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Lion Feuchtwanger papers

 Collection
Identifier: 0204

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Scope and Content

The Lion Feuchtwanger papers consist of the German-Jewish novelist's personal and business correspondence; manuscripts for plays, poetry, short stories, and historical novels; manuscripts by other writers including Marie Luise Fleisser, Luzi Korngold, and Alan Marcus as well as Charles Chaplin's manuscript for Limelight; correspondence with publishers; newspaper clippings mentioning Feuchtwanger and other exiles; photographs from Feuchtwanger's life in Germany, his exile in France, and in the United States; copyright agreements and reviews of his works; ephemera; art works; audio and video recordings; and his speeches and open letters about Judaism, politics, and literature.

Even though the majority of materials in this collection dates to the 1940s and 1950s when Feuchtwanger lived in Los Angeles, the collection includes important holdings from his exile in Southern France and a few materials from his life in Germany. Noteworthy among the materials from Feuchtwanger's life in Germany are the original manuscripts for his novels Jud Süss and Die hässliche Herzogin, as well as newspaper clippings containing Nazi propaganda and lists of people who were stripped of their German citizenship. The papers also contain Feuchtwanger's vast collection of autograph letters. Amongst these are original letters by historical figures such as Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, Sir Richard Francis Burton, Charles Darwin, Alexandre Dumas, Eleonora Duse, and many more. The collection also holds the bookseller's catalogs used by Feuchtwanger to acquire his vast personal library. Furthermore, the collection includes materials on the establishment of the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library at USC, the International Feuchtwanger Society, and the artists' residence Villa Aurora, the former Feuchtwanger residence.

Dates

  • Creation: 1906 - 2006
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1940 - 1958

Creator

Language of Materials note

The majority of the materials in the Lion Feuchtwanger papers are in German and English. There are a few letters and articles in French, as well as reviews of adaptations of Feuchtwanger's works in various other languages.

Conditions Governing Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

The collection contains published materials; researchers are reminded of the copyright restrictions imposed by publishers on reusing their articles and parts of books. It is the responsibility of researchers to acquire permission from publishers when reusing such materials. The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Biographical/Historical note

Lion Feuchtwanger (1884-1958) began his literary career as a theater critic and turned his talent to writing plays in the 1910s and 1920s. He first became internationally known for his historical novel Jud Süss published in 1925.

An outspoken enemy of the Nazis, Feuchtwanger went into exile in Southern France in 1933 and emigrated to the United States with his wife Marta in 1941.

During his seventeen years in Southern California, he wrote primarily historical fiction including: Waffen für Amerika also called Die Füchse im Weinberg (1947-48; Proud Destiny), Goya oder Der arge Weg der Erkenntnis (1951; This is the Hour, a Novel about Goya), Spanische Ballade also called Die Jüdin von Toledo (1955; Raquel, the Jewess of Toledo), and Jefta und seine Tochter (1957; Jephta and his Daughter).

He was an important figure in the intellectual and artistic circles in Los Angeles during the 1940s and 1950s. During the McCarthy era he was under observation by the FBI.

An avid book collector, Feuchtwanger acquired a personal library reflecting his interests in different historical periods and containing several noteworthy smaller collections of primary and secondary sources focusing on such subjects as Greek and Latin classics, Jewish and biblical history, the Enlightenment, French Revolution, German literature, and exile literature.

Extent

302.5 Linear Feet (321 boxes)

Abstract

Lion Feuchtwanger (1884-1958) was a celebrated German-Jewish novelist and outspoken enemy of the Nazis. He began his literary career as a theater critic and turned his talent to writing plays in the 1910s and 1920s. He first became internationally known for his historical novel Jud Süss published in 1925. In 1933, he went into exile in Southern France and in 1941 he emigrated to the United States. He was an important figure in intellectual and artistic circles in Los Angeles during the 1940s and 1950s. During the McCarthy era he was under observation by the FBI. Feuchtwanger passed away in 1958. He died stateless as he was never returned his German citizenship and was denied American citizenship during the McCarthy era. The collection includes Feuchtwanger's personal and business correspondence; manuscripts for plays, poetry, short stories, and historical novels; manuscripts by other writers such as Charles Chaplin's manuscript for Limelight; correspondence with publishers; newspaper clippings mentioning Feuchtwanger and other exiles; photographs from Feuchtwanger's life in Germany, his exile in France, and in the United States; copyright agreements and reviews of his works; ephemera; art works; audio and video recordings; and his speeches and open letters about Judaism, politics, and literature. The papers also contain Feuchtwanger's extensive collection of autograph letters and the bookseller's catalogs used by Feuchtwanger to acquire his vast personal library. Furthermore, the collection includes materials on the establishment of the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library at USC, the International Feuchtwanger Society, and the artists' residence Villa Aurora, the former Feuchtwanger residence.

Acquisition

Gift of Marta Feuchtwanger, 1987.

Processing Information

The collection was rehoused and described by Marje Schuetze-Coburn and Michaela Ullmann. Additional data transfer and rehousing was done by Adi Ben-Michael, Lauren Weindling, Matthew Gehm, Anno Hoeller, Christopher Robinson, Melia Albrecht, and Lisa Ebiner Gavet.

Genre / Form

Geographic

Topical

Title
Finding aid for the Lion Feuchtwanger papers
Status
Completed
Author
Marje Schuetze-Coburn and Michaela Ullmann with additional data transfer by Adi Ben-Michael, Lauren Weindling, Matthew Gehm, Anno Hoeller, Christopher Robinson, and Melia Albrecht, and Lisa Ebiner Gavet.
Date
2013 July
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Revision Statements

  • 2019: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub to include copies of FBI files on Bertolt Brecht and additional autographed works collected by Feuchtwanger.
  • 2021 May: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub: created new container records (listed under "Unprocessed material") after finding unprocessed boxes during Grand Archives stacks shelf-reading.
  • 2021 September: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub to include description of materials that had been separated from the collection and a box of audiovisual material (accession nos. 2016-051 and 2021-035).
  • 2021 November: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub to include description of materials that had been separated from the collection and a file of news clippings compiled by Michaela Ullmann.
  • 2022 January: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub: rehoused Lion Feuchtwanger's death mask and bust and updated container records and extent.
  • 2023 April: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub to include material added to the collection from accession no. 2023-006 (housed in box no. 36).

Repository Details

Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States