Lawrence Sheldon Rudner Papers
MC 00218
Special Collections Research Center
5.5 Linear feet
1967 - 1998
The Lawrence Sheldon Rudner Papers, dating from 1967 to 1998, contain records relating to the research, teaching, and writings of Lawrence Rudner, a professor in the North Carolina State University English Department. The Papers also contain a small number of records describing Rudner's personal life. The Papers include manuscripts, correspondence, notes, newspaper articles, publications, and photographs.
off-site
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the
Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff.
11 archival storage boxes
Rudner, Lawrence Sheldon, 1947-1995
Restrictions to Access
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
The Lawrence Sheldon Rudner Papers were a gift of Lauren Rudner, February 9, 1995; John Kessel, 1998;
Lars Osberg, November 8, 2002; and
Ruth B. Hutchinson, May 6, 2003.
Acquisitions Information
The Lawrence Sheldon Rudner Papers were a gift of Lauren Rudner, February 9, 1995;
John Kessel, 1998; Lars Osberg, November 8, 2002; and Ruth B. Hutchinson, May 6, 2003.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of Item], Lawrence Sheldon Rudner Papers, Special Collections Department, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Copyright Notice
North Carolina State University does not own copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections Department are responsible for using the works in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
Biographical Note
Lawrence Sheldon Rudner was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 7, 1947. He attended Mumford High School in Detroit. During the 1960s, Rudner studied at the London School of Economics, receiving a diploma in philosophy in 1967. He also attended
Michigan State University, receiving a bachelor's degree in history and social science in 1968; a master's degree in history in 1971; a master's degree in communications and journalism in 1972; and a doctorate in English and American Studies in 1977. During the Vietnam War, Rudner was a member of the anti-war organization Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
From 1975-1976, Rudner taught English courses at Western Michigan University and from 1976-1978, at
Lakeland College in Wisconsin. Rudner began teaching in the English department at North Carolina State University as an assistant professor in 1978. He became an associate professor in 1985 and a full professor in 1992. Rudner taught courses at North Carolina State in journalism, American literature, world literature, and occasionally creative writing. The focus of his academic career, however, was the Holocaust, about which he researched, taught, and wrote. He created a course in the English department at North Carolina State entitled "
Literature of the Holocaust" (later, "The Holocaust in Literature"), which continued to be taught after his death. In 1988, Rudner published his first novel,
The Magic We Do Here, which won the 1988 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction. According to Rudner, this novel was an attempt to fight the passing of memory about the Holocaust. Rudner also published several short stories and non-fiction articles relating to the Holocaust. His second and final novel,
Memory's Tailor, was published posthumously in 1998 after being edited by colleague
John Kessel and editor
Susan Ketchin.
During the 1980s, Rudner spent many of his summers in Poland and Czechoslovakia as an American Studies Fellowship lecturer. He was awarded a Senior Fulbright Fellowship for 1986-1987 and spent that time at
Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland teaching courses on American literature and a seminar on
Isaac Bashevis Singer. Also during the 1980s, Rudner and colleague
Sandy Kessler taught a humanities course entitled "Survival and Growth Under Adverse Conditions" to long-term inmates of Raleigh's
Central Prison.
In 1969, Rudner married his wife Lauren, with whom he had two children, Joshua and Elizabeth. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1994, stopped teaching after the spring semester of that year, and died on May 5, 1995 at the age of 48.
Scope and Content Note
The Lawrence Sheldon Rudner Papers mainly comprise documentation of Rudner's career as a writer and as a professor at North Carolina State University. It includes manuscripts of his novels, short stories, speeches, and non-fiction articles; reviews of his books; research files on the Holocaust and other topics; information on courses Rudner taught at North Carolina State and elsewhere; applications for grants; and correspondence. A small portion of the collection - comprising photographs, newspaper articles, correspondence, and biographical information - documents Rudner's personal life.
Organization of the Collection
The Lawrence Sheldon Rudner Papers are organized into three series:
[Writings](ref13),
[Research and Teaching](ref86),
[Professional Correspondence](ref243), and
[Personal Files](ref243).
North Carolina State University. Dept. of English.
