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Guide to the Allan Anderson Papers
MS-0478
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Table of contents
Collection Title: Allan Anderson Papers
Dates: 1953-2010
Identification: MS-0478
Creator:
Anderson, Allan W., 1922-
Physical Description: 1.25 linear ft
Language of Materials:
English
Spanish;Castilian
Repository:
Special Collections & University Archives
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Note:
Other Information:
An oral history of Allan Anderson was recorded on July 17, 2009. Dr. Anderson's oral history documents his teaching philosophy,
his love of language and literature, and his interests in Eastern philosophy and the wisdom tradition. Especially noteworthy
are Dr. Anderson's readings of two poems from his children's book of poetry titled,
Songs from the Mifflinger Sea and a Little Cove of Nonsense. Dr. Anderson also describes his ideal student-teacher relationship, and his teaching methods.
Dr. Allan W. Anderson was born in Hastings, New Zealand on July 18, 1922 but grew up in England. He moved to the United States
in 1936 where he remained the majority of his life. He received a B.A. in history and general science in 1944 from Washington
Missionary College, an M.A. in english literature from Trinity College in 1951, and a Ph.D. in philosophy of religion from
Columbia University in 1960. He was an instructor at the National Academy of Broadcasting in Washington DC from 1947-1949,
and was later a radio newscaster and announcer in Hartford, Connecticut, where he also worked as a social worker.
Anderson began teaching at SDSU in 1962 and retired in 1985. He was a founder of the Department of Religious Studies, established
in 1969. He taught courses on philosophy of religion, metaphysics, ethics, scripture, and psychology with a focus on Hindu
and Chinese canons. Additionally, he received the 1970 California State Distinguished Teaching Award and the Alumni Association
Outstanding Faculty Award for 1982 and 1983.
His published works range from creative writing to children’s literature and fiction. Some of his works include
Oracles of Love,
Sonnets Toward Self-Change,
The Hastings Papers, and
Songs from the Mifflinger Sea and a little cove of Nonsense. Perhaps his most well-known works are the eighteen one-hour dialogues between Anderson and Jiddu Krishnamurti entitled
A Wholly Different Way of Living. The talks were broadcast every Sunday on KPBS from January to April, 1975, and were later published as a book.
In addition to his accomplishments in academia, Anderson founded Metanoia, a group for the study of self-transformation in
La Jolla. He also participated in the Berkeley Regional Seminar in Confucian Studies and lectured regularly for the San Diego
Friends of Jung organization.
This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Audio Recordings
Personal Papers
The copyright interests in the materials found in this collection have not been transferred to San Diego State University.
Special Collections and University Archives can only grant permission to publish materials for which it is the copyright holder.
For further information, please consult the section on copyright in the rules for using the collections, or contact the United
States Copyright Office at (202) 707-3000 or
http://www.copyright.gov.
This collection is open for research.
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Allan W. Anderson Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.
Jiddu Krishnamurti Papers, 1935-1975
Information about related materials is available at http://scua2.sdsu.edu/archon/?p=collections/controlcard&id=103
The Allan W. Anderson Papers (1953-2010) document Anderson’s work as a poet and academic in religious studies. The majority
of the material dates from 1970 to 1990 with sparse documentation from the 2000s on. These files document some of Anderson’s
creative processes for his published works including the children’s book
Songs from the Mifflinger Sea and A little cove of Nonsense, as well as unpublished materials. His collection includes poems, lectures, correspondence, research papers, student work,
newspaper clippings, and audio visual materials. Highlights include drafts of some of his most prominent writings such as
Reflections on the I Ching and
Self-Transformation and the Oracular, in addition to correspondence concerning the publication of his dialogues with Jiddu Krishnamurti,
A Wholly Different Way of Living. The collection consists of three series:
Poetry and Writings (1953-2010),
Krishnamurti Foundation Correspondence (1974-1990), and
Student Documents (1977-1983). The
Poetry and Writings series has been divided into three sub-series:
Titled Poetry (1953-2006),
Untitled Poetry, and
Drafts of Publications (1971-2010).
The
Poetry and Writings (1953-2010) files are divided into three sub-series,
Titled Poetry (1953-2006),
Untitled Poetry (circa 1980s), and
Drafts of Publications (1971-2010). These files document Anderson’s work as a poet and creative writer. The
Titled Poetry sub-series, arranged alphabetically, contains drafts and revisions of his poetry. It includes a draft of
Brother Sparrow, written in 1953, which is the earliest document in the collection. Arranged topically, the
Untitled Poetry sub-series consists of edited poetry. Of particular interest are religious and spiritually themed poems, corresponding to
his professional work as a religious studies professor. The third sub-series,
Drafts of Publications, includes drafts of the creative process for some of Anderson’s published works. Revised originals of his most recent publication,
Songs from the Mifflinger Sea and A little cove of Nonsense, can be found in this section. This sub-series includes documents and audio-visual materials.
The
Krishnamurti Foundation Correspondence (1974-1990) series predominantly documents correspondence between Anderson and the Krishnamurti Foundation concerning his
dialogues with Jiddu Krishnamurti in
A Wholly Different Way of Living. Arranged alphabetically by folder title, the series includes letters from Anderson suggesting a title change for the dialogue
and release forms for copyright purposes.
The
Student Documents (1977-1983) series contains student writing assignments with annotations and recorded class lectures by Anderson while teaching
at SDSU. The documents are arranged alphabetically, by student name, and then chronologically, and focus on the analysis of
religious writings such as those used in Christianity, Taoism, and the use of I Ching hexagrams. The seventeen recordings
of Anderson’s lectures and classes are arranged chronologically by cassette tape.