Skip to main contentResource added ![Oklahoma
Baptist
University
ABU
December 3, 1981
Dr. James A Emanuel
201, Rue de Vaugirard, A7
75015 Paris
France
Dear Dr. Emanuel:
Several weeks ago, I received a letter requesting me to assist a group of scholars
at the University of North Carolina by writing one or more essays for a forth—
coming edition of The Dictionary of Literary Biography, a three volume work
focussing on Afro—American literary artists. I agreed to help if I could, and
was promptly assigned an essay of approximately four thousand words on your
life and literary work.
Now, obviously, I am not the person in the world most qualified to write a purely
biographical piece about James AO Emanuel. But my background in the study of
American poetry and my interest in the poetry and fiction of Black Americans
(especially the work of Langston Hughes and Richard Wright) does, I think, make
me a fairly suitable compiler and evaluator of the data of your poetic and
critical achievements. Since, however, the essay I shall write will be, so far
as I can determine, one of the more extensive biographical—critical overviews
of your work to date, I am quite concerned that it be accurate in its presenta—
tion and representative in its perceptions. To achieve that, I am anxious to
correspond with you about your work and some of your specific intentions for it.
With your permission, I would like to submit a series of inquiries which, if
you would be go kind as to respond to them, might help to fill in gaps in my
research. In general, I would be curious to know what forces shaped your poetic
work, what is your perception of your roles as scholar and poet (and whether
these have supported or handicapped each other), does the fairly recent publica—
tion of Black Man Abroad and A Chisel in the Dark suggest a major shift in your
activity from scholar—educator to poet (and, thus, more books to come), and does
your present stay in France reflect such a shift or more a desire to return to
the country where you were earlier a Fulbright fellow?
Professors Davis and Harris at North Carolina have requested a January 30
submission deadline for my essay, so it is possible that you may receive further
and more specific requests from me in a subsequent letter (which may arrive
before there is time for me to get a response to this letter). I hope that you
will understand that my intention is not to shift the burden of my essay to you
but to help assure the essay’s accuracy. I would deeply appreciate your help.
Respectfully yours,
[signature]
Douglas Watson
Department of English (405) 275-2850 Shawnee, 0K 74801](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/a/1/6/a1684aa7-b2b3-4874-94fd-e8bd3e8995e9/attachment/bc93bccd95f22cee055a29ff5b993fbc.jpg)
![Oklahoma
Baptist
University
ABU
December 3, 1981
Dr. James A Emanuel
201, Rue de Vaugirard, A7
75015 Paris
France
Dear Dr. Emanuel:
Several weeks ago, I received a letter requesting me to assist a group of scholars
at the University of North Carolina by writing one or more essays for a forth—
coming edition of The Dictionary of Literary Biography, a three volume work
focussing on Afro—American literary artists. I agreed to help if I could, and
was promptly assigned an essay of approximately four thousand words on your
life and literary work.
Now, obviously, I am not the person in the world most qualified to write a purely
biographical piece about James AO Emanuel. But my background in the study of
American poetry and my interest in the poetry and fiction of Black Americans
(especially the work of Langston Hughes and Richard Wright) does, I think, make
me a fairly suitable compiler and evaluator of the data of your poetic and
critical achievements. Since, however, the essay I shall write will be, so far
as I can determine, one of the more extensive biographical—critical overviews
of your work to date, I am quite concerned that it be accurate in its presenta—
tion and representative in its perceptions. To achieve that, I am anxious to
correspond with you about your work and some of your specific intentions for it.
With your permission, I would like to submit a series of inquiries which, if
you would be go kind as to respond to them, might help to fill in gaps in my
research. In general, I would be curious to know what forces shaped your poetic
work, what is your perception of your roles as scholar and poet (and whether
these have supported or handicapped each other), does the fairly recent publica—
tion of Black Man Abroad and A Chisel in the Dark suggest a major shift in your
activity from scholar—educator to poet (and, thus, more books to come), and does
your present stay in France reflect such a shift or more a desire to return to
the country where you were earlier a Fulbright fellow?
Professors Davis and Harris at North Carolina have requested a January 30
submission deadline for my essay, so it is possible that you may receive further
and more specific requests from me in a subsequent letter (which may arrive
before there is time for me to get a response to this letter). I hope that you
will understand that my intention is not to shift the burden of my essay to you
but to help assure the essay’s accuracy. I would deeply appreciate your help.
Respectfully yours,
[signature]
Douglas Watson
Department of English (405) 275-2850 Shawnee, 0K 74801](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/a/1/6/a1684aa7-b2b3-4874-94fd-e8bd3e8995e9/attachment/medium-4aef37fc2d328b6bddd458454e2c15b3.jpg)
Letter from Douglas Watson December 1981
Full description
Typed letter from Douglas Watson to James Emanuel, dated December 3, 1981, from Oklahoma Baptist University. Watson asks Emanuel about his inspirations and reasons for writing, as Watson has been tasked to write a biographical essay about Emanuel. (Page 1)
Comments
Log in to view and add comments.
Annotations
No one has annotated a text with this resource yet.
- typeImage
- created on
- file formatjpg
- file size14 MB
- container titleJames A. Emanuel Papers
- creatorDouglas Watson
- issueBox 4 Folder 7, Watson, Douglas, 1981-1993
- rightsJames A. Emanuel Estate
- rights holderJames A. Emanuel Estate
- version3-Dec-81