Hollis Summers papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Hollis Summers papers
- Date
- 1947-1964, undated (inclusive)
- Extent
- 1.13 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Authors, American -- Kentucky.
- Manuscripts, American -- Kentucky.
- Kentucky Authors Collection
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject.
- Preferred Citation
- 1997ms420 : [identification of item], Hollis Summers papers, 1947-1964, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Hollis Summers was born on June 21, 1916, in Eminence, Kentucky, to Hollis Spurgeon Summers Sr., and Hazel Holmes Summer. After graduating from high school in Madisonville, Kentucky, Summers went on to complete a bachelor's degree at Georgetown College (1937), a master's at the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College in Vermont (1943), and a doctorate at the University of Iowa (1948). He began a teaching career at Holmes High School in Convington, Kentucky. He also taught at Georgetown College for five years and at the University of Kentucky for ten years. Among his students at UK were notable Kentucky writers Wendell Berry, Gurney Norman, James Baker Hall, Ed McClanahan, and Bobbie Ann Mason. Summers was voted UK's College of Fine Arts Distinguished Professor of the Year in 1959. Also in 1959, he left UK for Ohio University, where he spent the remainder of his teaching career before retiring in 1986. Summers died on November 14, 1987, and is buried at the Millersburg Cemetery in Bourbon County, Kentucky. In 1997, the Ohio University Press began the Hollis Summers Poetry Prize competition, which awards winners with a cash prize and publication by the Ohio University Press.
- Summers wrote and published numerous novels, short stories, and poetry collections throughout his life. The conflict between religion and romantic love is a common theme in Summers' writing, and many of his works are set in Kentucky. His published novels include City Limit (1948), Brighten the Corner (1952), The Weather of February (1957), The Day After Sunday (1968), and The Garden (1972). He also co-authored Teach You a Lesson (1956) with Jim Rouake under the pseudonym Jim Hollis. Summers began publishing poetry collections around the time he moved to Ohio, including The Walks Near Athens (1959), Someone Else (1962), The Peddler and Other Domestic Matters (1967), Occupant Please Forward (1976), Dinosaurs (1977), and After the Twelve Days (1987).
- Sources: https://www.ohio.edu/news/archive/stories_18-19_06_hollis-prize-allyn-rosser-general-editor.cfm http://www.kentuckymonthly.com/culture/arts-entertainment/2020-writer-s-hall-of-fame-hollis-summers/
- Scope and Content
- The Hollis Summers papers (dated 1947-1964, undated; 1.13 cubic feet; 3 boxes) consist of notes, drafts, and correspondence relating to five of Summers' published novels. The Day After Sunday series contains notes, research materials, and multiple drafts of the novel, both under the working title Lexington and the eventual published title. Included in the notes is a list of potential titles. The City Limit series contains notes and research for the novel, as well as correspondence with the publisher and with one of Summers' former professors at the University of Iowa. The series also contains a radio adaptation of the novel. The Brighten the Corner series contains partial drafts and notes for the novel, as well as related correspondence about a literary contest and with Summers' literary agent. The Teach You a Lesson series contains partial drafts and notes related to the novel. Notes from Summers to co-author Jim Rouake are included. The series also contains correspondence between Summers and his literary agent, publisher, and Writer's Digest. The Weather of February series contains an uncorrected galley proof of the novel.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Day After Sunday, 1964, undated
Lexington notes, undated
Lexington draft, carbon copy, undated
Lexington drafts, undated
Day After Sunday notes, 1964
Day After Sunday draft, 1964
Day After Sunday draft, 1964
City Limit, 1947-1949, undated
Brighten the Corner, 1951-1954, undated
Teach You a Lesson, 1954-1957, undated
The Weather of February, undated
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
