Correspondence, 1949-2000

Component identifier:

Series 1

Content Summary:

Over the course of his career Osmond developed a wide circle of correspondents, including academics, writers, intellectuals, diplomats and journalists from Australia and overseas. Many of his professional acquaintances became close contacts, and those writing from the United States, Micronesia and the Middle East reflect Osmond's time spent visiting or writing about these parts of the world. To his close friends he was a writer of long and lively letters, whilst some of the more detailed correspondence with his associates contains serious discussion of aspects of political or sociological theory. Another group of files contains some interesting letters which Osmond exchanged with members of the Eggleston family - such as Eggleston's son Egan, relative Pauline Falquier, and colleague Sir John Condliffe - in the course researching his theses and biography. Other files document Osmond's Fulbright award, occasional professional disagreements, and aspects of Osmond family history.

Amongst the prominent Australians represented in this series are Henry Mayer, W. Macmahon Ball, Humphrey McQueen, John Iremonger, Dennis Altman, Don Watson, Anne Summers, Robert Haupt, Sir Walter Crocker, Sir Keith Hancock and Manning Clark. Whilst all of the correspondence files retain the same internal composition given to them by Osmond, the individual files have been arranged chronologically into a single sequence by Library staff.

In addition to the letters filed here, further correspondence in the form of letters and facsimile messages can be found dispersed through other series in the collection, particularly Series 4-6 and 9-11 which relate to Osmond's university and journalistic activities.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The papers were bequeathed to the Library by Warren Osmond and transferred by his partner Juliet Richter in two instalments in December 2000 and August 2001, with the assistance of Cassandra Pybus.

Names:

Richter, Juliet, Ms

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