Guide to the Yves Navarre Literary Manuscripts and Letters, 1959-1982

Accession number: 1995-0005R



University Libraries
The Pennsylvania State University
Special Collections Library
Rare Books and Manuscripts


Contact Information:

Pennsylvania State University
University Libraries
Special Collections Library
104 Paterno Library
University Park, PA 16802
814/865-1793
FAX 814/863-5318
E-mail: sks5@psulias.psu.edu

Processed by: Susan Hamburger
Date Completed: 2000
Encoded by: Susan Hamburger

©2006 Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved.


Descriptive Summary

Creator: Navarre, Yves
Title: Yves Navarre Literary Manuscripts and Letters, 1959-1982
Accession: 1995-0005R
Shelf location: Annex
Provenance: Gift of John Robert Kaiser, 1995
Extent: 4 cubic feet
Repository: Pennsylvania State University, University Libraries, Special Collections Library

Administrative Information

Access

Unrestricted access.

Preferred Citation

Yves Navarre Literary Manuscripts and Letters, 1959-1982, Accession 1995-0005R, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Special Collections Library, University Libraries, Pennsylvania State University.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into two series: Personal and Work.

Arranged alphabetically by series and thereunder by type of work (novels, plays, poems, etc.), then by title of the work.

Biographical Note

Yves Henri Michel Navarre, French novelist and playwright, was born 24 September 1940 in Condom, Gascony, France. He earned degrees in Spanish, English, and modern literature from the Universite de Lille III in 1961 and 1964 and attended Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales du Nord in 1964. Navarre died of an overdose of barbiturates in Paris, France, on 24 January 1994.

He began submitting manuscripts for publication in 1958 and his first novel, Lady Black, was published in 1971, followed by Evolene (1972), Les Loukoums (1973), and others each year through 1984 when he suffered a stroke. He resumed publishing in 1986 until 1991. Navarre received France's top literary award, the Concourt Prize in 1980 for Le Jardin d'Acclimatation (The Zoological Garden) and in 1992 the Academie Francaise Prize for the body of his work.

Navarre is noted for "his treatment of mature themes, including homosexual relations, spiritual imprisonment, and the mystical qualities of love. His approach to such topics is formal rather than sensationalized." He told Contemporary Authors that his "novel Biographie is the key to all my other novels and plays."

Scope and Content

The collection consists primarily of holograph and typescript manuscripts for some of Navarre's published and unpublished novels and plays and photocopied newspaper clippings about Navarre and his work, plus poems, a pamphlet, a film script, a few programs and posters for some of his plays, photographs of Navarre (including nudes) at home and on vacation, and letters to John Robert Kaiser, Penn State librarian, who solicited the manuscripts from the author. The manuscripts represent his output from 1970 to 1976 while the letters from friends and publishers range from 1959-1982 and those to Kaiser range from 1973 to 1982.

Index Terms

These materials are indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Pennsylvania State University. Researchers wishing to find related materials should search the catalog under these index terms.

Personal Name Subjects

Navarre, Yves, 1940- -- Archives

Navarre, Yves, 1940- -- Portraits

Topical Subjects

Gay men's writings, French

Form/Genre Terms

Clippings

Diaries

French drama

French fiction

French poetry

Manuscripts for publication

Photographs

Container List

Personal Series

Personal Series, 1959-1982.

Articles about Yves Navarre

Box 3

Folders 3-7

Personal clippings and articles mentioning Navarre, 1972-1980

Box 3

Folder 8

Interviews, 1974-1978

Box 3

Folders 9-10

Public appearances, 1975-1980

Box 3

Folders 11-12

TV appearances, 1975-1980

Box 3

Folder 13

Union for writers, 1975-1979

Box 3

Folder 14

Universite d'ete homosexuelle a Marseilles, 1979

Box 3

Folder 15

Cinema festivals, 1975-1980

Bibliography

Box 3

Folder 2

Bibliographical notes by John Robert Kaiser

Box 4

Folder 27

Bibliography note cards

Biographical

Box 3

Folder 1

Biographical questionnaire by John Robert Kaiser

Diary

Box 1

Folder 1

Diary, Tipota, 1972 Sept.

