IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0096 MS 1006
Held at: Senate House Library, University of London
Title: Tabori, Paul
Date(s): 1927-1973
Level of description: Collection (fonds)
Extent: 84 volumes
Name of creator(s): Tabori | Paul | 1908-1974 | author and journalist
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
Paul Tabori, author and journalist, was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1908 and was educated in Switzerland, Hungary and Germany. He graduated as a Doctor of Economic and Political Science at the University of Budapest and received his PhD at the Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. Between the two world Wars, he lived in seventeen countries as a foreign correspondent and screenwriter.
In 1937 he settled in London where he became assistant editor of World Review; diplomatic correspondent of Britanova; film critic of the Daily Mail; regular BBC broadcaster to occupied Europe; and chief European feature writer for Reuter's. From 1943 to 1948 he was a contracted writer to Sir Alexander Korda's London Films and between 1950 and 1951 he worked in Hollywood. Up to the 1970s, Tabori had written over thirty theatrical features and more than a hundred television films. These included the Rhinegold Christmas Show Silent Night; nine half-hour films for the Errol Flynn Theatre of which he was the story editor, and many other television serials. He also devised and was co-ordinating producer of the first international television series, 'A Day of Peace', in which eleven countries took part.
Tabori also published over forty books, and his novels and non-fiction publications were translated into over nineteen languages. He was active in the International PEN Club for twenty years, holding various offices. He also served as Executive Director of the International Writer's Guild of Great Britain between 1954 and 1966. Tabori was also a co-founder and board member of the International Writer's Fund.
Laterly, Tabori taught at Fairfield Dickinson University, at City College of New York, and was also visiting Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Tabori was also close friends with psychic researcher Harry Price, becoming Price's literary executor after his death in 1948, and was the author of Harry Price: The Biography of a Ghost-Hunter in 1950 and of other works concerning Price's investigations.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
Papers of author and journalist Paul Tabori (1908-1974), comprising the following: draft typescripts of novels, poetry and works of fiction, 1927-1973; draft typescripts of completed short stories, ideas and fragments for fiction works, 1938-1970; typescripts of non-fiction works, including typescripts of completed books on a variety of topics covering the supernatural, travel, crime, historical and biographical topics and erotica, along with draft non-fiction fragments and ideas, 1930-1973; typescripts of articles for magazines on various subjects including crime, travel, erotica, the supernatural, historical and biographical topics, along with interviews with international political and celebrity figures, 1940-1969; typescripts of film scripts, screenplays or ideas written or edited by Tabori, including scripts for Hammer and London Films, along with stills [photographs] from some of the productions, 1944-1960; typescripts and working scripts written or edited by Tabori for television and radio plays, including material broadcast in the television series, the Errol Flynn Theatre and The Vise, along with stills [photographs] accompanying the working scripts, 1950-1970.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English, Hungarian
System of arrangement:
The collection is divided into 6 sections:
MS1006/1: Fiction
MS1006/2: Fiction: Short Stories
MS1006/3: Non-Fiction
MS1006/4: Articles
MS1006/5: Film Screenplays and Synopses
MS1006/6: TV and Radio Scripts and Synopses
Conditions governing access:
Access to this collection is unrestricted for the purpose of private study and personal research within the supervised environment and restrictions of the Library's Palaeography Room.
Conditions governing reproduction:
Copies may be made, subject to the condition of the original. Copying must be undertaken by the Palaeography Room staff, who will need a minimum of 24 hours to process requests. Applications for copyright permission should be directed to Dr David Sutton (UK WATCH Office, The Library, The University of Reading, P. O. Box 223, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AE, UK . Email: d.c.sutton@reading.ac.uk) who have contact with the Tabori family.
Physical characteristics:
Finding aids:
Hard copy catalogue. This collection has been fully listed and is included in the ULRLS on-line catalogue, http://archives.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/default.aspx.
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
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Accruals:
Archival history:
Immediate source of acquisition:
No information available.
ALLIED MATERIALS
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DESCRIPTION NOTES
Note:
Date(s) of descriptions: Catalogued by Stefan Dickers (December 2004).