MS 9235
Papers of Elizabeth Riddell (1910 - 1998)
Scope and Content Note
- Papers
- 1982-90
- 14cm. (1 box)
- Available for Reference
The papers were donated in 1995, under the Taxation Incentives for the
Arts Scheme, to the National Library.
The collection includes drafts of poems and reviews by Riddell and
correspondence with Barrett Reid and Stephen Murray-Smith.
Riddell kept the papers in files and the arrangement has been preserved
by the Library.
Biographical Note
Poet, journalist and reviewer. Riddell was born in 1910 in Napier, New
Zealand. She came to Australia in 1925 to work for Erza Norton.
During the War Riddell worked as a War Correspondent in London for the
Daily Express and the Daily Mirror. She came back to
Sydney at the end of the War to work for the Daily Mirror and The
Australian.
Between 1948 and 1994 she published six books of poetry, including the
Selected poems (1972) and her works also appeared in journals
(including Overland and The Bulletin). She was won the
Grace Leven Prize (1971), the Christopher Brennan Award (1971), the NSW
Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry (1992), NSW Book of the year (1992) and
the Gold Medal of the Australian Literature Society (1993).
Riddell died in Sydney in 1998.
- Reference
- The Oxford companion to Australian Literature (pp.648).
- Elizabeth Riddell by James Hall, in The Australian,
7 July 1998 (p. 16).
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Folder |
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1-3 |
Drafts of poems by Riddell, including those published in Overland
and The Bulletin |
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4 |
Drafts of poem the First hearing and an article by
Riddell and poems by others (including A marriage by John
Tranter and Migrating and At country airfields
by Duncan Richardson). |
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5-6 |
Riddells miscellaneous drafts of reviews and cuttings,
including Some people in summer. |
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7 |
12 letters and eight cards, 1984-90, from Barrett Reid. Most were
written while Reid was the editor of Overland. The subjects
include personal news, Reids comments on Riddells writings
(eg. her poems Musk duck His life, November
and The poet and the wind processor and radio program),
Reids readings (eg. Illywacker), invitation for Riddell
to write reviews for Overland (eg. the Labour ward by
John Strauss, This goes with this by P. Goldsmith and Honey
by Kate Llewellyn) and news of the death and an account of the funeral
of Stephen Murray-Smith (Sept. 1988). |
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8 |
Cuttings and typescripts of articles and 18 poems by Barrett Reid,
including an obituary of John Reed and A landscape painter: the
Sidney Nolan Retrospective Exhibition and copies of Reids
correspondence with Max Harris. |
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9 |
Papers concerning Patrick White, including Riddells review of
Flaws in the glass, a manuscript poem by Patrick White
entitled Ryme dreamed after a talk with someone on recipes for
suicide, Australia Day 1981 and a photocopy of an article
entitled Guests of Patrick White by Brother G.C. Davy (in
Our studies, May 1964). |
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10 |
Letters of Stephen Murray-Smith (1982 and 1988) concerning The
dictionary of Australian quotations. |
Guide prepared July 1998
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