American literature--Jewish authors
Articles
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), in literature
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Fiction
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland
Judaism in literature
Lecture notes
Letters (correspondence)
Literature, Modern
Literature--Study and teaching
Photographs
Poland
Speeches
Writings
MC 218 Series 01
2.0 Linear feet
1971-1998
4.25 archival boxes
Scope and Contents note
This series contains Lawrence Rudner's professional writings, including his manuscripts for novels, short stories, poems, book reviews and non-fiction articles, as well as his notes for speeches, conferences, and programs. The series also contains copies of
Memory's Tailor, edited by John Kessel and Susan Ketchin after Rudner's death, in various stages of publication. For both of Rudner's novels, there are both completed drafts and separate individual sections for which the chronological order could not be determined. Therefore, individual sections are placed sequentially with the completed draft following. Book reviews and publication information for Rudner's published novels are included in this series with the publication to which they refer. Correspondence relating to Rudner's writings is also included in this series. Non-fiction articles on Robert Capa and Edward R. Murrow that contain extensive research are included in the
[Research] subseries of the
[Research and Teaching](ref86) series.
Novels
The Magic We Do Here
Notes, [no date]
1
1
Short Story,
Yakov, from
The Magic We Do Here (originally titled
The Photographer), [no date]
1
2
Novel-The Magic We Do Here
11
Draft Copy
Chapter 2, [no date]
1
3
Chapter 3, [no date]
1
4
Chapter 4, [no date]
1
5
Chapter 5, [no date]
1
6
Chapter 11, [no date]
1
7
Chapter 14, [no date]
1
8
Miscellaneous Pages, [no date]
1
9
Complete Manuscript
Prologue, [no date]
1
10
Chapter 1, [no date]
1
11
Chapters 2-13, [no date]
1
12
Chapters 14-21, [no date]
1
13
Chapters 22-25, [no date]
1
14
Contract
1
15
1986-1987
Promotional Materials, [no date]
1
16
1988
Book Reviews, [no date]
1
17
1988
Memory's Tailor
Chapter 1, [no date]
2
18
Part 2, Chapters 1-9, [no date]
2
1
Complete Manuscript, with Notations
Part 1, [no date]
2
2
Part 2, Chapters 1-7, [no date]
2
3
Part 2, Chapters 8-End, [no date]
2
4
Complete Manuscript
Title Page and Part 1, [no date]
2
5
Part 2, Chapters 1-8, [no date]
2
6
Part 2, Chapters 9-End, [no date]
2
7
Complete Manuscript, with edits by John Kessel and Susan Ketchin
Part 1, Chapters 1-9, [no date]
3
1
Part 1, Chapter 10 and Part 2, Chapters 1-5, [no date]
3
2
Part 2, Chapters 6-12, [no date]
3
3
Manuscript, Final Edited Copy, Part 1 and Part 2, Chapters 1-3
3
4
February 2, 1998
Manuscript, Final Edited Copy, Part 2, Chapters 4-Afterword
3
5
February 2, 1998
Proof Copy
3
6
April 2, 1998
Uncorrected Proof
3
7
1998
Publisher's Sample
4
1
1998
Published Copy
4
2
1998
Publication Catalog, University Press of Mississippi
4
3
1998
Book Review,
Publisher's Weekly
4
4
August 17, 1998
North Carolina State University Library Book Reading and Exhibition
4
5
1998
Short Stories
The Book of Dreams, [no date]
4
6
Broth. Light, [no date]
4
7
The First Poem of David Adelmov,, [no date]
4
8
1981-1983
The Great Bocci Ball Tournament of 1967, [no date]
4
9
An Incident at the Border: Spring 1904,, [no date]
4
10
1983
Papa's Dream,, [no date]
4
11
1982-1983
Sabbath Break,, [no date]
4
12
1980
Supper Time at the Light of God Mission,
4
13
November 1971
The Woman Who Loved Kresge's [first three pages; author uncertain]
4
14
January 10, 1976
List of Submissions, [no date]
4
15
Story Ideas, [no date]
4
16
1983
Non-Fiction
Articles and Publications, [no date]
4
17
1983
Book Reviews, [no date]
4
18
1981
Film Reviews, [no date]
5
1
1979-1980
Speeches and Lectures
Jews in Hitler's Mental World, [no date]
5
2
The Literature of the Holocaust, [no date]
5
3
Popular Culture Meeting Presentation
5
4
1978
Witness and Survival, [no date]
5
5
Writing Stimulus to Creativity, Panel at Meredith College
5
6
September 24, 1982
Miscellaneous, [no date]
5
7
1982-1991
Poems, [no date]
5
8
1975, 1977
Journal Entries
5
9
1984
Research and Teaching
MC 218 Series 02
3.25 Linear feet
1976-1994
6.5 archival boxes
Scope and Contents note
The Research and Teaching series includes material related to Rudner's academic work. It is divided into two subseries,
[Research] and
[Teaching]. The
[Research] subseries contains Rudner's grant applications and his reference files for subjects he researched. It also contains a small amount of material relating to trips that Rudner took to Poland and Russia in order to do research. Correspondence from these trips is included in this series. [Note: a syllabus for a Holocaust seminar in London is included in the Trips subseries though it is uncertain whether Rudner participated in the seminar.] The
[Teaching] subseries includes information regarding courses taught by Rudner at North Carolina State, in Poland, and at Central Prison. The
[Teaching] subseries is arranged, within each institution, alphabetically by department name. Within departments, files are arranged numerically. Unidentified courses are placed at the end of the subseries or at the end of the institution's sub-subseries if the institution could be determined.
