Menu

Preliminary Inventory of the Hermann Borchardt Papers, 1918-1960s

Abstract

German writer and intellect who escaped a Nazi concentration camp and immigrated to New York in 1937.

Collection consists of correspondence between Borchardt and several friends, including several news clippings and photographs. Subjects discussed include the emergence of Nazi Germany under Hitler and the origins and consequences of World War II. The remainder of the collection consists of literary manuscripts, drafts, and notes from Borchardt's writings, as well as some correspondence and newspaper clippings. Many of the materials are not in order and are in poor condition. Writings are in German and English.

Descriptive Summary

Repository
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Creator
Borchardt, Hermann
Title
Hermann Borchardt Papers, 1918-1960s
Language of Material
English,, German
Extent
4.2 Linear Feet, 3200 Items
Location
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Series Quick Links

Collection Overview

The original collection consists of correspondence between Borchardt and several friends, including several news clippings and photographs. Subjects discussed include the emergence of Nazi Germany under Hitler and the origins and consequences of World War II. They despise Hitler's tactics, expressed dismay with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement, and criticized Hitler's deal with Russia's Stalin (i.e. the German-Russian Non-Aggression Pact of 1939). The collection also makes reference to German playwright Bertolt Brecht, whose views of war the correspondents agreed with.

The accession (2008-0158) appears to consist largely of literary manuscripts, drafts, and notes from Borchardt's writings, as well as some correspondence and newspaper clippings. Many of the materials are not in order and are in poor condition. Writings are in German and English. This addition is unprocessed.

Administrative Information

Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »

warning Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.

Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

warning Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Contents of the Collection

expand Browse List of Series  collapse Collapse All  expand Expand All

This portion of the collection (55 items) includes correspondence between Borchardt and several friends, including several news clippings and photographs. Subjects discussed include the emergence of Nazi Germany under Hitler and the origins and consequences of World War II. They despise Hitler's tactics, expressed dismay with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement, and criticized Hitler's deal with Russia's Stalin (i.e. the German-Russian Non-Aggression Pact of 1939). The collection also makes reference to German playwright Bertolt Brecht, whose views of war the correspondents agreed with.

Letters, 1934-1950
Box 1

Accession (2008-0158) (3150 items; 4.2 lin. ft.; dated 1910s-1960s and no date) consists of literary manuscripts, drafts, and notes from Borchardt's writings, as well as some correspondence and newspaper clippings. Many of the materials are not in order and are in poor condition. Writings are in German and English.

This addition is unprocessed. Materials have been refoldered and German titles have been transcribed from the original folders to the best of our ability. Many pages were loose and unlabelled.

The Brethren of Halberstadt, Acts I-II
Box 1
The Smoke Rose Up Forever
Box 1
Conspiracy of the Carpenters
Box 1
Louise, Act I
Box 1
Text, no label, pages 340-770
Box 1
Griechische Bildwerke und Der Stille Garten
Box 1
Captivity, by Fred Uhlman
Box 1
Calendar, no year
Box 1
Moritz von Schwind
Box 1
The Brethren of Halberstadt, Act III
Box 2
Weinhold manuscripts
Box 2
Geschichte eines bosen Gewissens
Box 2
Loose pages, no label
Box 2
Froanziger Jahre
Box 2
Short story
Box 2
Text, no label
Box 2
Michael Schirmer, 1933
Box 2
Antonia Wellhöhner, 1918
Box 2
Tale of a Noblewoman
Box 2
Dritter Akt.
Box 3
Rudolf K. Kommer: Hotel Ambassador (The Smoke Rose Up Forever, Acts I-IV)
Box 3
1914 and 1918

Articles, clippings, correspondence.

Box 3
Correspondence, 1945-1948
Box 3
Newspaper clippings and miscellaneous materials
Box 3
Correspondence, to Mimi [Hermann's wife, Dorothy Redmer Borchardt] from Baby, 1960s
Box 3
Die Verschwörungder der Zimmerleüte
Box 4
Text, no label, p. 5-138
Box 4
Loose pages
Box 4
Braunes (?)
Box 4
Die Verschwörung der Zimmerleüte
Box 4
Luise: Dritter Akt. Das Gericht
Box 4
Loose drafts (in German)
Box 4
Newspaper clippings
Box 4
Nächte
Box 4
Methodik-Minsk, 1935
Box 4
I Akt: Die Razzia
Box 4
Der Verlorene Haufe (The Vanguard), 1939
Box 5
The Conspiracy of the Carpenters
Box 5
Tale of a Noblewoman I
Box 5
Geschichte Einer Edelfrau
Box 5
Club der Hamloser Angefaugener Roman (?)
Box 5
Die Nacht der Versöhnung
Box 5
Loose pages, no label
Box 5
Loose pages, no label
Box 6
1923
Box 6
A Thaler und A Pfenning und No Reich to the Germans
Box 6
Loose pages, no label
Box 6
Das Paradies des Kleinen Otto
Box 6
Tale of a Noblewoman II
Box 6
Der Kleine Engel in Österreich
Box 6
The Smoke Rose Up Forever
Box 6
Loose pages, no label
Box 6
Austria newspaper, 1948
Box 6
Clippings on foreign alliances, domestic peace, and the Far East
Box 7
Loose pages, no label
Box 7
Die Sünde des Erafen Gotter (II)
Box 7
Mann und Frau (III)
Box 7
Erste Begegnung (VII)
Box 7
Diner bei Gotter (VIII)
Box 7
Sofort zü Arbe Schreiben
Box 7
Roman: Das jahr 1918
Box 7
1918: Schwester Martha
Box 7
Die Brüder von Halberstadt
Box 7
Schluss Rapibel
Box 7
Kapital (?)
Box 7
Loose pages and manuscripts
Box 7
Eros Stark Wie der Tod
Box 7
The Legend of the Gothamists
Box 7
Tag der Befreiung
Box 7
Der Schwarze Freitag
Box 7
Verpöbelung der Gebildeten durch exakte Wissenschaft
Box 7
Erstes Kapitel
Box 7
German National Character (Part I)
Box 7
Outside Education (Part II)
Box 7
Make Them Forget (Part III)
Box 7
Secondary Schools (Part IV)
Box 7
Uprising of a Ruling Class (Part V)
Box 7

Historical Note

Hermann Borchardt was a German intellectual with Marxist leanings who left Germany in 1933 following Hitler's rise to power. He moved to Russia to teach German, but his exposure to the oppression he found there led him to reverse his political leanings and become an outspoken critic of communism. His family was expelled from Russia in 1936, and returned to Germany. Borchardt spent 10 months in Nazi concentration camps before finally being allowed to leave Germany and immigrate to the United States, where his family later joined him. He continued to write books, short stories, and articles criticising communism. His best work is considered to be The Conspiracy of the Carpenters, published in 1943; other works include Philosophische Grundbegriffe (1927); The Bloody Deeds of Germersheim Before the Eternal Judge, Music of the Near Future, The Red Document (1929); The Brethren of Halberstadt (1938); and The Wife of the Police-Commissionaire (1946). He died of a heart attack in 1951.

Borchardt's youngest son, Frank, was born in New York City, and eventually became a professor of German Languages at Duke University.

Subject Headings

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Hermann Borchardt Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Provenance

The Hermann Borchardt Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 2007.

Processing Information

Accessioned by Meghan Lyon, April 2009

Encoded by Meghan Lyon, April 2009

This collection is minimally processed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.

Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and our local Style Guide.

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.