MS 8053
Papers of Robin Wallace-Crabbe (1938- )
- Papers
- 1947-96
- 2.64 m. (17 boxes)
- Box 1 available for reference; boxes 2-17 Restricted
until the author's death.
The papers were received in three instalments: October 1989, March 1992
and June 1996. The papers comprise letters, correspondence of Robin and
Virginia Wallace-Crabbe, drawings, photographs, sketchbooks,notes, drafts
and other papers relating to Robin Wallace-Crabbe's artistic and literary
career. The drafts include nine published novels and various unpublished
novels, articles, short stories and other writings. Also includes papers
of Kenneth Wallace-Crabbe relating to his experiences in Burma during
World War II and drawings by Wally Driscoll.
Robin Wallace-Crabbe is a painter, print maker and writer. He was born
in Melbourne in 1938 and studied art at the Melbourne Technical College.
His father was Kenneth Wallace-Crabbe, a Melbourne journalist, and his
brother is Chris Wallace-Crabbe, a poet and academic.
In his early working life, Wallace-Crabbe worked as an artist and art
teacher. He first exhibited in 1961 and has had over 30 solo and group
exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane. His
works are represented in many Australian galleries.
In 1978 Wallace-Crabbe published his novel Feral Palit followed
by Goanna (1982), his comic family history, Australia,
Australia (1989) and Dogs (1993). Under the pseudonym Robert
Wallace he has published his crime thrillers To catch a forger
(1988), An axe to grind (1989), Pay day (1989), Paint
out (1990), Flood rain (1991), Finger play (1991) and
Art rat (1993).
Robin Wallace-Crabbe has also worked as an art and literature reviewer
and as a cartoonist for the Canberra Times.
Series 1: Letters, 1978-92
Comprises mainly printouts of letters from his computer to his
publishing company, Gollancz, and his New York agent, Ben Camardi from
Harold Matson, as well as to friends and others.
Folder
1 Undated letters
2-5 Letters, 1978, 1987-1992
Series 2: Business correspondence, 1976-92
Contains correspondence relating to his artistic and literary career.
Major correspondents are staff members from Gollancz and Collins/Angus and
Robertson and his agents Harold Matson (NY) and Curtis Brown Australia.
Folder
1 Undated correspondence
2-8 Business correspondence, 1976-92
Series 3: General correspondence, 1977-92
Correspondence of Virginia and Robin Wallace-Crabbe. Correspondents
include Peter Corris, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Patrick White, Roger McDonald,
Rhyll McMaster, Geoffrey Dutton, Drusilla Modjeska, Kerry Walker, Marion
Halligan, David Malouf and Jack Hibberd.
Folder
1-2 Undated correspondence
3-9 Correspondence 1977-92
10 Patrick White correspondence, 1978-81
Series 4: Drafts of published novels, ca. 1978-91
4/1: Feral Palit, ca.1978-89
Folder
1 Book of handwritten drafts, ca. 1978
2 Printout copy (revised edition)
3-4 Corrected typescript (second edition)
Folio item Corrected photocopy of proofs
4/2: Goanna, ca. 1981-82
Folder
1-3 Corrected typescripts
4/3: To catch a forger (Essington 1), ca. 1988
Folder
1 Exercise books of handwritten drafts
2-4 Typescripts
4/4: An axe to grind (Essington 2), ca. 1989
Folder
1-2 Exercise books of handwritten drafts
3-8 Typescripts
4/5: Finger play (Essington 4), ca. 1989
Folder
1-6 Typescripts
4/6: Pay day, ca. 1989
Folder
1-3 Printouts
4/7: Australia, Australia, ca. 1989
Folder
1 Three exercise books of handwritten drafts
2-4 Typescripts
4/8: Paint out (Essington 3), 1988-ca. 1990
Folder
1-7 Printouts
4/9: Flood rain, ca. 1991
Folder
1-8 Corrected printouts
4/10: "Dogs", ca. 1991
Folder
1 Typescript annotated "first idea for 'Dogs' utterly
changed since"
2-3 Printout and handwritten editorial notes
4-10 Printouts, 1991
Series 5: Drafts of unpublished novels
5/1: "Tumbling pigeons"
Folder
1-5 Typescripts
5/2: "Wolf", ca. 1988
Folder
1 Two exercise books of handwritten drafts
2-4 typescripts
5/3: "Mediterranean sunset"
Folder
1-4 Printouts
5/4: "Essington 5", ca. 1989?
