Scope and Content Note
The correspondence of Selden Rodman spans the years 1931-1972 and relates to his work as coeditor of the political magazine Common Sense and his other publishing efforts as well as his personal relationships. The bulk of the correspondence is from Archibald MacLeish, poet, playwright, and Librarian of Congress, and (Archibald) Fleming MacLiesh, poet and close friend. Copies of some outgoing correspondence to Archibald MacLeish are included. MacLeish’s letters offer feedback on Rodman’s poetry and suggestions for potential publication. He also responds to Rodman’s critiques of Fortune, while MacLeish was an editor at the magazine, and provides commentary on national and global politics during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration and into World War II. MacLeish occasionally references poems and pieces offered to Rodman for publication in Common Sense. Of note is a typescript of MacLeish’s poem “Speech to a Crowd” as well as handwritten fragments of unidentified verse. In contrast, owing to their long friendship, Fleming MacLiesh’s letters are of a much more personal nature, covering family and work life as well as his own literary pursuits. A February 10, 1945, letter from Rodman to James A. Cameron, written on behalf of Fleming MacLiesh, notes the frequent confusion between the two poets.