from MertonMany thanks for the card of old big boots down in Mexico. I thought seriously of Tlaloc last nightYes  
11968/03/12 (#02)TLS[x]from MertonMany thanks for the card of old big boots down in Mexico. I thought seriously of Tlaloc last nightYes  
11968/03/15 TLSto MertonI shouldn't answer you so quickly, but the fact is that I was about to write you to say that I had   
11968/04/12 (#01)TL[c]from MertonThey can call this Friday Good: bright sun, blue hills, many birds, and the local mockingbird whoYes  
11968/04/12 (#02)TLS[x]from MertonThey can call this Friday Good: bright sun, blue hills, many birds, and the local mockingbird whoYes  
11968/04/16 TLSto MertonUse the poem of course if you really like it, and entitulate it as you seefitulate. I know they're   
11968/06/22 HLSto Merton<u>Monks Pond No. 2</u> is even better - maybe my favorite is   
11968/07/23 (#01)TL[c]from MertonMPOND iii is now in the press, which is to say it is being typed on stencils by a Jesuit scholasticYes  
11968/07/23 (#02)TLS[x]from MertonMPOND iii is now in the press, which is to say it is being typed on stencils by a Jesuit scholasticYes  
11968/11/29 HCSto MertonI never expected to hear from you in those parts, and when you said the monastery would forward mail  [Christmas card to Merton (never received) - verso: Van Doren's poem, "Winter Calligraphy"]
11968/11/no? HPCS[x]from MertonI have been confronting this huge presence for about 10 days. Out of 1 month or more in India, mostYes [verso of postcard - Mount Kanchenjunga in Darjeeling, India]
11968/12/10 (#01)telegramfrom Burns, FlavianWE REGRET TO INFORM YOU OF THE DEATH OF FATHER THOMAS MERTON IN BANGKOK  [from Dom Flavian Burns, Abbot of Gethsemani]
11968/12/10 (#02)HLS[x]to Burns, FlavianTerrible as it is, thank you for sending me tonight the news of Thomas Merton's death. He was one   
11972/08/19 HLSto Center from Van Doren, MarkI have your letter of August 7, 1972, concerning my correspondence with Thomas Merton.   
11973/11/30 TL[x]from Center to Estate of Mark Van DorenMr. Victor Kramer at Georgia State University has requested permission to look at Dr. Mark Van   
11973/12/03 HLSto Center from Van Doren, DorothyI am glad to give permission for examination of my late husband's letter to Thomas Merton.   
1undated/no/no (#01)other[x]from MertonMaybe the reason why I have written so little is that I have written so much to everybody under the  [see Sub-Section D.9 for original - copy of inscription by Merton to Mark Van Doren from inside mimeograph of "The Cold War Letters" (rare brief version)]
1undated/no/no (#02)other[x]from Merton+to Mark and Dorothy Van Doren with all blessings and affection in Christ [-] Tom [-] f M. Louis  [see Sub-Section D.9 for original - copy of inscription by Merton to Mark Van Doren from inside mimeograph of "Notes on Sacred Art"]
1undated/no/no (#03)other[x]from Merton+for Mark and Dorothy - with all Christmas blessings - 1960 [-] Tom.  [see Sub-Section D.9 for original - copy of inscription by Merton to Mark and Dorothy Van Doren from inside offprint of "The Catholic and Creativity"]
1undated/no/no (#04)other[x]from Merton+Mark - sorry for my delay in sending this - I can't remember if I already sent you a copy. Tom.  [see Sub-Section D.9 for original - copy of inscription by Merton to Mark Van Doren from inside mimeograph of "Notes on Genesis"]
1undated/no/no (#05)other[x]from Merton+for Mark and Dot with whom I have no disputes for whom I have nothing but the deepest friendship  [see Sub-Section B.6 for original - copy of inscription by Merton to Mark and Dorothy Van Doren from inside of <i>Disputed Questions</i>]
1undated/no/no (#06)other[x]from Merton+to Mark and Dot a rather <u>late</u> announcement but valid for any day. Tom  [see Sub-Section B.6 for original - copy of inscription by Merton to Mark and Dorothy Van Doren from inside of <i>Disputed Questions</i>]
1undated/no/no (#07)other[x]from Mertonfor Mark - handle with care - happy new year [-] Tom  [see Sub-Section B.6 for original - copy of inscription by Merton to Mark Van Doren from inside of <i>Seeds of Destruction</i>]
