Katherina von Fraunhofer-Kosinski collection of Jerzy Kosinski
Scope and Contents
The papers, which date chiefly from after 1957, document the life and work of Polish-American author Jerzy Kosinski and include writings, correspondence, printed material, photographs, audiovisual materials, personal papers, and ephemera. The papers were collected by Kosinski's widow, Katherina von Fraunhofer-Kosinski (Kiki Kosinski). Correspondence includes fan mail and professional correspondence with writers, publishers and film producers. Writings include numerous revised drafts and proofs of Being There, The Hermit on 69th Street and other works. The significant quantity of photographs include informal snapshots, formal portraits and Kosinski's artistic projects. Audiovisual material includes audio and video recordings of interviews with Kosinski and broadcasts about Kosinski. Other papers include correspondence, photographs and other papers related to Mary Weir (Kosinski's wife from 1962 to 1966) and the Weir family.
Dates
- 1906-2005
Creator
- Kosinski, Kiki, 1933-2007 (Collector)
- Kosinski, Jerzy, 1933-1991
Conditions Governing Access
Boxes 32, 36-38, 40-41, 214-224, and 247 (audiovisual material): Restricted Fragile material. Consult Access Services for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Katherina von Fraunhofer-Kosinski Collection of Jerzy Kosinski is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The December 2006 Acquisition was a gift of Peter Skinner, 2006. Other acquisitions were gifts of Katherina von Fraunhofer-Kosinski, 1998-2006.
Arrangement
Organized into eleven groupings: November 1997 Acquisition, March 1998 Acquisition, December 1998 Acquisition, April 2001 Acquisition, October 2001 Acquisition, February 2002 Acquisition, June 2002 Acquisition, April 2003 Acquisition, July 2003 Acquisition, May 2006 Acquisition, and December 2006 Acquisition.
Material within this collection has been organized by acquisition reflecting the fact that the collection has been acquired in increments over time.
Researchers should note that material within each acquisition overlaps with/or relates to material found in other acquisitions. For instance, correspondence can be found in many of the 11 groupings. In order to locate all relevant material within this collection, researchers will need to consult each acquisition described in the Collection Contents section.
Extent
80.59 Linear Feet ( (195 boxes) + 47 broadsides, 5 film reels)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The papers, which date chiefly from after 1957, document the life and work of Polish-American author Jerzy Kosinski and include writings, correspondence, printed material, photographs, audiovisual materials, personal papers, and ephemera. The papers were collected by Kosinski's widow, Katherina von Fraunhofer-Kosinski (Kiki Kosinski). Correspondence includes fan mail and professional correspondence with writers, publishers and film producers. Writings include numerous revised drafts and proofs of Being There, The Hermit on 69th Street and other works. The significant quantity of photographs include informal snapshots, formal portraits and Kosinski's artistic projects. Audiovisual material includes audio and video recordings of interviews with Kosinski and broadcasts about Kosinski. Other papers include correspondence, photographs and other papers related to Mary Weir (Kosinski's wife from 1962 to 1966) and the Weir family.
Jerzy Kosinski, 1933-1991
Jerzy Kosinski, Polish-American author, was born Józef Lewinkopf on June 14, 1933 in Łódź, Poland. His experiences as a war refugee and in post-war Poland informed his works of fiction, most notably The Painted Bird. He immigrated to the United States in 1957 and studied political sociology at Columbia University. Among his many honors is a National Book Award in 1969. In the early 1970s, Kosinski was a Visiting Professor at the Yale School of Drama.
Kosinski's early works of nonfiction were written under the pseudonym of Joseph Novak: The Future is Ours, Comrade (1960) and No Third Path (1962). His works of fiction include The Painted Bird (1965), Steps (1968), Being There (1971), Devil Tree (1973), Cockpit (1975), Blind Date (1977), Passion Play (1979), Pinball (1982) and The Hermit of 69th Street : the working papers of Norbert Kosky (1988).
Language(s)
Chiefly in English, some material in Polish.
Processing Information
The collection received preliminary processing at the time of acquisition. Further organization, rehousing, and description were carried out in 2010.
The collection is comprised of material formerly classed as: Uncat MS Vault 802, Uncat MS Vault 811, Uncat MS Vault 838, Uncat MSS 121, Uncat MSS 186, Uncat MSS 270, Uncat MSS 481, Uncat MSS 654, Uncat MSS 873, and Uncat MSS 930.
Various acquisitions associated with the collection have not been merged and organized as a whole. Each acquisition is described separately in the contents list below, according to month and year of acquisition.
Information included in the Description of Papers note and Collection Contents section is drawn from donor lists and from an initial survey of the contents. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below are often based on those provided by the creator or previous custodian. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases. Otherwise, folder titles are supplied by staff during basic processing.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- American literature -- 20th century
- Audiotapes
- Audiovisual materials
- Authors
- Authors, American -- 20th Century -- Archives
- Authors, Polish -- 20th Century -- Archives
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Film
- Kosinski, Jerzy, 1933-1991
- Kosinski, Kiki, 1933-2007
- Photographs
- Polish literature -- 20th Century
- Videocassettes
- Weir, Mary Hayward
- Title
- Guide to the Katherina von Fraunhofer-Kosinski Collection of Jerzy Kosinski
- Author
- by Beinecke staff
- Date
- 2007-05-16
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- 2023-08-07: Finding aid revised to contextualize oppressive and harmful descriptive language in the July 2003 Acquisition. See the Series I processing note for more information.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.