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Series 19: Literary and other manuscripts, 1908-c. 1971

Comprises Items 1-550 and papers added to the collection in 2000.

This series consists of notebooks, notes, drafts, typescripts and printed poetry and prose of Kenneth Slessor. Poems represented in the series include 'The atlas', 'Five bells', 'The bushranger', 'Up in Mabel's room', 'Lesbia's daughter', 'Full orchestra', 'To the poetry of Hugh McCrae', 'Cannibal Street', 'Sleep', 'Sensuality', 'Out of time', and 'Last trams', as well as examples of very early poems by Slessor. There are typescript final drafts of Canberra and Australian profile, along with an early handwritten draft of the preface to Bread and wine.

Included in the series are typescripts of talks given at meetings of the English Association of Sydney (1931), the Australian Book Society (1946) and the English Teachers' Group at the University of Sydney (1950), and a lecture delivered at the University of New South Wales in 1965. In these talks and lectures Slessor discussed modern and Australian poetry and his own poem 'Five visions of Captain Cook'. Typescripts and notes for Slessor's radio broadcasts on poetry and Australian poets Douglas Stewart and Christopher Brennan date from 1947 to 1959. Many of the typed final drafts of articles by Slessor (1953-1969), mainly for Australia today and the Bulletin, deal with aspects of life in Sydney. Copies of the corresponding published articles are included with some of the typescripts.

 

Folder 1 Notebook containing notes and drafts of poems, including 'Five bells', c. 1930s
Comprises Items 1-20. Includes a letter dated 1966.
Folder 2 Notebook containing final drafts of early poems, c. 1908-1919
Comprises Items 21-30.
Folder 3 Poems, prose and play by Slessor, largely juvenilia, c. 1915
Comprises Items 31-32g.
Folder 4 Diary containing draft poems and a typescript review, c. 1929
Comprises Items 33-45.
Folder 5 Notebook containing draft poems, including 'Five bells', c. 1937
Comprises Items 46-58.
Folder 6 Draft poems, 1912-1970
Comprises Items 59-120.
Folder 7 Typescript prose items, c. 1960-1966
Comprises Items 121-151.
Folder 8 Typescript articles, 1931-1965
Comprises Items 152-259.
Folder 9 Typescript articles and a publication containing an article by Slessor, 1960-1963
Comprises Items 260-357.
Folder 10 Typescript articles, 1964-1971
Comprises Items 358-467.
Folder 11 Draft articles and play
Comprises Items 468-550.
Folder 12 Notebook and notes containing draft poems, c. 1938-1951
Added to the collection 24 January 2000.
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