Silvina Ocampo (1903-1993)
The Department of Special Collections currently holds several valuable materials from the life of Silvina Ocampo through a gift of Robert O'Grady. The collection begins with five letters of personal correspondence from the early 1980s that discuss such varied topics as upcoming weddings, illnesses, and her growing sense of solitude. Among these materials is one manuscript poem titled "Gotas Saladas" that cannot be found in this form in Ocampo's Obras Completas or her Poesía inédita y dispersa. Finally, Special Collections is privileged to hold a handwritten, undated diary in which Ocampo recorded musings, stories, and poetry.
Biographical Information
Born in Buenos Aires in 1903 to an elite Argentine family, Silvina Ocampo grew up in an environment rich with opportunities to learn about European and Argentine high culture. Already in an advantageous position by virtue of her family's social position, Ocampo met fellow Buenos Aires author and future husband Adolfo Bioy Casares in 1934, further establishing herself as a serious writer among Argentine literary circles. Following her marriage to Bioy Casares in 1940, Ocampo collaborated with her husband and their close friend, Jorge Luis Borges, on two anthologies while at the same time publishing narratives and poetry in her own right. A talented short story writer and poet, Ocampo was awarded the National Prize for Poetry in 1962 among several other national literary awards earned throughout her literary career. Ocampo died in her native Buenos Aires in 1993.
Description of Archival Collection
(MSH/SCL 1302-1 to 1302-7, 1304-1, and 1305-1 to 1305-2)
The Ocampo materials currently include five letters of correspondence, one manuscript poem, and a personal diary. Sent by the author to various friends, the majority of the letters were written in the early 1980s, and discuss such varied topics as upcoming weddings, illnesses, and her growing sense of solitude. The manuscript poem is a typewritten first draft, and shows Ocampo's personal corrections with notes on her preferences for diction and syntax. Titled "Gotas Saladas," it is believed to be unpublished.
Finally, the handwritten, undated Ocampo diary can be loosely divided into three sections: musings, stories, and poetry. The first section consists of short musings on aging that are somewhat proverbial in tone. The second section tells the story of two intimate, female friends as they travel to Paris in search of adventure. The last section is nine pages long, and is filled with mournful love poetry.
Bibliography
Aira, César. "Silvina Ocampo." Diccionario de autores latinoamericanos. Buenos Aires: Emecé, 2001. p. 398. (Hesburgh Library, Reference: PQ 7081.3 .A35 2001)
Gertel, Zunilda. "Silvina Ocampo." Spanish American Authors: The Twentieth Century. Ed. Angel Flores. New York: Wilson, 1992. p. 598-600. (Hesburgh Library, Reference: PQ 7081.3 .F57 1992)
Ocampo, Silvina. Poesía completa. Buenos Aires: Emecé, 2002. (Hesburgh Library, General Collection: PQ 7797 .O293 A17 2002)
Ocampo, Silvina. Poesía inédita y dispersa. Buenos Aires: Emecé, 2001. (Hesburgh Library, General Collection: PQ 7797 .O293 A16 2001)
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