Poet and playwright Edna St. Vincent Millay was born in Rockland, Maine, on February 22, 1892. Her mother, Cora, raised her three daughters on her own after asking her husband to leave the family home in 1899. Cora encouraged her girls to be ambitious and self-sufficient, teaching them an appreciation of music and literature from an early age. In 1912, at her mother's urging, Millay entered her poem "Renascence" into a contest: she won fourth place and publication in The Lyric Year, bringing her immediate acclaim and a scholarship to Vassar. There, she continued to write poetry and became involved in the theater. In 1917, the year of her graduation, Millay published her first book, Renascence and Other Poems. Millay, whose friends called her "Vincent," then moved to New York's Greenwich Village, where she led a notoriously Bohemian life. In 1923 her fourth volume of poems, The Harp Weaver, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Edna St. Vincent Millay died in 1950.
Nearly all of the letters in this small collection were written by Millay to her friend, Gladys M. Niles, between 1912 and 1913. The final letter is from Millay's mother to Gladys' grandparents in 1922, providing insight into her daughter's success and the continued friendship between the two families.
Gladys M. Niles lived in Bangor for many years. She graduated from Bangor High School and the University of Maine Law School (Class of 1914) and passed the Maine Bar examinations. She then studied at Simmons College in Boston, had a law office for a time, and in 1937 was appointed as a superior court stenographer by Chief Justice Charles J. Dunn. She was the granddaughter of Charles R. Dunton of Bangor, one of the leading insurance agents in the state. Gladys Niles died in Belfast in 1941.
Any use of this collection should cite: SpC MS 815 sc, Edna St. Vincent Millay Papers, 1912-1922, Fogler Library Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University of Maine, Orono, Maine.
For additional information, contact Special Collections at 207.581.1686 or um.library.spc@maine.edu.
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Letter 1: Edna St. Vincent Millay to Gladys Niles, August 9, 1912
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Millay shares her excitement that her poem "Renascence" has been accepted for publication in an upcoming book, The Lyric Year, and details about her recent correspondence with the book's editor.
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Letter 2: Edna St. Vincent Millay to Gladys Niles, October, 1912
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Millay discusses her thoughts on poetry, including a love for poetry in three different ways -- intellectually, spiritually, and sensually -- identifying her inspirations in each category. She explains this "is the same as to say, I am one part brain, one part soul, and three parts flesh and blood." She also shares a bit more about her ongoing correspondence with the editor of The Lyric Year.
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Letter 3: Edna St. Vincent Millay to Gladys Niles, January 6, 1913
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Millay relates several exciting developments in her career as a poet and her plans for heading to college in the fall.
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Letter 4: Edna St. Vincent Millay to Gladys Niles, April 13, 1913
Edna St. Vincent Millay
A brief card sharing Millay's excitement that two of her poems were accepted for publication in The Forum, and that she received payment for them.
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Letter 5: Edna St. Vincent Millay to Gladys Niles, undated
Edna St. Vincent Millay
A note to explain that Millay has prepared a special copy of her poem "Renascence" for Gladys, and a five-page typescript. Circa 1913.
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Letter 6: Cora B. Millay to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dunton, December, 1922
Cora Buzzelle Millay
A letter written by Cora Millay, Edna St. Vincent Millay's mother, to catch up with old friends, the Duntons. Cora mentions Vincent's growing success in Europe, and that her play was being translated to be performed in Paris. She recounts a month's travels with her daughter to Paris, London, and parts of Italy. Cora provides updates on her other two daughters, Norma and Kathleen, as well.