Literary and other manuscripts, 1908-c. 1971

Component identifier:

Series 19

Content Summary:

Comprises Items 1-550 and papers added to the collection in 2000.

This series consists of notebooks, notes, drafts, typescripts and printed poetry and prose of Kenneth Slessor. Poems represented in the series include 'The atlas', 'Five bells', 'The bushranger', 'Up in Mabel's room', 'Lesbia's daughter', 'Full orchestra', 'To the poetry of Hugh McCrae', 'Cannibal Street', 'Sleep', 'Sensuality', 'Out of time', and 'Last trams', as well as examples of very early poems by Slessor. There are typescript final drafts of Canberra and Australian profile, along with an early handwritten draft of the preface to Bread and wine.

Included in the series are typescripts of talks given at meetings of the English Association of Sydney (1931), the Australian Book Society (1946) and the English Teachers' Group at the University of Sydney (1950), and a lecture delivered at the University of New South Wales in 1965. In these talks and lectures Slessor discussed modern and Australian poetry and his own poem 'Five visions of Captain Cook'. Typescripts and notes for Slessor's radio broadcasts on poetry and Australian poets Douglas Stewart and Christopher Brennan date from 1947 to 1959. Many of the typed final drafts of articles by Slessor (1953-1969), mainly for Australia today and the Bulletin, deal with aspects of life in Sydney. Copies of the corresponding published articles are included with some of the typescripts.

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

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