21941/12/16 TLS[x]from Stone, Naomi BurtonMr. Merton has told me that he has given all rights in his JOURNAL OF MY ESCAPE to you and this is  [from Naomi Burton Stone, Merton's friend and literary agent from New York City, to Mark Van Doren]
21944/01/06 TLS[x]from Plassmann, ThomasMany thanks for your kind favor of December 26. I feel that we can accept the revelations that Tom  [from Fr. Thomas Plassmann, Franciscan priest and President of St. Bonaventure College in New York, to Mark Van Doren]
21944/01/20 TLS[x]from Herscher, IrenaeusAt the request of Father Thomas Plassmann, President of St. Bonaventure College, may I kindly  [from Fr. Irenaeus Herscher, Franciscan priest and librarian of Friedsam Memorial Library at St. Bonaventure College in New York, to Mark Van Doren]
21944/02/07 HLS[x]from Laughlin, JamesI'd be delighted to give Merton's ms. serious consideration. Would you be kind enough to send me  [from James Laughlin, head of New Directions publishing in Norfolk, Connecticut, to Mark Van Doren - he writes from Alta, Utah]
21944/03/06 HLS[x]from Laughlin, JamesI like the Merton poems quite a lot and would like to include him in the "Poets" series for 1944.  [from James Laughlin, head of New Directions publishing in Norfolk, Connecticut, to Mark Van Doren - he writes from Alta, Utah]
21944/03/28 (#01)TL[x]from Laughlin, JamesHere is a brief contract which I hope you will find OK. If you will sign and send me one copy,  [from James Laughlin, head of New Directions publishing in Norfolk, Connecticut, to Mark Van Doren - he writes from Holladay, Utah]
21944/03/28 (#02)other[x]from Laughlin, JamesMEMORANDUM OF AN AGREEMENT entered into this 28th day of March, 1944, by &amp; between  [signed by Van Doren and James Laughlin, head of New Directions publishing in Norfolk, Connecticut]
21944/06/27 TLS[x]from Laughlin, JamesI hope you are well and thriving. I am sending you a set of pages of the new book of poems by Jean  [from James Laughlin, head of New Directions publishing in Norfolk, Connecticut, to Mark Van Doren]
21944/07/07 TLS[x]from Laughlin, JamesThere is every indication that the little Merton book will be sold out before the end of the year.  [from James Laughlin, head of New Directions publishing in Norfolk, Connecticut, to Mark Van Doren]
21946/07/31 TLS[x]from Laughlin, JamesThat is good news that Merton is interested in another book. From my business point of view, since  [from James Laughlin, head of New Directions publishing in Norfolk, Connecticut, to Mark Van Doren]
21946/09/12 TLS[x]from Rago, HenryThomas Merton has asked me to send you his manuscript, JOURNAL OF MY ESCAPE FROM THE NAZIS  [from Henry Rago, Associate Editor of Pellegrini &amp; Cudahy publishers in Chicago, Illinois, to Mark Van Doren]
21948/07/21 TLS[x]from Giroux, RobertThomas Merton's THE SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN was earmarked for you long ago, and an advance  [from Robert Giroux, an editor at Harcourt, Brace publishers and friend of Merton, to Mark Van Doren]
21948/10/04 HLS[x] from Shuster, George / to Irita Van DorenHere is a piece about Thomas Merton's book - and I hope not too unctuous a one. Certainly it ought  [from George N. Schuster, President of Hunter College in New York City, to Irita Van Doren, who was an editor at <u>The Nation</u> and the <u>New York Herald Tribune</u>, and was married to Mark Van Doren's brother, Carl] recommends <i>The Seven Storey Mountain</i> - references to Mark Van Doren
21948/11/29 HLS[x]from Albert, BrendaOver this week end I had the rare privilege of reading your former pupil, Thomas Merton's book,  [from Brenda Albert of the Mechanical Engineering Department of John Hopkins University to Mark Van Doren]
21949/01/05 TLS[x]from Giroux, RobertI think the enclosed novel, by Elizabeth Charlotte Webster, will interest you. It's a posthumous  [from Robert Giroux, an editor at Harcourt, Brace publisher and friend of Merton, to Mark Van Doren]
21950/10/15 HLS[x] from Paganuzzi, Adolph / to Merton(after having read 'The Seven Storey Mountain' [-] "Die nobis Thoma, quid vidiate in via?"  [from Adolph Paganuzzi of New York City to Merton]
21950/11/07 HLS[x]from Paganuzzi, AdolphIt is with hesitation that I begin this letter because I am afraid that I shall never be able  [from Adolph Paganuzzi of New York City to Mark Van Doren]
