Frederick F. Manfred Papers
Collection
Identifier: Mss009
Scope and Content Note
The papers detail the life and works of this prominent regional novelist who lived in the area he called "Siouxland" and contain manuscripts, typescripts, research material, galleys, proofs, class notes and papers, photographs, audio and video recordings.
Dates
- 1912-1994
Language of Materials
English
Restrictions on Access
Access to this collection is restricted and written permission is required to use materials. Please consult the curator for further information.
Restrictions on Use
Copyright is retained by the copyright holders.
Biographical Note
Frederick Manfred was born Frederick Feikema on January 6, 1912 on a farm in northwestern Iowa. He attended high school in Hull, Iowa where he excelled as a baseball pitcher and dreamed of becoming a professional player. Two years after graduating from high school, he attended the Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan where began his writing career.
After earning a B.A. and his teaching certificate in 1934, Manfred hitchhiked across America for two years. In 1937, at the end of his travels, he worked as a sports reporter for The Minneapolis Journal for several years. Manfred soon developed tuberculosis and entered Glen Lake Sanatorium where he met his future wife Maryanna Shorba. Manfred left the sanatorium in 1942 and worked on the staff of Modern Medicine and as assistant campaign manager for Hubert Humphrey, who was a candidate for mayor of Minneapolis.
In 1943 Manfred decided to devote all of his time to writing. He was given a University of Minnesota writing fellowship in 1944, and his first novel, The Golden Bowl, inspired by his hitchhiking experience, was published later that year. Manfred's third novel, This Is the Year (1947), was on The New York Times best-seller list for four weeks
In 1952 Manfred decided to changed his name from Frederick Feikema to Frederick Feikema Manfred, and Frederick Manfred became his publishing name. Lord Grizzly, the first of "The Buckskin Man Tales," was the first work Manfred published under his new name. He published numerous other novels in the series. Manfred died of a brain tumor in 1994.
After earning a B.A. and his teaching certificate in 1934, Manfred hitchhiked across America for two years. In 1937, at the end of his travels, he worked as a sports reporter for The Minneapolis Journal for several years. Manfred soon developed tuberculosis and entered Glen Lake Sanatorium where he met his future wife Maryanna Shorba. Manfred left the sanatorium in 1942 and worked on the staff of Modern Medicine and as assistant campaign manager for Hubert Humphrey, who was a candidate for mayor of Minneapolis.
In 1943 Manfred decided to devote all of his time to writing. He was given a University of Minnesota writing fellowship in 1944, and his first novel, The Golden Bowl, inspired by his hitchhiking experience, was published later that year. Manfred's third novel, This Is the Year (1947), was on The New York Times best-seller list for four weeks
In 1952 Manfred decided to changed his name from Frederick Feikema to Frederick Feikema Manfred, and Frederick Manfred became his publishing name. Lord Grizzly, the first of "The Buckskin Man Tales," was the first work Manfred published under his new name. He published numerous other novels in the series. Manfred died of a brain tumor in 1994.
Extent
100 Cubic Feet (100+ boxes)
Abstract
The papers detail the life and works of this prominent regional novelist who lived in the area he called "Siouxland" and contain manuscripts, typescripts, research material, galleys, proofs, class notes and papers, photographs, audio and video recordings.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into six series:
- Personal and Family Papers
- Articles and Other Publications By and About Manfred
- Correspondence
- Library of Published Volumes
- Manuscripts of Books, Poems, and Essays
- Audio-Visual Materials
Physical Location
Mezz (R80, D1-3); AV (R1, D1, S4)
Other Finding Aid
An unpublished finding aid with detailed contents is available. Please contact the Upper Midwest Literary Archives for details.
Acquisition
The initial donation was made to the University Libraries in 1969; subsequent donations continued until 1996.
Notable Correspondents' List
This lists notable persons whose letters are located in Manfred's chronological correspondence. The list was created by staff as they processed the collection. The dates after the correspondents' name are the inclusive dates of letters. More detailed information about dates of letters received and sent by Manfred is located in the Archives.