Folder
1-6 Printouts
Series 6: Papers relating to novels, ca. 1988-91
Folder
1 Edits and plot notes for Dogs, "Essington 5", Flood rain,
and other writings
2 Plot notes for an Essington Holt novel ("Essington 6"),
Flood rain, Pay day, and other writings
3 Plot notes and other papers mainly relating to Finger
play (Essington 4)
4 Plot notes and edits relating to Flood rain and other
writings
5 Papers relating to "Wolf"
6 Papers relating to Dogs
7 Editorial suggestions for To catch a forger, Finger play,
An axe to grind and other novels
8 Miscellaneous papers, 1988-91 re Wallace-Crabbe's novels
including invitation cards to book launches, Gollancz new
book sheets, dummy covers, reports to publishers on
novels, and transcripts from programs of Pulp!, 3RRR's
crime fiction show relating to Flood rain and Paint out
Series 7: Other writings, 1979-90
Folder
1-2 Drafts of radio play "Follow the particle vacuum
modulator", 1988
3 Drafts of short stories including "One man's meat", 1987,
"Bee sting", and "Lady day- for love cries"
4 Drafts of short stories "Futures in fuchsia", 1980, and
"Landshark", 1989, and a draft re David Campbell, 1979
5 Non-fiction writings including book reviews; drafts of a
piece on the film Ordinary people; an autobiographical
narrative; travel pieces; drafts of "A day's thoughts in
the life of an axolotl", 1990, for a gallery opening; and
a draft entitled "Patrick White and me", 1990 for Clayton
Joyce's book of tributes
6 Miscellaneous writings including a piece for a Gary Hart
exhibition, dialogue for the Canberra Dance Theatre 1991
performance and material for writers' courses
7 Four exercise books labelled "French journal"
8 Typescript and handwritten pieces on travel in Europe
Series 8: Tynte Gallery papers, 1983-87
Folder
1 Correspondence, catalogues, stock sheets, receipts,
biographical details of art career, records of sales and
other papers relating to Robin and Virginia
Wallace-Crabbe's exhibitions and general dealings with
the Tynte Gallery
Series 9: Personal papers, 1966-96
Folder
1 Art papers, 1984-91
2 Literary papers, 1982-90
3 Notebook
4 Poetry, short stories and other writings of Chris
Wallace-Crabbe, Rosemary Dobson and others
5 Papers relating to the purchase of his IBM computer, 1988
6 General papers, 1982-91
7 Cuttings file, 1968-88 containing articles by and on
Wallace-Crabbe collected by his mother-in-law
8 Cartoons by "Wal" for the Canberra Times and elsewhere,
ca. 1966
9 Personal letters and postcards, 1992-96
10 Sketchbooks - Paris, 1985
11-12 Photographs, including family (nd)
Folio
1 Sketchbook of drawings by Wallace-Crabbe
2 Original illustrations for Alister Kershaw's Village to village:
misadventures in France, Angus and Robertson, 1993
Series 10: Papers of Kenneth Wallace-Crabbe
Folder
1 Writings, maps, photos, painting, cuttings, notes re
experiences in Burma during World War II. Some of the
material is dated 1947.
2 "Burma: thousand mile retreat" by Kenneth Wallace-Crabbe
Folio item Drawings by Wally Driscoll for an unpublished book
"Search for nothing" by Kenneth Wallace-Crabbe
Box 1 is available for reference; boxes 2-16 are
Restricted
Box 1 Series 4/2 folders1-3
Series 4/7 folders 1-2
Series 7 folders 1,4
Box 2 Series 1 folders 1-5
Series 2 folders 1-3
Box 3 Series 2 folders 4-8
Series 3 folders 1-2
Box 4 Series 3 folders 3-10
Box 5 Series 4/1 folders1-4
Series 4/3 folders 1-4
Box 6 Series 4/4 folders 1-8
Box 7 Series 4/5 folders 1-6
Series 4/6 folders 1-2
Box 8 Series 4/6 folder 3
Series 4/7 folders 3-4
Series 4/8 folders 1-5
Box 9 Series 4/8 folders 6-7
Series 4/9 folders 1-6
Box 10 Series 4/9 folders 7-8
Series 4/10 folders1-6
Box 11 Series 4/10 folders 7-10
Series 5/1 folders 1-5
Box 12 Series 5/2 folders 1-4
Series 5/3 folders 1-4
Box 13 Series 5/4 folders 1-6
Box 14 Series 6 folders 1-8
Box 15 Series 7 folders 2-3, 5-8
Series 8 folder 1
Series 9 folder 1
Box 16 Series 9 folders 2-12
Box 17 Series 10 folders 1-2
Folio Series 9 folios 1-2
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