Lev Raphael papers, 1954-2011, bulk dates 1983-2011.

The Lev Raphael Papers span over 40 years of the author's life. The collection consists of 46 boxes of materials including: manuscripts, research materials, book reviews, recordings of interviews with authors and Mr. Raphael, childhood and early life writings, articles, academic papers, awards and recognitions, and personal and professional correspondence. A large collection of books, many of them inscribed to Mr. Raphael by their respective authors, are stored separately and can be accessed through the MSU library catalog.

Lev Raphael (1954- ) was born and raised in New York City. He earned a BA in English from Fordham University in 1975, an MFA in English and Creative Writing from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1978, and a PhD in American Studies from Michigan State University in 1986. He currently resides in Okemos, Michigan. Raphael first came to national prominence as a writer with the publication of his debut collection of short stories, Dancing on Tisha B'Av in 1990, for which he received many accolades, including the Lambda Literary Award; the success of the book established him as a pioneer in writing about the gay Jewish experience in America. Raphael's experiences as a child of Holocaust survivors pervades much of his writing, fiction and non-fiction, including the two novels Winter Eyes and The German Money, and three memoirs, Journeys & Arrivals, Writing a Jewish Life, and My Germany. His shorter pieces - essays, short stories - have been published widely as well. Raphael's prolific abilities as a book reviewer are evidenced by hundreds of published reviews in national magazines and newspapers. In Michigan, Raphael is well known for his Nick Hoffman mystery series set in the fictional town of Michiganapolis and inspired by his years studying and teaching at MSU. He is also very familiar to the public for his years as a book reviewer for the Detroit Free Press and for his regular appearances on Michigan public radio shows. A widely acclaimed and anthologized author of over twenty books ranging in genres from memoir to mystery, he has given hundreds of talks, here and abroad, and his books have been translated into a dozen languages.The Lev Raphael Papers reveal the details of a writer's life, from the success of prizes and glowing books reviews, to the disappointments of rejections and the never-ending obligation to promote one's self and one's work. As book publishing moves rapidly into the digital age, this collection preserves the personal and professional details of that life, and reveals how one author navigates the modern varieties of media, from print to radio to the internet, in order to tell the stories that can touch a reader's life.