Letters

Box 1

Folder 2

Letters from friends and publishers, 1959-1973

Box 1

Folder 3

Letters and postcards (in English) to John Robert Kaiser, 1973-1982

Box 1

Folder 4

Letters to Leo Pile, 1972

Photographs

Box 1

Folder 5

Photographs and slides (black-and-white and color) of Navarre, his friends, his surroundings

Box 1

Folder 6

Photographs, black-and-white portraits and studio shots of Navarre, and color candid snapshots

Box 1

Folder 7

Negatives, black-and-white nudes of Navarre

Works Series

Works, 1969-1981

Articles by Navarre

Box 3

Folders 16-17

Articles in newspapers and magazines (clippings), 1971-1980

Ballets

Box 3

Folder 18

Septentrion (clippings), 1974-1980

Box 3

Folder 19

Variations Chromatiques (clippings), 1976

Notes

Box 2

Folder 19

Notes on books and poems

Novels

Box 1

Folders 8-9

Abel Devilsworth

Box 3

Folders 25-26

Le Coeur qui Cogne (clippings), 1974-1980

Box 1

Folders 10-12

Drummond, 1973 February - 1976 October

Box 1

Folder 13

Evolene

Box 3

Folder 27

Evolene (clippings), 1971-1974

Box 3

Folders 28-31

Le Jardin d'acclimatation (clippings), 1980 July - November 18

Box 4

Folders 1-4

Le Jardin d'acclimatation (clippings), 1980 November 20 - 1981 February

Box 4

Folder 5

Je Vis ou Je Me Attache (clippings), 1978-1980

Box 4

Folder 6

Killer (clippings), 1975, 1980

Box 1

Folders 14-16

Kurwenal

Box 4

Folder 7

Kurwenal (clippings), 1977-1980

Box 4

Folder 8

Lady Black (clippings), 1971-1977

Box 1

Folders 17-18

Lorsque le Soleil Tombe

Box 1

Folder 19

Le Valet de Mort (first version of Les Loukoums)

Box 1

Folder 20

Les Loukoums

Box 4

Folder 9

Les Loukoums (clippings), 1973-1979

Box 4

Folder 10

Niagarak (clippings), 1976

Box 1

Folders 21-22

Le Petit Galopin de Nos Corps, 1976 June - August

Box 4

Folder 11

Le Petit Galopin de Nos Corps (clippings), 1977-1979

Box 4

Folder 13

Portrait de Julien Devant la Fenetre (clippings), 1979-1980

Box 2

Folder 1

Satanese Hotel

Box 2

Folders 2-3

Sin-king City, 1971 October - November

Box 2

Folder 4

Le Souper des Loups

Box 4

Folder 14

Le Temps Voulu (clippings), 1979-1980

Box 2

Folder 5

Un Village a la Place du Coeur

Pamphlets

Box 2

Folder 6

Lettre ouverte a une republique de Pantouflards, 1972 September

Plays

Box 2

Folder 7

Champagne

Box 4

Folder 16

Les Dernieres Clientes (clippings), 1977-1979

Box 4

Folder 17

Dialogue de Sourdes (clippings), 1975-1980

Box 2

Folder 8

Freaks Society

Box 4

Folder 18

Freaks Society (clippings), 1974-1980

Box 4

Folder 15

General clippings, 1976, 1978

Box 4

Folder 19

La Guerre des Piscines (The Swimming Pool War) (clippings), 1975-1979

Map case RBR-H

Folder 14

Histoire d'Amour (poster)

Box 4

Folder 20

Histoire d'Amour (clippings), 1976-1977

Box 2

Folder 9

Panier de Plumes

Box 2

Folder 10

Il Pleut si on Tuait Papa, Maman

Box 2

Folder 11

Il Pleut si on Tuait Papa, Maman (scene 1-9); The True Story of Shanghai Lily; La Voleuse de Bigoudis

Box 4

Folder 12

Il Pleut si on Tuait Papa, Maman (clippings), 1973-1980

Box 4

Folder 21

Plum Parade (clippings), 1975-1978

Box 2

Folder 12

Pretty Toys of Liberty, 1970

Box 2

Folder 13

September Song

Box 4

Folder 22

Theatre 1 (clippings), 1974

Box 4

Folder 23

Theatre 2 (clippings), 1976-1977

Box 2

Folder 14

Theatre in Memoriam Pantalon; Freaks Society acte III; Dialogue de Sourdes

Box 4

Folder 24

Les Valises (clippings), 1973, 1979

Box 2

Folder 15

La Voleuse de Bigoudis, 1973 January

Box 4

Folder 25

La Voleuse de Bigoudis (clippings), 1974

Poems and recordings

Box 3

Folder 24

Musical recordings (clippings), 1974

Box 4

Folder 26

Poems, 1980

Programs

Box 2

Folder 20

Programs for Les Dernieres Clientes, Freaks Society, La Guerre des Piscines; poster for Freaks Society, 1969, 1976-1978

Scripts (film)

Box 3

Folder 20

La Madame des Sleepings (clippings), 1975-1976

Box 2

Folder 18

Les Petits Plaisirs, 1974 December - 1975 January

Box 3

Folder 21

Les Petits Plaisirs (clippings), 1974-1978

Box 3

Folder 22

Le Troisieme Cri (clippings), 1974-1975

Tapes

Box 2

Folder 21

Audio cassette of Navarre reciting his work