PETER ORLOVSKY
PAPERS
MS 91-1
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PETER ORLOVSKY
PAPERS |
Series Description
Click on the Series hyperlink to jump to the File Folder Level Description
| Series 1 | Box 1 | FF 1 | Correspondence from the 1950s. This series contains letters written to his mother during the late 1950s. Most of the letters are dated 1957 when Orlovsky was living in Tangers, Morocco with Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and Alan Ansen. Later that same year, Orlovsky traveled to Spain, France, and Italy. |
| Series 2 | Box 1 | FF 2-3 | Correspondence from the 1960s. This series contains letters written to his family while Orlovsky was traveling alone in the Mid-East in 1961. The majority of the letters are addressed to his mother or the whole family, but some are addressed specifically to other members. |
| Series 3 | Box 1 | FF 4 | Correspondence from the 1970s. This series contains letters written to Kate and the family while Orlovsky was living and working on his organic farm in upstate New York. |
| Series 4 | Box 1 | FF 5 | Photographs. This series contains black and white photographs that Orlovsky sent to the family. |
File Folder Level Description
| Box 1 | FF 1 (continued) | Contains letter to Kate (June 21, 1957), handwritten, with a postscript from Ginsberg, repeats instructions about how to send his VA check, states his opinions concerning Julius' health and the possibility of a lobotomy; postcard to Kate and Marie (June 28, 1957), from Spain; letter to Kate and Marie (July 22, 1957), typewritten; letter to Kate with a note addressed to Laff and Marie (September 7, 1957), typewritten, expressed concern about Laff and Julius, explains what Ginsberg's brother suggests they should do about Julius, mentions Oleg; letter to Kate, Marie, and Laff (September 19, 1957), handwritten, from Paris; letter to Kate (December 22, 1957), typewritten, writes that he will be home in a month and inquires about Oleg. |
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| Box 1 | FF 2 (continued) | Contains letter to family (August 25, 1961), typewritten, descriptions of Cairo, Egypt; letter to Kate (August 28, 1961), typewritten, describes social life in Cairo; letter to family (September 1, 1961), typewritten, descriptions of his experiences in Cairo with children begging and the poverty of the region also mentions dreams that he has been having; letter to Kate (September 5, 1961), typewritten, advice to Kate about Laff and his drug use; letter to Kate (September 23, 1961), typewritten, describes the difficulties he is having in Beirut with loneliness, and finding heroin for Laff; the following letters to Kate all ask for money or give instructions about where to send VA checks, October 5, October 7, October 8, October 13, and October 14, 1961, notifying Kate that he received the check. |
| Box 1 | FF 2 (continued) | Contains a postcard to Kate and Laff (October 16, 1961) from Damascus; letter to Kate and Laff (October 24, 1961), typewritten, describes Jerusalem; letter to Kate and Lafcadio (October 30, 1961), typewritten, describes the sights of Jerusalem and the Holy Sites that he is visiting, also his pro-Arab sympathies; letter to Kate and Marie (May 1, 1962), typewritten, description of Rahdika's family and Hindu mythology; letter to Kate and Marie (April 7, 1962), typewritten, description of trip to India, mentions Ginsberg and Gary Snyder, another poet; letter to family (March 22, 1963) with an attached letter for Lafcadio (March 25, 1963), typewritten, mentions Ginsberg, and Orlovsky's interest in Hinduism; letter to Kate, Marie and Lafcadio (February 15, 1968), handwritten, announcing that he is returning to farming; letter to Kate (February 9, 1969), handwritten, mentions that he is on his way to San Francisco with Ginsberg, opinions about the Vietnam War. |
| Box 1 | FF 3 | Contains correspondence from the 1950s and 1960s addressed to other members of the family. Contains four letters addressed to Laff, (June 28, 1961), typewritten, from Tangers; (June 30, 1961), nine pages typewritten, mentions time spent with Ginsberg, Corso, and Burroughs, and his interest in yoga and painting; (September 5, 1961), typewritten, advice to Laff about drugs; (September 23, 1961), typewritten. Contains three letters to Marie (June 21, 1957), handwritten, mentions Lafcadio, travel, dreams, and Orlovsky's interest in painting and drawing; (February 16, 1962), typewritten, from Bombay; (April 27, 1962), typewritten, letter to Orlovsky from Marie and his reply on the same paper (June 1, 1962). Contains one letter to Nick (April 21, 1962), typewritten, describes travels, a recent illness and his interest in yoga. |
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| Box 1 | FF 4 | Contains correspondence from the 1970s addressed to Kate and the family. Contains letter to Kate (December 8, 1971), typewritten, mentions the farm and Denise, who adds a postscript; letter to Kate and Marie (August 17, 1972), handwritten, tells them about Oleg's operation, the farm, and about a war protest that he will take part in; letter to Kate, Marie, and Lafcadio (September 14, 1972), handwritten, mentions Denise and describes his arrest for involvement in Miami protest; letter to Kate, Marie, and Laff (January 3, 1973), handwritten, mentions Oleg and Nick; letter to Kate (July 12, 1973), handwritten, description of the farm; letter to Kate (July 25, 1973), handwritten, with an added note from Julius; letter to Kate, Marie, and Lafcadio (December 5, 1974), handwritten, concerning Julius. |
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