MIRCEA VASILIU PAPERS

de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi

	Creator:	Mircea Vasiliu
	Title:	Mircea Vasiliu Papers
	Dates:	1957 - 1984
	Quantity:	8.45 cubic feet (11 boxes, 1 tube, and 1 map case drawer)
	Identification:	DG1009

Biographical Note

Mircea Vasiliu (pronounced Vas-ILL-you) was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1920 to Matei and Florica (Tantareanu) Vasiliu. Although he had published two books by age sixteen, Vasiliu trained for a diplomatic career and received a law degree from the University of Bucharest. At the age of 23 he became an attaché in the Romanian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. In 1946 he was assigned to the Romanian Legation in Washington, D.C. Vasiliu resigned his position in 1948 following the Communist takeover of Romania, and he received asylum in the United States. In 1955 he published The Pleasure is Mine, a humorous autobiography of his diplomatic years. A later memoir, Which Way to the Melting Pot? (1963), recounts his adjustment to American life. In the 1950s Vasiliu began creating free-lance illustrations both for adult and children's books and soon authored his own children's books. His most well-known works include A Day at the Beach and Miss Agatha's Lark.

Vasiliu and his wife Natalie lived in New York and were both avid birdwatchers, an activity prominent in several Vasiliu books and Christmas cards. Mircea Vasiliu passed away on October 26, 2008.

Sources:
The Pleasure is Mine, by Mircea Vasiliu (New York: Harper & Bros., 1955)
Sources within the Mircea Vasiliu Papers

Scope and Content Note

The Mircea Vasiliu Papers contain typescripts, galleys, illustrations, color separations, dummies, correspondence, and Christmas cards created and accumulated by Mircea Vasiliu between 1957 and 1984. Vasiliu's papers were created from his composition of twenty-one published books, his creation of thirty-six Christmas cards, and letters sent to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection. The material is organized into three series: books, Christmas cards, and the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection.

The Books Series contains typescripts, galleys, illustrations, and color separations, dummies, and correspondence for twenty-one books published between 1957 and 1984. The material documents Vasiliu's illustration process. First, Vasiliu often created a dummy composed of pencil sketches on tracing paper that either were taped to thicker paper and folded or were taped directly onto layout boards. The dummies for Where is Alfred? offer the best examples of this process. Vasiliu next created pen and ink drawings to serve as the basis of three- and four-color color separations. The material for several titles includes not only black & white drawings but full-color illustrations as well. A Day at the Beach and Miss Agatha's Lark are fine examples. The papers in the Books Series are arranged alphabetically by title and the material for each book is arranged chronologically in order of creation when known.

The Christmas Card Series contains illustrations and printed cards for thirty-six Christmas card designs created between the late 1960s and 1984. It is organized into four subseries: Magi and Nativity Scenes, Birds and Other Animals, Santa Claus, and Mary and Jesus. The papers for each subseries are arranged chronologically where known. The material for each design usually includes the original color drawing or painting and a printed card. Vasiliu designed most of his cards for the American Artists Greeting Cards Company.

The letters sent to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection were selected and photocopied from the de Grummond Collection's correspondence file because they provide information on Vasiliu's work or personal interests. They are arranged chronologically.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Use

Noncirculating; available for research.

Copyright Restrictions

The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials, other than that noted above.

Related Material

A typescript and galley for The Big Joke Game are contained in the Scott Corbett Papers (DG0223).

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Mircea Vasiliu Papers, de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, University of Southern Mississippi Libraries, (cite the item's box/folder numbers).

Provenance

These papers were donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection of the University of Southern Mississippi Libraries by Mircea Vasiliu and publishers John Day and Bobbs-Merrill between 1969 and 1985.

Processing Information

Processed by C. Alder, April 2003. Encoded into EAD Version 1.0 by Danielle L. Bishop. This finding aid is the product of a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Container Listing

Contact:
The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive, #5148
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-4349
Comments and Questions

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