Guide to the Papers of Gillian Bouras, 1963-2003

Summary

Collection number:

MS 7993 et al

Creator:

Gillian Bouras

Extent:

2.17 metres and (11 boxes, 1 carton, 1 small box)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Gillian Bouras, National Library of Australia, [class number, box number and series and/or file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Permission required for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The collection contains a large amount of personal correspondence, which comprises letters written by Bouras to her family and the letters of family and friends to Bouras. Bouras' letters in particular provide an insight into the cultural adjustments required in settling into life in a traditional Greek village. There is also a small amount of business correspondence with publishers and her literary agent, Curtis Brown, concerning publication of her books and with the Council of Adult Education in Melbourne for which she has worked.

The remainder of the papers relate to Bouras' written works and include drafts, correspondence and reviews of her books, letters from readers, typescripts of published and unpublished stories and typescripts of papers she has presented at conferences. There is also a scrapbook containing letters, published short stories and articles for the period 1980-1988.

Biographical Note:

Gillian Bouras was born in Melbourne in 1945 and from 1967 to 1980 worked as a secondary school teacher of English. In 1980 Bouras went with her husband, George Bouras, and her children to live in Greece.

Bouras published her first book, A foreign wife, in 1986. It is an autobiographical account of her life as a foreign wife in Greece, coming to terms with Greek culture and society. She has continued to explore the theme of cultural identity in further publications, both autobiographical and fictional, since this date.

In addition to her published books, Bouras has contributed short stories and articles to newspapers and journals, presented papers at conferences and participated in literary events. In 1981 she completed her thesis on the life of her grandfather for a Master of Education entitled School teacher in Victoria: the biography of Arthur John Hicks. She has also worked with the Council of Adult Education (CAE) in Melbourne, preparing discussion notes for CAE book groups.

Bouras divides her time between London and Greece.

Collection Retrieval Advice:

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

Provenance:

The collection was purchased in instalments from Bouras in 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2001.

Arrangement:

The instalments of papers have been arranged into series by the Library.

Indexed terms

Names:

Gillian Bouras

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn649239).

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 Gillian Bouras, National Library of Australia, [class number, box number and series and/or file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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