Guide to the Papers of Arlene Chai
MS9677
National Library of Australia
| Date completed: | November 2002 |
| Last updated: |
Table of Contents
Collection Summary
Introduction
Scope and Content
Access
Copying and Publishing
Preferred Citation
Provenance
Chai's published works include:
Biographical Note
Series List and Descriptions
Series 1 Correspondence, 1993-2000
Series 2 The last time I saw my mother, 1993-1998
Series 3 Eating fire and drinking water, 1996-1997
Series 4 On the Goddess Rock, 1997
Series 5 Black hearts, 1999
Series 6 Short stories, 1995-1999
Series 7 Publicity material, 1995-2000
Container List
Collection Summary
| Creator: | |
| Title: | Papers of Arlene Chai |
| Date Range: | 1993-2000 |
| Collection Number: | MS9677 |
| Extent: | 84cm (6 boxes) |
| Repository: | National Library of Australia |
Introduction
Scope and Content
The collection comprises papers relating to Chai's career as an author. There are edited typescripts of her four novels, research notes, correspondence with publishers and editors and folders of publicity material. Correspondents include Bryce Courteney, Elaine Markson Literary Agency, Headline Book Publishing, John Marsden, Pan Macmillan, Random House, Simon and Schuster and Julia Stiles.
Provenance
The collection was acquired from Arlene Chai under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme in 2000.
Copying and Publishing
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissable 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Chai's published works include:
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Arlene Chai, National Library of Australia, MS9677, [series and/or folder number]'.
Biographical Note
Arlene Chai was born in 1955 in the Philippines, to Chinese parents. She was educated in Manila, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976. She began work as a copywriter for an advertising agency, eventually becoming a creative director at the Ted Bates agency in Manila. In 1982, Chai and her family migrated to Australia.
In 1985, Chai joined George Patterson Advertising in Sydney, where she remained for seven years. Encouraged to write by author and former work colleague Bryce Courteney, Chai published her first book in 1995. She now teaches English as a second language and writes in her free time.
Series List and Descriptions
Series 1 Correspondence, 1993-2000
The bulk of this series comprises business correspondence relating to the publication of Chai's books. There are letters of acceptance and rejection, details of advances, costs of production and responses from editors. Correspondents include representatives from Elaine Markson Literary Agency, Headline Book Publishing, Pan Macmillan, Random House and Simon and Schuster. There is one folder of personal correspondence, including letters from Bryce Courteney, John Marsden and Julia Stiles.
Series 2 The last time I saw my mother, 1993-1998
Chai's acclaimed first novel, The last time I saw my mother, drew on her mother's experiences in Manila during the Japanese occupation. It was published by Random House, Sydney in 1995 and has since been released in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Contained in this series are research notes, edited drafts and readers' letters relating to the novel.
Series 3 Eating fire and drinking water, 1996-1997
This series comprises papers relating to Chai's second novel, Eating fire and drinking water, which focuses on life in Manila under the Marcos regime. It was published in Australia by Random House, Sydney, in 1996 and in the United States by Ballantine, New York in 1998. There are research notes, an edited draft of the novel and readers' letters relating to the novel.
Series 4 On the Goddess Rock, 1997
Chai's novel, On the Goddess Rock, relates the story of a Chinese migrant from the Philippines who returns to the family's home in China. It was published by Random House, Sydney in 1998 and in 2001 was translated into German and publsihed by Ehrenwirth/Verlagsgruppe Lübbe. Contained in this series are working notes, editorial notes and an edited typescript relating to the novel.
Series 5 Black hearts, 1999
Chai's psychological thriller, Black hearts, was published by Random House, Sydney in 2000. This series comprises editorial notes, edited typescripts and computer disks relating to the novel.
Series 6 Short stories, 1995-1999
This series comprises typescripts of short stories by Chai and a publication containing one of her stories.
Series 7 Publicity material, 1995-2000
In this series are papers relating to Chai's career. There are two folders containing newspaper and magazine cuttings, publicity material for her books, publicity photographs and guides to literary events in which she was a participant. Chai also featured in Gateway to the games, a multicultural media kit produced for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Container List
| Box | Series | Folder/Piece |
| 1 | 1 | 1-7 |
| 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 2-7 |
| 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | 3 | 2-6 |
| 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 2-4 |
| 4 | 5 | 1-2 |
| 5 | 5 | 3-6 |
| 5 | 6 | 1-2 |
| 6 | 7 | 1-3 |