Collection 08: David Ireland further papers, 1934, 1958-2006

MLMSS 9232
DC 89

sub-fonds

1934, 1958-2006

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Photographs

423814

1.36 metres of textual material (8 boxes)

The collection comprises three consignments of further papers as follows:

2003 consignment of further papers, 1958-2000 (Boxes 1-2): notebooks, 1958-70; letters from friends, publishers and agents, 1987-90; letters from friends, publishers, agents and readers, 1990-92; letters from friends, publishers and readers, 1994-98; reviews of 'The Chosen', 1997-88; correspondence concerning 'The Chosen', 1997-99; letters from Helen Daniel and related papers, 1987-2000; correspondence with Penguin Australia, 1986-2000.

2005 consignment of further papers, 1970s-2004 (Boxes 3-6): notebooks and drafts of a novel titled 'Desire'

2007 consignment of further papers, 1934-2006 (Boxes 7-8): notebooks; literary drafts, including 'Dreams and Dreaming', 'Random Access' and 'Desire'; newscuttings and correspondence, including with Jim Packer about editing of The Glass Canoe (1976)

BOX 1
Notebooks (26) arranged alphabetically and labelled A-Z; each approx. 11 x 8 cm; Dec. 1958 – Nov. 1970
Notebooks (5) labelled AA-AE. Each notebook includes a partial index on the inside front cover; 1970-1998
The notebooks comprise handwritten notes, fragments of dialogue, quotations, pasted-in newscuttings and typed transcripts of articles by Elias Canetti and Lawrence A. Appley. Material relates to writers, writing, films, film directors, and topics including attacks on women, autism, Barry Goldwater, the Great Depression, Hiroshima, Ivan Illich, Long Bay gaol, Mozart, postmodernism, Bertrand Russell, Alexis de Tocqueville, Mao Tse-tung, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and zero tolerance, among others.

BOX 2 - RESTRICTED
Folders 1-3: letters from friends, publishers and agents, 1987-90; letters from friends, publishers, agents and readers, 1990-92; letters from friends, publishers and readers, 1994-98

Folder 1: Correspondence includes:
Hamish Hamilton, London, concerning initial response to ‘Bloodfather’; 1987
Postcard from Thomas Shapcott, 1990
Postcard from Les Murray, 1989
Judith Wright McKinney handwritten note concerning the Aboriginal Treaty form letter, 1989
Andrew Franklin of Hamish Hamilton concerning the London publishing scene, 1989
Bill Noonan enclosing a copy of his review of ‘The Glass Canoe’; copy of Ireland’s reply; 1989
Fay Zwicky on Robert Lowell, 1989
Murray Bail letter to Ireland; copy of Ireland’s reply; 1990
Tony Twigg concerning collaboration with Ireland; copy of Ireland’s reply; 1990

Folder 2: Correspondence includes:
Photocopy of Ireland letter to Rosemary Creswell; 1995
Murray Bail concerning writing, 1999
Copy of Ireland’s letter to Nicholas Rothwell concerning ‘Heaven and Earth’, 1999
Sue Woolfe concerning ‘Inside Stories’, photocopy of Ireland’s reply; 1992

Folder 3: Correspondence includes:
David Foster note concerning the Miles Franklin award, 1997
Peter Skrzynecki cards and letters, 1997
Ireland to David Williamson concerning ‘Money and Friends’; Williamson’s reply, 1994
Also included: contract for movie rights to ‘The Unknown Industrial Prisoner’, 1978; agreement for radio performance of ‘City of Women’, 1995

Folder labelled ‘Penguin: correspondence’, being correspondence with Penguin Books and Curtis Brown including letters concerning ‘Archimedes and the Seagle’, Japanese rights for ‘City of Women’; agreement for ‘Portrait of the Artist as Liberator’, 1987; royalty payments and sales figures for Ireland publications; sales figures for ‘Bloodfather’, 1987; photocopies of reviews; sample covers of ‘The Glass’ Canoe’, ca. 1987-2000

Folder labelled ‘Reviews: the Chosen’, being newscuttings, photocopies of reviews, flyers for bookshop and writers’ events, 1997-1998

Folder labelled ‘The Chosen: correspondence’, being correspondence with publishers and editors concerning galleys, corrections, cover designs, entry into literary awards, remainders etc.; transcript of speeches by Ireland and Paul Davies for the launch of 'The Chosen', 21 Aug. 1997; newscuttings; papers concerning writers’ festivals; flyers relating to the novel’s promotion; Ireland’s handwritten notes; 1997-1999

Folder labelled ‘Helen Daniel’, being typescript and handwritten correspondence between Ireland and Daniel; newscuttings including obituaries and reviews of Daniel’s books; typescript copy of ‘Dry Australians: report on MS for David Ireland by Helen Daniel’, Dec. 1994; colour photograph of Daniel, 1988; 1987-2000