Research
Reference Files
American Jews
5
10
Anderman, Janusz
5
11
Anti-Semitism [File 1 of 2]
5
12
Anti-Semitism [File 2 of 2]
5
13
Anti-Semitism in Poland
5
14
Anti-Semitism Literature
5
15
Bosnia/Sarajevo
5
16
Capa, Robert, Article and Research
5
17
The Deer Hunter
5
18
Farina, Richard
5
19
Film
5
20
Frank, Anne
5
21
Fritz, Stephen
5
22
Gordimer, Nadine [File 1 of 2]
5
23
Gordimer, Nadine [File 1 of 2]
5
24
Gould, Stephen
5
25
Graham, Melissa
5
26
Grossman, M.
5
27
Grynzspan, H.
5
28
Hallie, Philip
5
29
Holocaust
American Jews
5
30
Articles [File 1 of 4]
6
1
Articles [File 2 of 4]
6
2
Articles [File 3 of 4]
6
3
Articles [File 4 of 4]
6
4
Audio-visual Materials [File 1 of 2]
6
5
Audio-visual Materials [File 2 of 2]
6
6
Auschwitz
6
7
Bibliography
6
8
Books [File 1 of 2]
6
9
Books [File 2 of 2]
6
10
Camp Liberation
6
11
Chronology
6
12
Conferences and Talks
6
13
Fiction
6
14
Final Solution
6
1
Oral Histories
7
2
Poetry
7
3
Photography
7
4
Poland
7
5
Poster Exhibit
1
7
6
Publications
7
7
Revisionism
7
8
Survivors
7
9
Teaching [File 1 of 3]
7
10
Teaching [File 2 of 3]
7
11
Teaching [File 3 of 3]
7
12
Television Series
7
13
Trials
7
14
Writing
7
15
Human Rights
7
16
Jewish Culture
7
17
Jutra, Claude
7
18
Kiefer, Anselm
7
19
Kielce
7
20
Kijowski, Andrzej
7
21
Kishinev
7
22
Klarsfeld, Beate
7
23
Kosinski, Jerzy
7
24
Kubrick, Stanley
7
25
Kundera, Milan
7
26
Langer Speech
7
27
Levi, Primo
7
28
Macbeth
7
29
Márquez, Gabriel Garcia
8
1
Maus
8
2
Mengele, Josef
8
3
Milosz
8
4
Murrow, Edward R., Article drafts and research [File 1 of 2]
8
5
Murrow, Edward R., Article drafts and research [File 2 of 2]
8
6
Nazi Propaganda
8
7
Neo-Nazis
8
8
Osbourne, John
8
9
Ozick, Cynthia
8
10
Palestinians
8
11
Podhoretz, Norman
8
12
Poland
8
13
Renoir, Jean
8
14
Rushdie, Salman
8
15
Singer, Isaac Bashevis
8
16
Smith, W. Eugene
8
17
Steinbeck, John
8
18
von Sternberg, Josef
8
19
Styron, William
8
20
Television History
8
21
Torture Victims
8
22
Welles, Orson
8
23
Whitman, Walt
8
24
Wiesel, Elie
9
1
Wiesenthal, Simon
9
2
Zygielbojm, Zygmunt
9
3
Grant Applications
Mellon Fellowship
9
4
1980
National Endowment for the Arts
9
5
1984-1990
National Endowment for the Humanities
9
6
1982-1983
North Carolina Arts Council
9
7
1988
United States Holocaust Memorial Council
9
8
1985
Trips
The Mark of the Beast, Winternational 1981 Syllabus
9
9
1981
Brochures and Pamphlets, [no date], [File 1 of 2]
9
10
Brochures and Pamphlets, [no date], [File 2 of 2]
9
11
Teaching
North Carolina State University
English
208, Studies in Fiction, [no date]
9
12
1983-1984, 1991
215, Principles of News and Article Writing, [no date]
9
13
1983-1985
223, Contemporary World Literature I, [no date]
9
14
1992
246, Literature of the Holocaust, [no date]
9
15
1994
265, Survey of American Literature I
9
16
Summer 1982
266, Survey of American Literature II/American Literature II, [no date]
9
17
1979-1994
298, The Literature of Journalism, [no date]
9
18
1979
298H, Literature of the Holocaust
[File 1 of 5]
9
19
1982, [no date]
[File 2 of 5]
9
20
1982-1992, [no date]
[File 3 of 5]
9
21
[no date]
[File 4 of 5]
10
1
1990, [no date]
Course Packet, [File 5 of 5]
10
2
1990
315, Advanced News and Article Writing
