Diaries and notebooks, 1948-92

Component identifier:

Series 1

Content Summary:

The diaries cover most of Dutton's adult life and record the great diversity of his activities and close association with and impressions of many notable Australians. The ten volumes contain about 1600 pages of small writing. The entries are not daily, but there are relatively few long breaks, except for the periods 1966-69 and 1977. The entries are extremely detailed and record Dutton's activities and conversations, give vivid impressions of people, and contain reflections, ideas and emotional outbursts. There are references to hundreds of well-known names in literature, the arts, politics and high society, in Australia, Britain and America. There are also detailed diaries of his visits to the Soviet Union, Romania, Germany and Singapore. Major crises in Dutton's life, such as his falling-out with Patrick White and the end of his first marriage, are documented. The diaries were a major source for Dutton's autobiography Out in the open (1994).

The notebooks contain notes of Dutton's research, his reading and people whom he met.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The papers were purchased in a number of instalments. The bulk of the papers were received from Geoffrey Dutton between 1986 and 1998, with a further two small instalments received from his partner, Robin Lucas, in 2002 and 2003.

Names:

Geoffrey Dutton

Contents

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