Valentin Kenner Papers

The Valentin Kenner papers span the period from June 22, 1937, to 1967, with the bulk dating from 1937 and 1938. The collection is approximately 1.2 cubic feet in size, including two manuscript boxes and a newspaper box.

The Kenner papers are chiefly composed of correspondence (seven folders) and of Loyalist publications (approximately 10 folders) collected by Kenner while serving in the International Brigades (1937-1938) during the Spanish Civil War. Both the correspondence and the publications are concerned with a variety of subjects that surround the war, such as current campaigns, troop movements and general information about Spain and Loyalist politics.

The bulk of the correspondence is comprised of letters and postcards written by Kenner to his father Osip Kenner in Stelton, New Jersey, while abroad. The letters describe Kenner's experiences from his arrival in Paris, France, on June 22, 1937, through his final departure from Spain on December 7, 1938. They include details of his training and trench warfare. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of these letters is the picture of war from a soldier's point of view. In a letter dated September 29, 1937, Kenner attempted to communicate a typical day at the front, full of tedious waiting and danger, as he enters a newly captured town. Earlier that same month Kenner wrote home that he found himself in a trench-afraid, dirty and tired. Above all, these letters reveal the relationship of individuals like Kenner to the communist and antifascist movements. Also included in the collection are two letters received by Kenner from fellow Lincoln Brigade members.

The publications contained in the collection, while all concerned with Spain and its Civil War, are varied in scope and subject. These materials are in English, Spanish or Catalan. Included are items that serve as examples of propaganda. Some were produced in efforts to raise contributions or to recruit for the Lincoln Brigade. One such pamphlet, Men in the Ranks: The Story of 12 Americans in Spain, has a foreword written by Ernest Hemingway. Los niños Españoles relates to the Loyalist attempts to help orphans of the war and is illustrated. Spain Today is a publication of the Communist Party. Volunteer for Liberty is the official organ of the International Brigades. Included in the collection are published sketches by Castelao and Estampas de la revolución, both of which portray a variety of scenes from the war. The Cancionario revolucionario internacional contains sheet music and lyrics to revolutionary songs. Also included is Anna Louise Strong's Spain in Arms (1937), and later works: Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell (1952) and The Volunteers by Steve Nelson (1953).

Finally, the collection includes notes taken by Valentin Kenner during the war which contain details of fighting, revolutionary song lyrics and other comments. Photographs of Kenner, his unit and an ambulance sent by Stelton residents to Spain can be found in the collection, along with a variety of personal miscellany that includes military pins and identification.