Margarete Kollisch Collection

This collection documents the literary work and life of the poet Margarete Kollisch. It also contains material on several of her family members including her daughter Eva Kollisch, brother Leopold Moller, and husband Otto Kollisch. The collection holds official documents, correspondence, manuscripts and typescripts, notes, audiocassettes, clippings, and photographs.

Biographical information on Margarete Kollisch is located in several areas of the collection. Biographical articles, obituaries, and clippings on the poet will be found in Series I: Personal. In addition, Series I holds her official papers, such as school certificates and recommendation letters. This series also contains an interview she gave to Mimi Grossberg in 1976. Margarete Kollisch's letters, in Series II, provide further information. Especially prominent in this series are the letters she exchanged with her husband and chidren during 1939 and early 1940, while waiting for her visa to the United States. Series III, which holds Margarete Kollisch's writing, also includes biographical material in the form of her short stories, some of which describe memorable events in her life. Margaret Kollisch's poems, which often describe her feelings as an exile, and which occasionally focus on political events, provide more personal glimpses into her life.

The literary compostions of Margaret Kollisch and material pursuant to the publication of her works reside in various places within the collection. As mentioned above, Margaret Kollisch's writings are in Series III. This series is mainly comprised of copies of unpublished typescripts and notebooks with handwritten drafts of her German poetry. The second subseries of Series III contains copies of her poetry published in newspapers and journals as well as some reviews of her work. Correspondence concerning the publication of Margarete Kollisch's third volume of poetry and aphorisms, Rückblendung, was carried out with Eva Kollisch, and is located in Subseries 2 of Series IV. The correspondence of this subseries also includes letters exchanged between Eva Kollisch and the publishers concerning the storage of previous volumes of Margarete Kollisch's writing and the copyrights to her works. An audiocassette of the author reading some of her own work is located in Series I. A copy of a poem Margarete Kollisch sent to Albert Einstein, to which he responded with a poem of his own, is in Series II.

This collection holds material on other members of the extended Kollisch family in Series I, II, and IV. Series I includes a notebook belonging to Margarete Kollisch's uncle Arnold Bunzl-Federn and family photographs. Scanned photographs consist of many childhood photos of Margarete Kollisch with her brother Leopold. The correspondence of Series II is also largely with family members, primarily wartime letters from her spouse and children, but also contains her last letter to her brother. Series IV, which is comprised of papers originating from Margarete Kollisch's daughter Eva, incorporates biographical articles on Eva Kollisch as well as sample chapters from her memoir, Girl in Movement, published in various journals. Material on Leopold Moller will be found in the final subseries of the collection, consisting of some of his letters, reminiscences given of him at his funeral, and a biographical article and notes.