Guide to the Papers of Les Murray, 1930-2022

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Summary

Collection number:
MS 5332, MS Acc12.024, MS Acc22.060
Creator:
Les Murray
Extent:
(62 ms boxes + 6 archives boxes +3 phase boxes + 1 medium folio box + 2 packets + 1 folder)
Language:
English and English
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Les Murray, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.
Availability:
Available
Access conditions:
Permission required for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

MS 5332 comprises correspondence, drafts of most of his poems, newspaper cuttings, notes, drawings and printed material. Correspondents include: Ang Cheon Geok, Iain Bamforth, David Campbell, Gary Catalano, Hal Colebatch, Jennifer Compton, Bruce Dawe, Bob Ellis, Peter Goldsworthy, Alan Gould, Christopher Koch, Andrew Lansdown, Penelope Nelson, Robin Norling, Mark O'Connor, Geoff Page, Peter Porter, Philip Roberts, Myra Schneider, Douglas Stewart, Chris Wallace-Crabbe and Derek Whitelock.

The MS Acc12.024 instalment includes edited manuscript and typescript drafts of poems, cuttings about Murray together with reviews of his published works, and ephemera from literary events. The drafts of poems are interleaved with other papers throughout the installment, and are mostly undated. However, adjacent papers provide a possible date range. There is extensive correspondence with friends and colleagues, letters from readers, and general correspondence, mostly with people in the literary sphere including publishers, editors and coordinators of literary events. Correspondents include Peter Alexander, Gary Clark, Hal Colebatch, Asha Das, Suzanne Edgar, Thomas Eichhorn, John Foulcher, Ang Chin Geok, Thierry Gillyboeuf, Peter Goldsworthy, Alan Gould, Beverley Kingston, John Kinsella, Andrew Lansdown, Margitt Lehbert, Gwenyth Lewis, Morris Lurie, Dennis O'Driscoll, Geoff Page, Anuraag Sharma, Myra Schneider, Andrew Slattery, Barry Spurr, and John Whitworth.

The MS Acc22.060 instalment includes source material for Les Murray's posthumous work: Continuous Creation; Last Poems. The material is described on page xii of 'Continuous Creation' and includes 'The Great Books' - three large scrapbooks containing postcards, photographs, images, verse and other source material for his poetry. Also includes the contents of a large cardboard box in Murray's study at Bunyah, NSW which housed handwritten drafts of poems, correspondence, posters, and pictorial material.

Biographical / Historical:

One of Australia's most respected and prolific poets, acclaimed both nationally and internationally. After publication of his first book of poetry in 1965, Murray has gone on to publish over 30 books of his work. He is one of Australia's most influential literary critics, a regular contributor of book reviews and literary articles to newspapers and journals, has acted as poetry reader for the publisher Angus Robertson, was editor of Poetry Australia, and was literary editor of the journal Quadrant. Murray has won many literary awards, including the Grace Leven Prize (1980 and 1990), The Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry (1984 and 1993), the Petrarch Prize (1995), the T.S. Eliot Award (1996) and the Queens Gold Medal for Poetry (1999, on the recommendation of Ted Hughes). In 1989 Murray was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia.

Collection Retrieval Advice:

Please note: each class in this collection has a separate box number sequence (i.e. there are multiple Box 1's). Please cite the relevant Class number as well as the Box number when requesting retrieval of material from the collection.

Arrangement:

The 2000 and 2003 additions to MS 5332 were arranged and described with the assistance of the Ray Mathew and Eva Kollsman Trust.

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1099918) for the access conditions.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Les Murray, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact:
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