BOX 3
Notebooks (7) labelled L1-L7; each approx. 21 x 30 cm
L1: being pasted-in notes and newscuttings. Notes include handwritten and typed word lists, popular song lists, phrases and ideas. Newscuttings include articles concerning Stephen Hawking, sufism, resurrection, meditation, the mind-body relationship, vegetarianism, Nobel Prize winners, relativism, philosophy and science, consciousness, molecular biology, and copies of the paintings of Adolf Hitler; n.d.
L2: ‘Sentences, earlier dates’, being pasted-in notes and sentences, mostly handwritten in pencil, n.d.
L3: ‘Sentences, ideas’, being pasted-in handwritten notes, phrases and sentences, n.d.
L4: being pasted-in handwritten notes, phrases and sentences, n.d.
L5: ‘Notes, sentences, ideas’, being pasted-in handwritten notes, phrases and sentences, n.d.
L6: ‘Phrases, ideas, story outlines, sentences from Old Bites notebooks’, being pasted-in handwritten notes, phrases, word lists, sentences, n.d.
L7: ‘Lists: past people, places, pubs, queer animals’, being pasted-in handwritten notes, phrases, word lists, sentences on topics including new animals, places, types of shops, vacations, people of past jobs, food, poems and verses, words, new professions, n.d.

BOX 4
Notebooks (7) labelled L8-L14; each approx. 21 x 30 cm
L8: ‘Notes, pregnant sentences, similes, images’, being pasted-in handwritten notes, phrases, word lists, sentences, n.d.
L9: ‘Phrases, sentences’, being pasted-in handwritten phrases, sentences, n.d.
L10: ‘Phrases, ideas, bits and bites’, being pasted-in handwritten phrases, sentences, n.d.
L11: ‘Notes, sentences’, being pasted-in handwritten phrases, sentences, n.d.
L12: ‘Notes’, being pasted-in handwritten notes, n.d.
L13: ‘Notes, daily and for mss’, being pasted-in handwritten and typescript notes, n.d.
L14: ‘Old notes 1980, 81, 82 and later, cards 70s and 80s (early) and MS outlines’, being pasted-in handwritten and typescript notes, n.d.

BOX 5
Exercise books (6) labelled S1-S6, each approx. 22 x 17 cm
S1: ‘Day to day notes’, being pasted-in handwritten notes and newscuttings. Topics include Alain Robbe-Grillet and the ‘nouveau roman’, n.d.
S2: ‘Daily notes’, being pasted-in handwritten notes, n.d.
S3: ‘Day to day notes’, being pasted-in handwritten notes and newscuttings. Topics include world history timeline and word lists for palatial buildings and popular sayings, n.d.
S4: ‘Daily notes’, being pasted-in handwritten notes, n.d.
S5: ‘Daily notes’, being pasted-in handwritten notes and newscuttings, n.d.
S5: ‘Daily notes’, being pasted-in handwritten notes and newscuttings, n.d.
S6: ‘Daily notes’, being pasted-in handwritten notes and newscuttings, ca. Mar-Apr. 2004

BOX 6
Folder: ‘Notes – Desire’, containing approx. 50 sheets of handwritten notes, phrases, lists, ideas, themes etc., 2001
‘Desire’ typescript and handwritten 3rd draft with annotations, Mar. 2001
‘Desire’ typescript 4th draft with annotations, ca. June 2001
‘Desire’ typescript with annotations, n.d.

BOX 7
‘Desire’ typescript copy, n.d.
‘Random Access’ typescript draft, described on prelims as ‘From a writer’s notebook: indictments, story outlines, ideas, anecdotes, arguments, mini-essays…’ n.d.
‘Dreams and Dreaming’ typescript copy, n.d.
‘Notebooks 2004, 2005’, typescript notes, n.d.
Bundle of handwritten notes marked ‘Dreams and dreaming’, approx. 400 pages; 22 x 16 cm, n.d.

BOX 8
‘Reviews, mentions’, being newscuttings and photocopies of reviews, including articles on Ireland; articles on Australian literature, literary prizes, publishing etc.; cuttings of ‘Vision of Lindow Man’ from ‘Expressway’; cuttings of ‘Double Agencies’ from ‘Liars: Australian new novelists’; ca. 1989-2006
‘Cuts from Dreams and Dreaming’, being handwritten cuts, n.d.
‘Correspondence: J. Packer’, being letters and emails between Ireland and Jim Packer concerning restoring cut sections of ‘The Glass Canoe’, 2005; Ireland’s entry for the Dictionary of Literary Biography; 2003; photocopies of articles by Brian Penton published in The Telegraph, 1934
‘Glass Canoe: J Packer’s original copy of his printout’, being typescript computer printout, n.d.
‘For: Notebook 2005’, being handwritten notes on loose A4 sheets of paper
‘Cuts from The Chosen’, being typescript ‘extracts from The Chosen’, n.d.
Typescript and handwritten 4th draft of ‘Pre-emption’, n.d.
DC 89: Floppy disk labelled ‘The Chosen’, n.d.

Partly restricted: Applies to MLMSS 9232/Box 2, Expires: 2020-12-31
For access to this collection please submit your request through Ask a Librarian: Restriction expires in 2020

Copyright status:: In copyright. This collection has multiple copyright owners.
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Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

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