Daisy Aldan (1923-2001) was born in New York City to Louis Aldan, a designer, and Esther Edelheit Aldan an actress. She received a B.A. degree from Hunter College in 1943, and an M.A. from Brooklyn College in 1948, and did further graduate study at New York University. Aldan was a poet, editor, and translator who read and lectured throughout the United States and Europe.
Aldan was part of the New York City poetry scene of the 1950s and 1960s. She created her own publishing company, Tiber Press (which later became Folder Editions), publishing her own work as well as that of struggling Beat Generation writers. Daisy Aldan's poetry was influenced by modern French poetry and metaphysics and she edited and published translations of works by Stephane Mallarmé, Anaïs Nin, Albert Steffen, and Rudolf Steiner. To supplement her income, Aldan taught English, creative writing, literature, speech, and film studies at the New York School of Art and Design before retiring in the 1970s to focus on her writing.
Her poetry books include The Destruction of Cathedrals and Other Poems (1963), The Masks Are Becoming Faces (1964), Breakthrough (1971), Love Poems of Daisy Aldan (1972), Between High Tides (1978), and In Passage (1987), the latter two of which won her Pulitzer Prize nominations. Other credits include The NEA Poetry Prize, the American Literary Translator's Award, and a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her novella, Day of the Wounded Eagle (1991). Daisy Aldan contributed to anthologies including Fifty-Three American Poets of Today (1973), Twentieth-Century American Women Poets (1974), and The Little Magazine in America Today (1978), as well as to magazines including Botteghe Oscure, Imago, Massachusetts Review, New York Times, Poet and Critic, and Poetry.
Sources:
The papers include Daisy Aldan's poetry, translations of works by other writers, correspondence, and photographs in which she appears from 1960-1987.
Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Daisy Aldan papers, Ms. 85.3, Brown University Library.
The papers are arranged in three series:
The Daisy Aldan papers were donated in various installments in 1980, 1982, 1985, and 2002.
See also: Daisy Aldan Papers (1946-1966) at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin.
This series contains miscellaneous typescripts and work sheets of poems by Daisy Aldan.
Manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Typescript and manuscript work sheets for poem.
Typescript.
Manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typescript: 3 pages, one is final form; two are drafts with manuscript revisions.
Manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed copy signed.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Typed drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Types and manuscript drafts.
Typescripts, two are final form; seven are drafts with manuscript ; eight pages of drafts.
Typescripts, one is final form; three are drafts with manuscript revisions.
Manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Typed and manuscript drafts.
Contains writings translated by Daisy Aldan.
English translation by Daisy Aldan.
Typescript translated into English by Daisy Aldan and Elly Havas Simmons.
Two work books with notes for Penthesila adapted from the German play by Daisy Aldan.
Includes a translation of a poem by Apollinaire; drafts and a final copy of "After this: banality," along with a cover letter concerning her "Poems of 1946" addressed to Roger Stoddard; biographical data on Daisy Aldan; and a prospectus for "A New Folder, Americans: Poems and Drawings," of which she was editor.
The group shot of poets is entitled "The Folder Poets" and was taken for an article in Mademoiselle Magazine in connection with "The New Folder: Americans: Poems and Drawings". Several of the poets were associated with the New York School of poetry. The poets photographed are: Daisy Aldan, Willard Maas, Kenneth Koch, Barbara Guest, Emilie Glen, Frank O’Hara, Ruth Yorck, Kenward Elmslie, Denise Levertov, Charles Boultenhouse, Arthur Gregor, Joy Gould, Leroi Jones (Baraka), Lucia Dlugozsewski, Jean Garrigue, Edward Field, and Storm Dehirsch.