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Marta Feuchtwanger papers

 Collection
Identifier: 0206

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Scope and Content

This archive contains the correspondence of Marta Feuchtwanger, wife of German-Jewish writer Lion Feuchtwanger, who survived her husband by almost thirty years. Marta Feuchtwanger remained an important figure in the exile community and devoted the remainder of her life after his death to promoting the work of her husband. The collection contains Marta Feuchtwanger's personal correspondence, texts and manuscripts by her and others, royalty statements received for the works of her husband, correspondence with publishers, and newspaper clippings mentioning Lion and Marta Feuchtwanger and other exiles. The collection also includes correspondence regarding the establishment and administration of the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library and Villa Aurora. In addition, the collection includes a series called "Carl Franklin Papers". Dr. Carl M. Franklin was Vice President Emeritus and Professor of Law at USC. From 1970, he served as Vice President of Legal Affairs. He and his wife were also very involved in fundraising, raising over $150 million for USC during their lifetime. The Carl Franklin Papers contain correspondence related to the transfer of the Feuchtwanger Estate to USC. Another series, "Hilde Waldo", contains personal correspondence, financial papers, medical bills, and other personal paperwork of Hilde Waldo. Ms. Waldo first served as a secretary to Lion Feuchtwanger. After his death, she continued to work for Marta Feuchtwanger.

Dates

  • Creation: 1536 - 1987
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1940 - 1987

Creator

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 The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers.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

Marta Feuchtwanger was born Marta Loeffler on December 21, 1891 in Germany. In 1912 she married German-Jewish writer Lion Feuchtwanger and went with him into exile during WWII. First they lived in Southern France in Sanary-sur-mer but had to flee in 1940. They escaped to the US in 1940. Marta and her husband Lion moved to Los Angeles in early 1941 where they eventually bought a house at 520 Paseo Miramar. During WWII the Feuchtwanger's house became a well-known gathering place for German-speaking exiles and their American friends. Both Marta and Lion also helped others persecuted by the Nazis to escape from Europe. After Lion Feuchtwanger's death in 1958, Marta dedicated her life to keeping his memory and his work alive. She willed her house and Lion's invaluable library to USC and became the first curator of the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library. Marta assisted researchers and gave tours to USC students on a regular basis and received an honorable doctorate from USC in 1981. Marta survived her husband by almost 30 years. She died in Santa Monica in 1987.

Extent

108.58 Linear Feet (183 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

German

Latin

Greek, Modern (1453-)

Persian

Abstract

This archive contains the correspondence of Marta Feuchtwanger, wife of German-Jewish writer Lion Feuchtwanger, who survived her husband by almost thirty years. Marta Feuchtwanger remained an important figure in the exile community and devoted the remainder of her life to promoting the work of her husband. The collection contains Marta Feuchtwanger's personal correspondence, texts and manuscripts by her and others, royalty statements received for the works of her husband, correspondence with publishers, and newspaper clippings mentioning Lion and Marta Feuchtwanger and other exiles. The collection also includes correspondence regarding the establishment and administration of the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library and Villa Aurora.

Prcoessing Note

The collection was partly processed by Adi Ben-Michael in 2011.

Genre / Form

Geographic

Topical

Title
Finding Aid for Marta Feuchtwanger papers
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Michaela Ullmann
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English, German

Revision Statements

  • 2021 April: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub: created new container records for unprocessed boxes of material (Box nos. 139 and 140) found during the 2020 move out of East Library.
  • 2021 November: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub to include accrual of photographs, correspondence, news clippings, event programs, and other material added to the collection in 2021 (accrual no. 2021-074).
  • 2022: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub to include material added to the collection from accrual no. 2022-003 (housed in box nos. 141 and 142) and accrual no. 2022-052 (housed in box no. 143).

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