The Koestler Archive & Other Papers Relating to Arthur Koestler

Reference and contact details: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2301-2461; MSS 2462-2468; JA 3904-3908; SC 3875-4988; SD 4026-4034
Title: The Koestler Archive & Other Papers Relating to Arthur Koestler
Dates of creation: 1939-1993
Held at: Edinburgh University Library, Special Collections and Archives
Extent: circa 1000 books; 172 boxes (24 linear metres); 4 record albums
Level of Description: fonds
Language of Material: English, French, German

Administrative/Biographical History

In his writing, Arthur Koestler had examined the problems of political idealism and power, as well as evolution, psychology, the history of science, capital punishment, and the nature of artistic creation.

Koestler was born in Budapest, Hungary, 5 September 1905. He attended the University of Vienna, 1922-26, before becoming a journalist. Between 1926-29, he worked on a farm in Palestine and as an architect's assistant, as well as being an editor of a Cairo weekly. He became a foreign correspondent, foreign editor, and science editor for a number of German publishing houses, and in 1931 he was the only journalist on the Graf Zeppelin Arctic expedition.

In 1931, Koestler became a member of the Communist Party and during the 1930s he travelled in Central Asia and the Soviet Union. During the Spanish Civil War, he served as a war correspondent and was imprisoned and sentenced to death by the Fascists. Through the intervention of the British government he was released, and his experience of this period was described in Spanish testament (1937). His break with the Communist Party at the time of the Moscow Trials was the background to Darkness at noon (1938). That same year, he became editor of Zukunft .

On the outbreak of war in 1939, Koestler was imprisoned in France but was released in 1940. He then escaped to England where he worked for the Ministry of Information, the BBC, and as a night ambulance driver. From 1940, Koestler wrote in English. He became a British citizen in 1948. Works of fiction during this period, include The gladiators (1939) and Arrival and departure (1943), both of which deal with questions of morality and political responsibility. His essays are collected in The yogi and the commissar and other essays (1945) and The god that failed (1949). His last political work, examining the dilemma of Europe after the Second World War, was The age of longing (1951).

In Arrow in the blue (1952) and The invisible writing (1954), Koestler took stock of his life, and then in his later works he tackled scientific and philosophical matters. The act of creation (1964) was perhaps the best known work of this period. Others include The lotus and the robot (1960) examining Eastern mysticism; The ghost in the machine (1967) looking at the effect of evolution on the human brain; and, The thirteenth tribe a study of the origins of the Jewish people (1976). Towards the end of his life a collection of his writings with a new commentary appeared, Bricks to Babel (1981).

Koestler had suffered from leukaemia and Parkinson's disease, and as believers in voluntary euthanasia he and his wife Cynthia took their own lives in 1983. Koestler's death was reported on 3 March 1983.

Scope and Content

The archive consists of inscribed and annotated books from Koestler's library, along with English-language editions and translations of his work into many languages; and Koestler's manuscripts and papers from 1940 to March 1983. The archive contains correspondence with or about members of Koestler's family; personal material including diaries, address books, medical files and other personal documents; literary manuscripts including interviews, broadcasts and speeches; correspondence with specific people; personal and fan correspondence; material on specific subjects such as ESP and euthanasia; business and financial papers; literary manuscripts by other authors, including those on Koestler; cuttings, offprints, and pamphlets including articles both by Koestler and on Koestler; non-print material such as photographs, tapes and medals, and records; and, files gifted by publishers Hutchinson comprising of papers and correspondence on particular books. Most of Koestler's earlier papers were lost when France fell in 1940 and when he left for England. The papers bequeathed in 1993 include personal files which are restricted until 2045; correspondence; reviews; royalty statements 1976-1993; contracts and rights correspondence; personal financial material; and, correspondence on wills, last message, sale of property, and winding up the estate.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Koestler Archive came to Edinburgh University Library in 1984 after the University accepted the offer of the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology. Through the efforts of Harold Harris, Koestler's literary executor, and the London Library to which Koestler had left his books, the extensive archive was transferred to EUL's Special Collections department. Other papers relating to Arthur Koestler were bequeathed by Harris in 1993.

Access Conditions

Generally open for consultation to bona fide researchers, but please contact repository for details in advance. Note that access to some personal files are restricted until 2045

Archivist's Note

The biographical/administrative history was compiled using the following material: (1) The Koestler Archive in Edinburgh University Library. A checklist Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Library, 1987. (2) The new encyclopaedia Britannica . Vol. 6. Micropaedia. 15th edition. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 1991.

Finding Aids

Handlist, H40 - being The Koestler Archive in Edinburgh University Library. A checklist Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Library, 1987. Important finding aids generally are: the alphabetical Index to Manuscripts held at Edinburgh University Library, Special Collections and Archives, consisting of typed slips in sheaf binders and to which additions were made until 1987; and the Index to Accessions Since 1987.

