Patrick White a life and Patrick White letters: research: correspondence, 1985-98
- Component identifier:
- Series 13
- Content Summary:
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In early 1985 David Marr began to interview Patrick White with a view to writing a biography. In May 1986 White gave Marr authority to collect White's letters. Marr had a number of interviews with White over five years and in July 1990 he brought him the draft of the book. White pointed out several factual errors, but did not request any changes. He died two months later. Patrick White a life was published by Random House in 1991.
Marr decided to publish a selection from the huge number of letters of White that he had collected for the biography. This entailed complex negotiations with many of White's correspondents, some of whom threatened legal action if particular letters were published. Patrick White letters, reproducing about 600 letters written between 1918 and 1990, was published by Random House in 1994.
The series comprises around 4000 letters (the majority faxes) relating to Marr's research and writings on Patrick White. It extends from 1985 to 1998 and is arranged chronologically in 88 bundles. The letters and faxes, including copies of those written by Marr, document Marr's life over nine years, as he corresponded with friends and acquaintances of White and dealt with all the problems associated with writing the two books.
Some of the correspondents wrote dozens of letters and they are often very lengthy. The principal correspondents are Veronica Brady, Paul Brunton, Geoffrey Dutton, Ninette Dutton, Chuck Elliott (Random House), Andrew Fisher, Peggy Garland, Graham Greene (Jonathan Cape), Elizabeth Harrower, Graham James, Heather Johnson, Matthew Kelly (Random House), Alan Lawson, Richard de Mestre, Anthea Morton-Saner, Jean Scott Rogers, John Thompson and Gerard Windsor.
Other correspondents include Luciana Arrighi, Nancy Keesing, Thea Astley, Murray Bail, Thomas Keneally, Peter Beatson, Michael King, Ingmar Bjorksten, Jean Lambert, Barbara Blackman, Ray Bloomfield, Julie Lewis, Ron Blair, Sumner Locke-Elliott, Billy McCann, Liz McDonald (Lothian Books), Gordon Chater, Humphrey McQueen, Dymphna Clark, Alison Mansbridge, Liz Cowen, Harry Medlin, Peter Craven, Tim Curnow, Keith Michell, Lawrence Daws, Barbara Mobbs, Desmond Digby, David Moore, Rosemary Dobson, Edna O'Brien, Jurgen Oertel, Juliet O'Hea, Elizabeth Falkenberg, Tim Pearce, Nicholas Pearson (Jonathan Cape), Janet Frame, Nicholas Pounder, J.D. Pringle, Elise Goodman, Annie Proulx, Dorothy Green, Barrett Reid, Paul Reynolds, Kate Grenville, Elizabeth Riddell, Frances de Groen, John Gielgud, Peter Rose, Alice Hamalgyi, Peter Scriven, David Hare, Peter Sculthorpe, Max Harris, Clem Semmler, Jim Sharman, Shirley Hazzard, Gavin Souter, Jill Hellyer, James Stern, A.D. Hope, Randolph Stow, Hu Wenzhong, James Tacey, Barry Humphries, Kylie Tennant, Barry Jones, Tim Winton and Betty Withycombe.
- Immediate source of acquisition:
- The collection was purchased by the National Library from David Marr in 1999. Further papers were donated to the Library in November 1999 (Series 30, Item 11), November 2000 (Series 1, Files 4-10) and January 2001 (Series 27, Item 41).
- Names:
- Marr, David, Mr.
Contents
Access and use
- Parent Restrictions:
- Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn949627).
- Parent Terms of Access:
- 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.
- Location of this collection:
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Parkes PlaceCanberra ACT 2600, Australia
- Contact: