Slessor's publications, 1917-1972

Component identifier:

Series 4

Content Summary:

Comprises Items 1-368 and papers added to the collection in 1979.

Books by Slessor in this series are Poems, Cuckooz country, One hundred poems, Thief of the moon, Earth visitors, Darlinghurst nights, Portrait of Sydney, Australian profile, The grapes are growing: the story of Australian wine, and Canberra. Also included are copies of an index of first lines to One hundred poems 1919-1939 and a small book by Slessor on surfing called Surf: all about it. Periodicals and anthologies containing articles and poems by Slessor include Art in Australia, Vision, Southerly, Australian letters, Poetry magazine, Poetry in Australia 1923, and Australian poetry 1944. Articles about Slessor and his work are contained in issues of Australian letters, Australian literary studies, Southerly and Meanjin quarterly.

Cuttings of three early poems by Slessor that appeared in The Bulletin and the Triad in 1919 and of poetry and verse which Slessor wrote for Smith's Weekly (1927-1936) are included in the series. Newspaper cuttings of articles by Slessor in the Daily Telegraph (1962, 1963 and 1967) deal with various writers, including James Thurber, Dame Mary Gilmore, Harley Matthews and Judith Wright, and aspects of literature in general and Australian literature in particular. The series also contains some publishers' announcements and a copy of the song, 'Two chronometers the Captain had', with words taken from Slessor's poem, 'Five visions of Captain Cook', and music by Lindsay Aked.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The papers of the poet and journalist Kenneth Slessor were offered to the National Library by his brother Robin Slessor, executor of the will, after his death in 1971. The National Library purchased the papers in 1972. Eight additional consignments of papers received by the Library between 1979 and 2000 were variously purchased from Robin Slessor, Paul Slessor and Peter Elder.

Names:

Slessor, Kenneth, 1901-1971

Contents

Access and use