21955/05/10 HLS[x]from Keenan, Thomas, Mrs.I was just taking a few minutes to read Bite the Bullet by Dorothy  [from Mrs. Thomas F. Keenan of Dorchester, Massachusetts, to Mark Van Doren]
21958/04/25 HLS[x]from Hornby, JohnOn behalf of our Columbia Undergraduate Newman Club may I again express our appreciation  [from John Hornby, Social Chairman of the Newman Club at Columbia University, to Mark Van Doren]
21958/05/16 HLS[x]from Rea, James EdwardI find myself at a loss for words to describe the experience of having you talk of your friend,  [from James Edward Rea, Counselor to Catholic Students at Columbia University, to Mark Van Doren]
21959/08/04 TLS[x]from Laughlin, JamesMany thanks for your card of the 31st, about the manuscript of Tom's "Selected Poems." I think this  [from James Laughlin, head of New Directions publishing in Norfolk, Connecticut, to Mark Van Doren]
21959/08/10 TLS[x]from MacGregor, RobertI have your postcard to J. Laughlin, and was going to write you anyway. J. is on his way to Europe  [from Robert M. MacGregor, Vice President of New Directions publishing from Norfolk Connecticut, to Mark Van Doren]
21959/10/07 TLS[x]from MacGregor, RobertGriselda Channessian gave me your "preface" for Thomas Merton's SELECTED POEMS late yesterday,  [from Robert M. MacGregor, Vice President of New Directions publishing from Norfolk Connecticut, to Mark Van Doren]
21959/10/27 TLS[x]from Laughlin, JamesI am just back from a very pleasant visit in Europe, where I put my boy in a school in Bavaria,  [from James Laughlin, head of New Directions publishing in Norfolk, Connecticut, to Mark Van Doren]
21960/08/19 TLS[x]from Thompson, LawrenceI am working on a little project to have an exhibition on modern American poets some time  [from Lawrence S. Thompson, Director of Libraries at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, to Mark Van Doren]
21960/12/11 TLS[x]from Markert, LouiseI was one of the privileged persons to hear you speak at the recent Conference of the National  [from Louise Markert, an English teacher from Seattle, Washington, to Mark Van Doren]
21961/03/15 TLS[x]from Kirk, GraysonThe Trustees have chosen Thomas Merton to be a recipient of the University Medal for Excellence this  [from Grayson Kirk, President of Columbia University, to Mark Van Doren]
21961/08/02 TLS[x]from Senatore, JohnWhile reading your <u>Autobiography</u> with great interest, I discovered on page 269, in your  [from John Senator, writing from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Mark Van Doren]
21961/12/15 TLS[x]from Dougherty, JudeOn behalf of Louisville's Book-A-Semester Program may I thank you for your appearance in Louisville.  [from Jude P. Dougherty, writing from Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky, to Mark Van Doren]
21963/05/21 HLS[x]from Martin, EstherAt Bethany College ten days ago I had the treat of hearing you speak. I know you will recall where  [from Esther Martin of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mark Van Doren]
21966/no/no? TLS[x]from ?Thanks for your card. This issue of LATITUDES proved one thing to me: people are reading it!  [from an unknown correspondent to Mark Van Doren]
21968/12/10 HLS[x]to Burns, FlavianTerrible as it is, thank you for sending me tonight the news of Thomas Merton's death. He was one  [from Mark Van Doren to Flavian Burns, Abbot of Gethsemani]
21968/12/11 TLS[x]from Cuneo, PaulWe are happy to know that you will be able to do for us a short article on Thomas Merton.  [from Paul Cuneo, Book Editor from the magazine <u>America</u> in New York City, to Mark Van Doren]
21968/12/18 TLS[x]from Ambrose, LeeIf you would be willing to write a note on Thomas Merton for the FORUM, though you have written  [from Mrs. Lee Ambrose, editor of <u>Columbia Forum</u> (of Columbia University), to Mark Van Doren]
21968/12/19 TLS[x]from Cuneo, PaulMany thanks for your moving tribute to Thomas Merton which we received this morning and which  [from Paul Cuneo, Book Editor from the magazine <u>America</u> in New York City, to Mark Van Doren]
21969/01/05 HLS[x]from Michael Mary, Sr.This is a "thank you" note, a note of "sympathy" and also a note of "friendship." It is a "thank  [from "Sr. Michael Mary" of St. Mary's Convent in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, to Mark Van Doren]
