James Stern papers
Collection
0031-LIT
James Stern (1904-1993) was an Irish-born author of more than fifty short stories, non-fiction, and translations. His works include The Heartless Land (1932); The Hidden Damage (1947); and The Stories of James Stern (1969). Stern's papers consist primarily of correspondence he received relating to Djuna Barnes, both from her and from others. The papers also include newspaper and magazine articles about Miss Barnes. Major topics include Nightwood, The Antiphon, mutual acquaintances, social events, personal affairs, and requests for information about Djuna Barnes.
This collection is open for research.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
0.25 Linear Feet
James Andrew Stern, author, was born on December 26, 1904, in County Meath, Ireland. He attended Eaton and Sandhurst.
The author of more than fifty short stories, his works included The Heartless Land (1932); Something Wrong (1938); The Hidden Damage (1947) (written after viewing the damage wrought by World War II as a member of the Strategic Bombing Survey in Germany); The Man Who Was Loved (1952); The Stories of James Stern (1969); and Thank You Fog (1974). Together with his wife, Constanze (Tania) Kurella, whom he married in 1935, Stern translated from German the works of Franz Kafka; Bertolt Brecht; Thomas Mann; Erich Maria Remarque; Hugo von Hofmannsthal; and Sigmund Freud. Mr. Stern also wrote for numerous newspapers and magazines including New Yorker; London Magazine; Irish Times; Harper's Magazine; Nation; and New Republic.
Mr. Stern also worked as a bartender, pig farmer, cattle rancher, and steeplechase rider. He died on November 22, 1993, at the age of eighty-eight.
This collection is organized as two series:
James Andrew Stern bequeathed these papers to the University of Maryland at College Park Libraries. The Libraries received them in June 1994.
The papers of James Stern were divided into two series. Letters were removed from envelopes and flattened. Envelopes were discarded except those containing annotations. The date of a letter was recorded in brackets on its envelope if it differed from the date of the postmark. Paper clips were removed, and the collection was placed in acid-free folders and boxes.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives