T.S. Eliot, 1936 - 1951

The Donagh MacDonagh papers consist of correspondence, manuscripts, and miscellany covering the years 1936-1968.

The Correspondence series contains letters MacDonagh received from fellow writers and friends, including 16 letters from T.S. Eliot. Many of these letters concern MacDonagh's publication efforts for his poetry and his ongoing dialogue with Eliot, which spanned nearly twenty years.

The Writings series includes corrected typescripts of two of MacDonagh’s plays; corrected proofs of a volume of poetry; and a typescript of an English translation of Max Brod’s theater adaptation of Franz Kafka’s novel, The Castle. Also of interest is MacDonagh's thesis on “TS Eliot as Poet” (1939). The thesis includes marginal notes by Eliot, as MacDonagh sent Eliot the copy for his review.

The Loose Materials series contains items originally laid-in to items in MacDonagh's personal library, which were removed and set aside at some point following the collection's original acquisition. Items in this series include news clippings, poems, programs, and MacDonagh's typewritten reviews of plays and publications.

These papers are a portion of the much larger Donagh MacDonagh Collection of Irish Modernism. The collection consists of portions of MacDonagh’s personal library of some 150 books, which contains many first editions; and imprints of the Cuala Press and Dolmen Press.