BIB_ID
209056
Accession number
MA 5104 (1-11)
Creator
Blake, James, 1922-1979.
Display Date
1956-1957.
Credit line
Gift of Alexander Jensen Yow, 2002.
Description
10 items (37 p.) ; 27.8 cm. + with envelopes.
Notes
Item 2 includes a photo of Blake; item 7 includes a typed poem, "torch" (1 p.); and item 8 is the typescript of a story, "Day of the Alligator" (16 p.), inscribed to "Jens" (Mr. Yow).
Provenance
Alexander Jensen Yow, 1925-
Summary
Item 1 is Blake's response to Yow's letter (not present) apparently introducing himself to Blake and commenting on the Paris Review publication of Blake's prison letters. The first three letters are written from an island off South Carolina and discuss Blake's writing, jazz piano playing, and love affairs. The remainder of the letters are written from Duval County Jail, Florida, where Blake was awaiting trial for charges he described as "Breaking & Entry and Grand Larceny," and include descriptions of prison life, books he is reading, his writing, and a defense of homosexual love.
Catalog link
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