Related Units of Description

The local Indexes show various other references to Koestler related material (check the Indexes for more details). In addition, the UK National Register of Archives (NRA), updated by the Historical Manuscripts Commission, notes: correspondence relating to abolition of capital punishment, 1955-1962, British Library, Manuscript Collections, Ref. Add MSS 56455A-56459B passim, and correspondence with Society of Authors, 1942-1943, at Ref. Add MSS 63280; correspondence with Dennis Gabor, 1946-1973, London University, Imperial College Library, Ref. B/GABOR NRA 29644 Gabor; correspondence (19 items, photocopies) with George Orwell, 1946-1947, London University, University College London (UCL) Manuscripts Room, Ref. George Orwell Archive; correspondence with Sir Alister Hardy, Oxford University, Bodleian Library, Special Collections and Western Manuscripts, Ref. NCUACS5/4/88 NRA 31540 Hardy; letters to the Manchester Guardian, 1948-1953, Manchester University, John Rylands Library, Oxford Road, Ref. Guardian archives NRA 18162 Guardian; and, correspondence with Victor Gollancz, 1946, Warwick University: Modern Records Centre, Ref. MSS 157/3/CL/5/1-12.


Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2301-2303

Koestler. Section A. Correspondence with or about members of his family, and Daphne Hardy

Dates of creation: 1940-1951
Extent: 3 boxes

h3>Scope and Content

This division of the Koestler Archive includes early letters, photographs, certificates, miscellaneous cuttings, notebooks, diaries and circulars. Some letters are undated. Correspondence was with Dorothy Ascher, Celia Goodman, Daphne Hardy, Mrs. E. I. Jefferies, Adele Koestler, Cynthia Koestler and Mamaine Koestler.

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2304-2312

Koestler. Section B. Personal material

Dates of creation: 1939-1983
Extent: 9 boxes (1.2 linear metres)

Scope and Content

Koestler's personal material includes planning diaries and address books, diary notebooks, diary manuscripts and typescripts, medical files, passports and other legal documents, bills and menus and other material relating to his homes, material relating to his animals, and other miscellaneous correspondence and material.

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2313-2343

Koestler. Section C. Literary manuscripts

Dates of creation: 1939?-1980
Extent: 31 boxes (4.3 linear metres)

Scope and Content

In this division of the archive there are notes, material, corrected carbons and typescripts, manuscript fragments, bibliographies, photographs, photostats and photocopies, and correspondence relating to translations of Koestler's books and plays, and his essays. There is also interview and broadcast material, speeches, and miscellaneous manuscript material. The books and plays in question include: Darkness at noon (1940), Arrival and departure (1943), Twilight bar (1945), Thieves in the night (1946), Insight and outlook (1948), Promise and fulfilment (1949), The age of longing (1950), Arrow in the blue (1952), The invisible writing (1954), Reflections on hanging (1956), The sleepwalkers (1959), Suicide of a nation? (1963), The act of creation (1964), The ghost in the machine (1967), Drinkers of infinity (1968), The case of the midwife toad (1971), The roots of coincidence (1972), The call girls (1972), and The thirteenth tribe (1976).

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2344-2370

Koestler. Section D. Correspondence with specific people

Dates of creation: 1940-1983
Extent: 27 boxes (3.7 linear metres)

h3>Scope and Content

The Koestler Archive contains correspondence with individuals including George Orwell, Andre Malraux and E. M. Forster; academic correspondence; correspondence with agents and publishers; and, correspondence with the BBC and with magazines and newspapers. There is also correspondence relating to engagements and to legal cases.

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2371-2394

Koestler. Section E. Personal and fan correspondence

Dates of creation: 1940-1983
Extent: 24 boxes (3.3 linear metres)

Scope and Content

The archive contains some forty years of personal and fan correspondence, both letters in and letters out. Many letters are undated. Principal correspondents include the BBC, and various magazines, newspapers, publishers, and PEN. Significant correspondents and correspondents over a long period of time include: John Middleton Murry, Dame Rebecca West, Dennis Gabor, John Strachey, Malcolm Muggeridge, Stephen Spender, George Mikes, and Patricia Highsmith.

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2395-2430

Koestler. Section F. Material on specific subjects

Dates of creation: 1930-1983
Extent: 36 boxes (5 linear metres)

h3>Scope and Content

There is material relating to symposia, congresses, societies, causes and campaigns, and to the Koestler Award. There is, obviously, material on euthanasia. Other subjects are: cultural freedom, mass hypochondria and mass anxiety, capital punishment and the abolition of capital punishment, Palestine, Jewish refugees, Japan, and miscellaneous topics such as dog quarantine, and music and creativity. There is also correspondence on literary works by Arthur Koestler and reviews of his literary works and letters on these, as well as reviews of literary works by other authors. The material consists of papers, cards and photographs, notes, manuscripts and typescripts, stencils, offprints, lists, reports, cuttings, leaflets and pamphlets, membership cards, correspondence,

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2431-2434

Koestler. Section G. Business and financial papers

Dates of creation: 1942-1978
Extent: 4 boxes

Scope and Content

The Koestler Archive contains business and financial material relating to banks, lawyers, royalties, stocks and shares, tax and variable annuities, and miscellaneous business and financial material. It includes cheque books, statements, correspondence, royalty reports, contract statements, balance sheets and accounts, bills, receipts, and paperwork for car insurance and pensions.

