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This collection was donated to the University of Pittsburgh by Mrs. Harold J. Ruttenberg on January 10, 1990.
An American novelist, Marcia Davenport was born in New York City in 1903. She was the daughter of Bernard Glick and lyric soprano Alma Gluck. In her early career, Davenport worked as a music critic and was on the editorial staff of The New Yorker magazine from 1928 to 1931. In 1932, Davenport published her first book,Mozart, and then followed it up with two of her most successful novels:Of Lena Geyer (1936) andThe Valley of Decision (1942), which was a best-seller documenting life in the Pittsburgh steel mills.The Valley of Decision was later made into a motion picture starring Greer Garson, Gregory Peck, Lionel Barrymore, and was nominated for two Academy Awards.
Davenport married and divorced twice in her life. She lived with her first husband, Frank D. Clarke (1923-1924), for a short period in Pittsburgh, which ultimately served as the setting for The Valley of Decision. Davenport later married Russell W. Davenport (1929-1946). During Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, Davenport became a close friend of the Czechoslovakian Foreign Minister, Jan Masaryk, and settled in Prague from 1945-1948. She then moved to London, where she and Masaryk were to be married until the Foreign Minister's death. Upon her return to the United States, Davenport published five more novels, including her autobiography,Too Strong for Fantasy, in 1967. Marcia Davenport died in Monterey, California on January 16, 1996.
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
The collection of materials relates to the novel, The Valley of Decision, written by Marcia Davenport in 1942. It contains original and photocopied newspaper and magazine reviews of the novel, letters of correspondence pertaining to research for the book, and a photocopied transcript of interview with Marcia Davenport from University Press. The materials are dated from 1942-1943, 1947, 1967, 1971, and 1989.
Marcia Davenport Papers, 1942-1989, SC.1990.01, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh.
Marcia Davenport Papers, 1942-1989, SC.1990.01, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
The Marcia Davenport papers collection was accessioned into the Special Collections Department on January 10, 1990. The materials were donated by Mrs. Harold J. Ruttenberg, also known as Katherine and "Kitty", a friend and correspondent of Marcia Davenport. Mrs. Ruttenberg collected materials relating to Davenport's novel The Valley of Decision, which was set in Ruttenberg's hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The processing of this collection revealed original and photocopied newspaper and magazine reviews of Davenport's book, letters of correspondence between Marcia Davenport and Mrs. Ruttenberg, and a first edition copy ofThe Valley of Decision, inscribed by the author to Harold J. Ruttenberg, Mrs. Ruttenberg's husband. A photocopied transcript of interview with Marcia Davenport and Barry Paris was later added to the collection after acquirement from University Press. The original order of the materials is: Folder 1 containing all letters of correspondence, reviews, and the first edition copy ofThe Valley of Decision; Folder 2 containing the transcript of interview. No immediate preservation concerns were discerned for the letters and newspaper and magazine articles. These items were placed in acid-free folders. The novel was removed from the collection and placed in the Special Collections' rare book collection under the call number: PA3.D276.Val, for access and preservation. This collection was processed and the finding aid prepared by Katherine Fetter in March 2013.
This collection is organized into three series:
Series I. Newspaper and Magazine Review Articles, 1942-1971
Series II. Letters of Correspondence, 1942-1943, 1947
Series III. Interview with Marcia Davenport conducted by Barry Paris transcript, 1989
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