Pietro Di Donato papers
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
A photocopy of the manuscript for Di Donato's play "Moro". Oral history collection consists of various drafts of typewritten transcripts of interviews conducted with Di Donato by Dorothee von Huene-Greenberg on Jan. 12, Feb. 12, and June 8, 1985, at his home in Strong’s Neck, Long Island. Di Donato speaks extensively on “Christ in Concrete.” A condensed version of the interviews was published in MELUS, Vol. 14, Nos. 3-4 (Fall-Winter 1987), pp. 33-52. A photocopy of this published version, related correspondence of von Huene-Greenberg with the editorial staff of MELUS, and tape recordings of the actual interviews are included in the collection.
Dates
- 1930-1987
Creator
- Di Donato, Pietro, 1911- (Person)
Language of Materials
English
ACCESS RESTRICTIONS
Open for use in the Elmer L. Andersen Library reading room.
OWNERSHIP & LITERARY RIGHTS
This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.
HISTORICAL SKETCH
Born in West Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. Di Donato (1911-1992), was twelve years old when his Italian immigrant father was killed in a construction accident on Good Friday, 1923. As the oldest boy, Di Donato took up his father’s trade to support his large family. Unemployed and on relief in the 1930s, he found time to study, read, and write about his experiences. The resulting “Christ in Concrete”(1939), was an instant success. The former bricklayer's first novel is an autobiographical work documenting the life of Italian laborers in New York City. Surprisingly, he put down his pen until the 1960s, when he wrote “The Circle of Light” (an introduction to his earlier work), “Immigrant Saint” (a biography of Mother Cabrini), and “The Penitent” (a biography of the man who killed Saint Maria Goreti), in rapid succession.
Extent
2 linear inches
Abstract
Papers of Italian American author Pietro Di Donato consist of a photocopy of the manuscript for his play "Moro" and interview drafts, correspondence, audio cassettes.
PROVENANCE
Collection donated to the IHRC by Pietro Di Donato (1984) and by Dorothee von Huene-Greenberg (1990). Collection processed and finding aid included in IHRC VITRAGE in 2005, by Peregrinus Sinetempore.
- Ethnic theater. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Italian American authors. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Italian American theater. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Italian Americans. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Author
- IHRC Archives
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding Aid in English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Immigration History Research Center Archives Collecting Area