10
3
Fall 1980, Spring 1991
323A, Creative Writing: Fiction, [no date]
10
4
346, Literature of the Western World, [no date]
10
5
Fall 1988
347, Unknown Course [contains Holocaust teaching guides], [no date]
10
6
375, Film as a Literary Medium
10
7
1979-1988
399, Contemporary Literature II, [no date]
10
8
1989, 1993
Department Programs, [no date]
10
9
Spring 1985
Humanities and Social Sciences, General
292, Aspects of the Human Condition, [no date]
10
10
1981-1985
300, International Studies: Contemporary Eastern Europe, [no date]
10
11
1981-1983
398S, Literature of the Holocaust, [no date]
10
12
1992
Master of Arts in Liberal Studies 601, The Holocaust Experience, [no date]
10
13
1990-1992
University 295, The Holocaust, [no date]
10
14
1984-1985
World War I in Literature, with Tom Lisk
10
15
1977
Western Michigan University, English 210, Film Interpretation
10
16
Winter 1976
Lakeland College
General Studies 125, The Nazi Holocaust: The Price of Survival, [no date] [File 1 of 2]
10
17
1978
General Studies 125, The Nazi Holocaust: The Price of Survival, [no date] [File 2 of 2]
10
18
1978
Journalism 212, Feature Writing, [no date]
11
1
Fall 1977
Journalism 300, The New Journalism
11
2
Spring 1978
Meredith College, Basic Journalism
11
3
Fall 1985
Poland
[no date] [File 1 of 3]
11
4
[no date] [File 2 of 3]
11
5
[no date] [File 3 of 3]
11
6
Central Prison, [no date] [File 1 of 2]
11
7
1982-1983
Central Prison, [no date] [File 2 of 2]
11
8
1982-1983
Unidentified Courses
Charles Dickens Seminar, [no date]
11
9
1981
Film History, [no date]
11
10
Holocaust, [no date]
11
11
Journalism, [no date] [File 1 of 2]
11
12
Journalism, [no date] [File 2 of 2]
11
13
New Journalism, [no date]
11
14
Professional Correspondence
MC 218 Series 03
0.125 Linear feet
1974-1994
.25 archival boxes
Scope and Contents note
The Professional Correspondence series, a very small portion of the collection, contains Rudner's correspondence from his academic career, including course development, letters of recommendation, publication proposals, and research. It is divided into three files: Publications, Holocaust Courses, and General. Each file is organized chronologically with dateless correspondence at the end of the file.
Publications, [no date]
11
15
1983-1993
Holocaust Courses, [no date]
11
16
1977-1994
General, [no date]
11
17
1974-1991
Personal Files
MC 218 Series 04
0.125 Linear feet
1967-1989
.25 archival boxes
Scope and Contents note
This series contains a small amount of material relating to Rudner's personal life. It includes several curricula vitae, photographs of Rudner and other subjects, newspaper articles about Rudner, and personal correspondence.
Articles about Rudner, [no date]
11
18
1981-1988
Articles about Rudner
11
27
1988
Correspondence, to Ruth Hutchinson
11
19
1985-1989
Correspondence, to Ruth
11
28
1987
Correspondence, to Lars Osberg [File 1 of 2]
11
20
1967-1978
Correspondence, to Lars Osberg, [no date] [File 2 of 2]
11
21
Curricula Vitae, [no date]
11
22
Photographs
Mason, Bobbie Ann, [no date]
11
23
Rudner, Lawrence Sheldon, [no date]
11
24
Singer, Isaac Bashevis, [no date]
11
25
Unknown Subjects, [no date]
11
26