By Allison LaRocca, Archives Intern
The Joanne Greenberg papers collection has been newly processed and a finding aid is now available at the McGovern Historical Center and Archive.
This small collection (1 box/0.25 cu. ft.) consists of a single series that includes copies of correspondence between Greenberg and her close friend, Dr. Hilde Bruch, along with an audio recording of Greenberg sharing her remembrances of the doctor soon after Bruch’s death in 1984. The items included in this collection were gifts by Greenberg at the request of former Texas Medical Center Library Archivist, Randy Sparks, to provide added context for the creation of the Hilde Bruch, MD papers (MS 007) collection guide. The letters between Greenberg and Bruch, which are copies of originals housed in the Joanne Greenberg collection (SPE-102) at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University, document the decades-long friendship between the two women.
Greenberg is best known for her work as an author of novels and short stories. Her 1964 novel, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, is a semi-autobiographical account of her psychiatric treatment at Chestnut Lodge in Rockville, Maryland where she was diagnosed with and treated for schizophrenia from 1948 to 1951 by the famous psychoanalyst Dr. Frieda Fromm-Reichman. Dr. Fromm-Reichmann consulted with Dr. Hilde Bruch during this time as Bruch had more experience with adolescent patients.
After Greenberg’s treatment, she and Bruch wrote to each other extensively about their professional and personal lives. The letters document many of Bruch’s visits to Greenberg’s home in Denver along with advice shared on parenting, publishing, and life in general. The audio recording included in the collection, touches on many of these same topics and events as well as her thoughts on the experience in the wake of Bruch’s death. It is a touching account of the respect and admiration the Greenberg held for Bruch.
This unique recording has been digitized and transcribed. Both the audio file and transcript are now available for access along with the complete finding aid.