Guide to the Papers of Thomas Shapcott
MS 5577
National Library of Australia
| Date Completed: | November 1988 |
| Last updated: | November 2008 |
This finding aid was revised and published with the assistance of the Ray Mathew and Eva Kollsman Trust.
Table of Contents
Summary
Introduction
Scope and Content
Access
Preferred Citation
Provenance
Related Material
Separated Material
Access Terms
Biographical Note
Container List
Box List
Summary
| Creator: | Shapcott, Thomas W. (Thomas William), 1935- |
| Title: | Papers of Thomas Shapcott |
| Date range: | 1949-1997 |
| Reference number: | MS 5577 |
| Extent: | 1.05 metres (7 boxes) |
| Repository: | National Library of Australia Canberra |
Introduction
Scope and Content
The earlier papers are largely comprised of draft and typescript manuscripts of Time on Fire, A Taste of Salt Water, Shabbytown Calendar, Begin with Walking and many uncollected poems, together with correspondence with Charles Blackman and writers such as R.A. Simpson, Craig Powell, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Peter Skrzynecki, Douglas Stewart, James McAuley, Richard Tipping, John Tranter and Robert Adamson. Also included is a group of correspondence with Gwen Harwood and Rodney Hall, which incorporates drafts of the latter's The Law of Karma, Heaven in a Way and Romulus and Remus, a progression of poems. The 1998 addition relates principally to Shapcott's directorship of the National Book Council and includes correspondence and notes documenting his role in the Council's activities. Also represented is Shapcott's participation as a judge in many Australian poetry and literary competitions and delegate at overseas festivals, as well as a number of photographs of the poet and his family.
Provenance
The collection was received in five instalments in 1970, 1973 (two consignments), 1977 and 1998.
Related Material
Letters by Shapcott are also contained in a number of other literary collections held in the Manuscript Section. Recordings of a 1959 reading by the poet and an 1974 interview are held in the Oral History Collection at ORAL DeB 240 and ORAL DeB 754 respectively. Portrait photographs taken in 1983 and 1990 are housed in the Pictorial Collection.
Separated Material
In addition to items deposited in the National Library, other collections of Shapcott's papers are located in the Australian Special Research Collection of the Australian Defence Force Academy and the Fryer Library at the University of Queensland.
Access Terms
Personal Names
Blackman, Charles, 1928-; Simpson, R.A. (Ronald Albert), 1929-; Powell, Craig, 1940-; Wallace-Crabbe, Chris, 1934-; Skrzynecki, Peter, 1945-; Stewart, Douglas, 1913-1985; McAuley, James, 1917-1976; Tipping, Richard, 1949-; Tranter, John, 1943-; Adamson, Robert, 1943-; Harwood, Gwen, 1920-1995; Hall, Rodney, 1935-;
Corporate Names
National Book Council (Australia); National Word Festival;
Biographical Note
For much of his career a practising accountant and part-time writer, Tom Shapcott has published more than 36 titles including collections of poems, essays, short stories, novels and books for young readers. In 1992 he was appointed Executive Director of the National Book Council, a position which he held until 1997 when he accepted up the post of inaugural Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide.
| Date | Event |
| 1935 | Born Ipswich, Queensland, 21 March |
| 1940-1948 | Educated West Ipswich State School and Blair State School |
| 1949-1950 | Attended Ipswich Grammar School |
| 1951-1961 | Employee of H.S. Shapcott, Public Accountant |
| 1960 | Married Margaret Hodge |
| 1961 | Publication of Time on Fire for which he is awarded the Grace Leven Prize for Poetry |
| 1963-1968 | Part-time Bachelor of Arts degree student, University of Queensland |
| 1967 | A Taste of Salt Water, which was awarded the Sir Thomas White Memorial Prize and the Myer Charity Trust Award |
| 1972 | Begin with Walking |
| 1972-1978 | Sole practice, Shapcott & Shapcott, later specialising in taxation for writers, creative artists and academics |
| 1974-1976 | Deputy Chairman, Literature Board of the Australia Council |
| 1975 | Shabbytown Calendar |
| 1978-1983 | Receives the Canada-Australia Literary Award |
| 1978-1980 | Full-time writer, including Senior Writing Literature Board Fellowship |
| 1980 | Divorced Margaret Hodge |
| 1980-1983 | Treasurer, Australian Society of Authors |
| 1982 | Married Judith Rodriguez |
| 1983 | Travel in Europe and Canada on literary research |
| 1983-1990 | Director, Literature Board of the Australia Council and member of a number of its specialist committees |
| 1989 | Awarded Order of Australia, Honorary Doctor of Letters, Macquarie University, Golden Wreath of Struga International Poetry Festival, Yugoslavia |
| 1990-1992 | Full-time writer, Category A Literature Board Fellowship and Treasurer, Australian Society of Authors |
| 1991-1997 | Executive Director, National Book Council |
| 1992- | Director, Copyright Agency Ltd |
| 1995 | Received Christopher Brennan Award, Fellowship of Australian Writers |
| 1997- | Professor of Creative Writing, University of Adelaide |
Container List
Early consignments, 1970-1977
Folder 3-4 Correspondence with Charles Blackman, together with typescript interview and part of a manuscript on Charles Blackman 1966-1975
Addition, 10 July 1998
Folder 30 University of Sydney Theatre Workshop-Department of Indonesian and Malayan Studies production of 'Dhuang Hyang Kapulungan', 1981-1983
Folder 34 Manuscript article 'America and the poetry circuit', 1972; papers relating to compilation of proposed 'Of Poetry and Place' anthology for the National Library of Australia, c. 1990?
Folder 42 Papers relating to Rosemary Sorensen and controversy over October 1994 issue of the Australian Book Review
Folder 45 Notes and correspondence relating to booklet How to Host a Successful Author Tour, 1994-1995
Folder 49 Correspondence with Alison Crook, State Library of New South Wales, 1992-93; Asia-Pacific Library Conference, 1995
Box List
| Folder | Box |
| 1-6 | 1 |
| 7-16 | 2 |
| 17-27 | 3 |
| 28-32 | 4 |
| 33-40 | 5 |
| 41-48 | 6 |
| 49-56 | 7 |