- Anderson, Eugene, 1957
- Angoff, Charles, 1943
- Beach, Joseph Warren, 1953
- Bliven, Bruce, 1942
- Blum, Morgan, 1957
- Bly, Robert, 1960-1969
- Borland, Hal G., 1963
- Brooks, Van Wyck, 1945-1953
- Burke, Kenneth, 1944-1951
- Cerf, Bennett, 1951-1970
- Chidester, Ann, 1945-1950
- Chute, Marcheet Gaylord, 1955-1966
- Conroy, Jack, 1947-1968
- Cowley, Malcom, 1955-1956
- Damrosch, Walter, 1946
- De Haven, Bob, 1961
- De Jong, David Cornel, 1944-1959
- DeVoto, Bernard Augustine, 1953
- DeVries, Peter, 1941-1964
- Dillon, George, 1948
- Disney, Walt, 1955, 1962-1966
- Eastman, Max, 1964-1965
- Eisenhower, Dwight, 1957
- Engle, Paul, 1943, 1946, 1965, 1967
- Evans, Paul "Doc," 1961-1962, 1969
- Faulkner, William, 1956-1957
- Fisher, Opal, 1958
- Fisher, Vardis, 1956
- Gale, Richard P., 1944
- Goldwyn, Samuel, Jr., 1958, 1961
- Guthrie, Woody, 1945
- Humphrey, Hubert, 1944-1961
- Kelsey, Vera, 1953, 1956
- Lewis, Sinclair, 1942-1947
- Lytle, Andrew Nelson, 1961, 1964
- McCarthy, Eugene, 1970
- Mencken, Henry Louis, 1945-1948
- Miller, Henry, 1943-1945, 1964
- Mondale, Walter F., 1972
- Moon, Bucklin, 1964-1969
- Niles, John Jacob, 1944
- Perkins, Maxwell Evarts, 1942
- Powell, Dick, 1958
- Powers, James Farl, 1957-1966
- Ransom, John Crowe, 1943, 1951, 1954
- Reasoner, Harry, 1959
- Rolvag, Karl, 1962-1966
- Schorer, Mark, 1953-1962
- Sevareid, Eric, 1950
- Sherman, John K., 1956-1959
- Sontag, Susan, 1969
- Stokowski, Olga Samaroff, 1947
- Stout, Rex L., 1972
- Straight, Michael, 1947-1948, 1953
- Swallow, Alan, 1960-1966
- Tale, Allen John Orley, 1952, 1970
- Thompson, Dorothy, 1937
- Ueland, Brenda, 1944
- Undset, Sigrid, 1948
- Updike, John, 1960
- Van Doren, Irita, 1957
- Warren, Robert Penn, 1944-1963
- Weeks, Edward, 1944
- Williams, William Carlos, 1946, 1953-1957
- Wilson, Edmund, 1959
Reference Materials Located in the Upper Midwest Literary Archives
- Bosveld, Bernice E. A Study of the Depression Years Through the Fiction of Frederick Feikema Manfred.M.A. thesis. Laramie: University of Wyoming, 1971. Typescript and xerox copies, 120 p.
- Byrd, Forrest Mickey. Prolegomenon to Frederick Manfred.Ph.D. dissertation. University of Nebraska, 1976. 35mm microfilm. (Film is located in microfilm room.)
- Kellogg, George. Frederick Manfred: A Bibliography.Denver: Alan Swallow, 1965. (The Swallow Pamphlets number 17.)
- Pruett, Jacque Suzanne Funderburk.A Critical Analysis of Lord Grizzly.M.A. thesis. Fort Collins: Colorado State University, 1968. Typescript, 180 p.
- Spies, George Henry, III. John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and Frederick Manfred's The Golden Bowl: A Comparative Study.Ph.D. dissertation. Muncie: Ball State University, 1973. Xerox, 147 p.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Manuscripts Division staff.
- Authors, American -- 20th century -- Sources. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Authors, American -- Minnesota -- 20th century -- Sources. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Bly, Robert
- Conroy, Jack, 1899-
- Lewis, Sinclair, 1885-1951
- Manfred, Frederick Feikema, 1912-1994
- Williams, William Carlos, 1883-1963.
- Title
- Frederick F. Manfred Papers
- Author
- Manuscripts staff and Leslie Czechowski
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Upper Midwest Literary Archives Collecting Area