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2435-2440

Koestler. Section H. Literary manuscripts by other authors

Dates of creation: 1939-1980
Extent: 6 boxes

Scope and Content

This division of the archive contains literary manuscripts on Koestler and on other subjects. There are specified authors and unspecified authors. The material consists of stencil scripts, annotated carbon typescripts, corrected typescripts, photocopied typescripts, correspondence, extracts from diaries, and transcripts from interviews.

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2441-2454

Koestler. Section I. Cuttings, offprints, pamphlets etc.

Dates of creation: 1940?-1982
Extent: 14 boxes (1.9 linear metres)

Scope and Content

Cuttings relate to: articles by Koestler in English, French, German and Hungarian; book reviews, letters and sayings, and interviews by Koestler; and, articles by other authors on Koestler. There are also miscellaneous cuttings on Koestler, and unfiled cuttings. Offprints and photocopied articles are by Koestler and by other authors on Koestler and other subjects. Pamphlets include those by other authors on Koestler, and those by Koestler or containing articles by Koestler. There are periodicals containing articles on Koestler. There are dustjackets from works by Koestler and by other authors. The cuttings are from British, English-language, French, German broadsheets and journals (e.g The Listener , The Observer , The Times , New York Herald Tribune , Le Figaro , Welt am Sonntag , Quick ).

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2455-2459

Koestler. Section J. Non-print material

Dates of creation: 20th century
Extent: 7 boxes, 4 record albums (1 linear metre)

Scope and Content

This division of the archive contains: old family photographs, portraits of Koestler, photograph albums, framed photographs and prints, miscellaneous snapshots; audio tapes, home-recorded cassettes, record albums; and, medals and cufflinks.

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2460-2461

Koestler. Section K. Appendix

Dates of creation: 1973-1983
Extent: 2 boxes

Scope and Content

Correspondence with Hutchinson's, London publishers, on The act of creation (1964), Astride the two cultures edited by Harold Harris (1975), Janus: a summing up (1978), Bricks to Babel (1980), and Kaleidoscope: essays (1981).

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library MSS 2462-2468

Koestler. Papers relating to Arthur Koestler, bequeathed by Harold Harris

Dates of creation: 20th century
Extent: 9 boxes (1.2 linear metres)

Scope and Content

The Koestler papers bequeathed by Harold Harris - Koestler's literary executor - contain some personal files that are restricted until 2045. There is manuscript material relating to The fall of Dr. Icarus and correspondence on Stranger on the square and Thieves in the night , in addition to copyright agreements and film and drama rights to Arrival and departure , Astride the two cultures , Darkness at noon , and Dialogue with death . The papers also include letters relating to the archive, correspondence about a Koestler biography, correspondence about the Arthur Koestler Chair of Parapsychology, correspondence about contracts and rights after Koestler's death 1984-1988, and material relating to the Koestler Award Trust and the Koestler Foundation. There are also obituaries and press cuttings, royalty statements covering the period 1976-1993, cheque book and cheque book stubs, pay-in book, bank statements, bank correspondence with and about literary executor, Barclay's Bank correspondence relating to the primary account, financial correspondence, and correspondence about VAT and income tax. There is also correspondence with and about Arthur and Cynthia Koestler relating to wills, last message, sale of houses, and the winding up of the estate.

Access Conditions

Personal files at MSS 2462/1-3 are restricted until 2045.

Reference: GB 0237 Edinburgh University Library JA 3904-3908; SC 3875-4988; SD 4026-4034

Koestler. Library

Dates of creation: 20th century
Extent: circa 1000 books

Scope and Content

Arthur Koestler had left his collection of books to the London Library. His library consists of inscribed and annotated books by a variety of authors as well as English-language editions and translations of his own works into many languages. The collection of about 1000 books was given to Edinburgh University Library by the London Library. The works present a wide variety of subjects and titles from In the belly of the beast : letters from prison (1981) by Jack Henry Abbott, with an introduction by Norman Mailer, to Then and now: a novel (1946) by W. Somerset Maugham, and Evidence submitted to the Palestine Royal Commission (1937) by V. Jabotinsky on behalf of the New Zionist Organisation. The library also contains works bequeathed by Harold Harris.

Finding Aids

The titles within Koestler's library have been entered on Edinburgh University Library Catalogue . Browse in the University Library catalogue's Simple Search by entering a Shelfmark search using SC 3875 and onwards, SD 4026 onwards, or JA 3904 onwards.

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