21969/01/06 HLS[x]from Schretzmann, WalterI would like very much to meet you during my Easter Vacation. I would like to talk to you  [from Walter Schretzmann, a 16 year old student from New York City, to Mark Van Doren]
21969/01/07 TLS[x]from Finley, MitchelWhen I sat down to write this letter to you a few minutes ago I had intended to ask you about Thomas  [from Mitchell B. Finley to Mark Van Doren]
21969/01/10 TLS[x]from Roseliep, RaymondI wish to thank you for that touching essay on Tom Merton in <u>America</u>. Though I must confess  [from Raymond Roseliep, a Catholic priest and poet serving as chaplain at Mount Saint Francis in Dubuque, Iowa, to Mark Van Doren]
21969/01/14 TLS[x]from MertonWith this letter I am sending you some back copies of <u>Continuum</u>, a quarterly which I suspect  [from Justus George Lawler, editor at Herder and Herder publishers, to Mark Van Doren]
21969/01/20 TLS[x]from Giroux, RobertMy piece on Tom worked out a little differently than I expected. I don't know whether the Columbia  [from Robert Giroux, editor and publisher at Farrar, Straus &amp; Giroux and friend of Merton, to Mark Van Doren]
21969/01/23 (#01)TLS[x]from Ambrose, LeeYour piece on Thomas Merton arrived this afternoon and we are delighted with it. Thank you so much.  [from Mrs. Lee Ambrose, editor of <u>Columbia Forum</u> (of Columbia University), to Mark Van Doren]
21969/01/23 (#02)HLS[x]from ?May God be Praised for the Brilliant mind He endowed you with - for the opportunity to achieve   
21969/01/29 HPCS[x]from O'Gorman, NedBeauty and love in that memory of Tom - In homage and love [-] Ned [last name difficult to read]  [from Ned O'Gorman, poet from New York City, to Mark Van Doren]
21969/01/31 TLS[x]from Arnold, WalterI hope this note finds you and your family well and flourishing. I am writing because I happened  [from Walter Arnold, editor at E. P. Dutton publishers in New York City, to Mark Van Doren]
21969/02/01 HLS[x]from Crane, MiltonI write to say that I have read – and have been much moved by – your eloquent essay on Tom Merton.  [from Milton Crane, English professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., to Mark Van Doren]
21969/02/04 TLS[x]from Devons, JudithWe have just received at the FORUM office the galleys of your obituary to Thomas Merton, and they  [from Judith Devons, Assistant to the Editor of <u>Columbia Forum</u> magazine (of Columbia University), to Mark Van Doren]
21969/02/05 TL[x]to Devons, JudithFor the life of me I can't find anything wrong with this proof, so here it is with my OK.  [to Judith Devons, Assistant to the Editor of <u>Columbia Forum</u> magazine (of Columbia University), from Mark Van Doren]
21969/02/10 TLS[x]from Lawson, NoraRecently, I was bereft of a friend whom I loved, although I had not, and likely would never have,   
21969/03/11 HLS[x]from Irvine, RalphI have quite a collection of clippings on Thos. Merton since his death. Yours from America was   
2undated/10/06 TLS[x]from Gorman, William [?]It has seemed to me that you should at least know how pleasurable to me have been my several recent   
2undated/no/no other[x] An immense amount of life went out of the world when Thomas Merton died suddenly in Bangkok   
2undated/no/no HLS[x]from Maurice, Sr.I am very deeply interested in enkindling a love of poetry. The desire encouraged me to write  [from Sr. M. Maurice of the Sacred Heart Convent in Syracuse, New York]
2undated/no/no TLS[x]from Giroux, RobertI liked your piece about Tom in <u>America</u> immensely. The quotations from his letters are very  [from Robert Giroux, editor and publisher at Farrar, Straus &amp; Giroux and friend of Merton, to Mark Van Doren]
2undated/no/no HNS[x]from ?That's a beautiful compliment paid to you on pp 138-9 of "The Seven Storey Mountain" by Thomas   
2undated/no/no other[x] THOMAS MERTON, MONK [-] The sudden death of Thomas Merton last December sent letters flying   
2undated/no/no other[x] THOMAS MERTON: A Personal Memoir [-] By Robert Giroux '36 [-] I knew Thomas Merton for thirty-three   
        

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