Ben Bufford Manuscripts, Short Stories and Poems
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of the various written works of Ben Bufford. Included in this collection are manuscripts of published and unpublished novels, poetry, and manuscripts of short stories. This collection also contains some personal correspondence.
Dates
- Creation: 1944-2003
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1956-2003
Creator
- Bufford, Benjamin F. (Ben) (Author, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This manuscript collection consists of physical materials. This collection has not been digitized. This collection is open for research use only in the Reading Room. It is not available for request through Interlibrary Loan. Please contact the archive via email (archives@astate.edu) at least a week in advance of your arrival to ensure the availability of the material.
Biographical Note
Ben Bufford was born on August 19, 1922, and grew up around Batesville, Arkansas. He attended Arkansas State College, obtaining a Degree in English. During World War Two, Bufford joined the Army Air Force, and served in the South Pacific. After the war, Bufford taught English at Jonesboro High School before moving with his family to Merced, California. In California, he taught English at Madera High School. During this time, he wrote several works of literature, including five novels and 1,422 poems.
One of his novels, Run Naked to Hell, is inspired by his experience serving in the Pacific during World War Two. The Day God Slept is a story about a kid moving to his grandmother’s ranch during the Vietnam Conflict. An unpublished trilogy, The People of Elgin, chronicles the lives of people in a fictional Ozark community.
He died on July 28, 2005, and is buried at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery, in Santa Nella, California.
Extent
2.917 Linear Feet (This collection consists of 88 folders in 7 document boxes.)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Ben Bufford was an English teacher at Jonesboro High School in Arkansas and Madera High School in California who wrote numerous poems. He also wrote manuscripts for several short stories and novels. This collection consists of manuscripts of the various literary works of Ben Bufford.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in five series.
Series 1: Published Works. The “Published Works” series contains manuscripts from Bufford’s two published novels. This series is divided into two subseries: Subseries 1.1, The Day God Slept and Subseries 1.2, Run Naked to Hell. Each subseries focuses on a single published work. As a note, Run Naked to Hell was originally titled Reach for the Sun, so some manuscript pages have that title.
Series 2: Unpublished Works. The “Unpublished Works” series contains manuscripts of novels Bufford did not publish. This series is divided into four subseries. Subseries 2.1, “People of Elgin Trilogy Series,” contains the manuscripts of three works from an unpublished trilogy series; People of Elgin, The Waitress and the Heir, and Thorns and Roses. Subseries 2.2, “My Brother Lindy,” contains various drafts of the work. This work went through some name changes, including Consequences and The Sacrifice. Subseries 2.3, “Jimtown,” and Subseries 2.4, “Ashley” each contain a single manuscript of proposed novels.
Series 3: Poetry. The “Poetry” series consists of numerous poems Bufford wrote. This series is divided into two subseries. Subseries 3.1 “The Dying Unicorn,” contains a collection of over 1,200 poems under The Dying Unicorn series. This subseries is arranged sequentially. Subseries 3.2 “Various Poems,” consists of a collection of unaffiliated poems Bufford wrote. Included is a folder with poems Bufford submitted to various periodicals.
Series 4: Short Stories. The “Short Stories” series consists of a collection of short stories written by Ben Bufford. This series is divided into three subseries. Subseries 4.1, “The Sound of Crickets” and Subseries 4.2 “A Touch of Elegance” each contain two drafts of the short story. Subseries 4.3, “Various Titles,” contains manuscripts of the different short stories Bufford wrote. Many of these have edits and notes.
Series 5: Correspondence. The “Correspondence” series contains letters and postcards Bufford received. This series is arranged chronologically.
Immediate Source of Acquistion
Mildred Bufford donated this collection to the Archives and Special Collection with the help of Floyd Barnhill, a family friend, in 2008.
Accruals
Further additions are not expected.
Processing Information
This collection was initially arraigned by Kristi Wilkes, and completed by Will Reaves in April 2024.
Genre / Form
Geographic
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Ben Bufford Manuscripts, Short Stories and Poems
- Subtitle
- 1944-2003
- Author
- Will Reaves; Matthew Mayton, Editor
- Date
- April 5, 2024
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Archives & Special Collections at A-State Repository