Guide to the Papers of Robert Gray
MS Acc05.020; MS Acc11.066; MS Acc17.076.MS Acc23.090
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Created: January 2024
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Gray, Robert (1945-)
- Title
- Papers of Robert Gray
- Date Range
- 1886, 1975- 2017
- Collection Number
- MS Acc05.020; MS Acc11.066; MS Acc17.076.MS Acc23.090
- Extent
- 2.1 metres (14 ms boxes)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Special Collections (Manuscripts)
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The original consignment MS Acc05.020 comprises drafts of the poems for Robert Gray's book Afterimages and drafts of other poems as well. There are proofs for Grass script: selected earlier poems, published in the United Kingdom in 2001, that show many re-workings not incorporated into any edition in Australia. Also, proofs for Afterimages and revised proofs for some reviews Gray wrote for The Australian. The collection also includes correspondence, ca. 1999-2004.
MS Acc11.066 comprises Gray's writing processes and his interactions with other Australian and international poets and painters. The papers include correspondence, a notebook, manuscripts and multiple annotated typescripts for several of Gray's works. The works are: The land I came through last; Afterimages; Nameless earth; and a volume of his collected poems. Correspondents include Christopher Koch, Peter Goldsworthy, Kevin Hart, Les Murray, Dennis O'Driscoll and Jan Zwicky. In addition, there is a letter from Patrick White, in which White names Gray, along with Bruce Beaver, as one of the two best poets in Australia.
MS Acc17.076 comprises Correspondence, in large part with other writers. Drafts of Gray's poems, many for Cumulus; Collected Poems, works in progress since Cumulus; Collected Poems some published in magazines, drafts of earlier now abandoned poems.
MS Acc23.090 comprises of 10 creative journals containing quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational, cuttings of publications, lists of words to use in his work, fragments, musings and vignettes. It also includes correspondence with Australian poet Kevin Hart, Australian artist Ted Hillyer, condolence letter on the death of John Olsen, fan mail, notes on poems in NSW school curriculum and draft poems.
Conditions Governing Access
Access conditions may apply to this collection, please refer to the collection's catalogue record for further information (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3547153).
Conditions Governing Use
Conditions for copying and publishing of this collection may apply, please refer to the collection's catalogue record for further information (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3547153).
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Robert Gray, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file/item number(s)]'.
Finding Aid Source(s)
Please note: This finding aid contains descriptive information provided by donors, researchers and/or volunteers.
Collection Retrieval Advice
Please note: each class in this collection has a separate box number sequence (i.e. there are multiple Box 1's). Please cite the relevant Class number as well as the Box number when requesting retrieval of material from the collection.
Biographical / Historical
Poet and writer. Robert William Geoffrey Gray was born in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, in 1945. Gray worked as a journalist and bookseller and reviewed poetry for the Sydney morning herald. As a poet, Gray has published several collections including Creekwater journal (1974), Grass script (1979), The skylight (1984), New selected poems (1998), Grass script: selected earlier poems (2001), Afterimages (2002), Nameless Earth (2006), Cumulus: Collected Poems (2012), Coast Road: Selected Poems (2014) and Rain Towards Morning: Selected Poems and Drawings (2022). He has also edited volumes of selected poetry, including Sydney's poems: a selection on the occasion of the city's one hundred and fiftieth anniversary 1842-1992, with Vivian Smith (1992) and Australian Poetry Since 1788, with Geoffrey Lehmann (2011).Gray is the recipient of numerous awards. These include the Grace Leven Prize for Poetry in 1986 jointly for Selected poems 1963-1983, the Patrick White Award in 1990, the C.J. Dennis Prize for Poetry in 2002 for Afterimages, the Australia Council Writers' Emeritus in 2011 and The Philip Hodgins Memorial Prize in 2012.In 2008, Gray published a prose memoir of his father titled, The land I came through last, that won the Waverley Award for Literature, 2009.
Item Descriptions
Class MS Acc05.020. Original Consignment, 1999-2004
Drafts of the poems for Robert Gray's book Afterimages and drafts of other poems as well. There are proofs for Grass script: selected earlier poems, published in the United Kingdom in 2001, that show many re-workings not incorporated into any edition in Australia. Also, proofs for Afterimages and revised proofs for some reviews Gray wrote for The Australian. The collection also includes correspondence, ca. 1999-2004.
Comprises 2 boxes.
Class MS Acc 17.076. Consignment received November 2017, 2011 - 2017
0.45 metres,The MS Acc17.076 instalment comprises of correspondence with Helen Garner, Kevin Hart and others, together with drafts of Robert Gray's poems.
Series 1. Poetry, 2012 - 2017
Cumulus list of contents, revisions to poems included in Cumulus; Collected Poems (2012), work sheets for earlier poems that were abandoned, works in progress since 'Cumulus' - these poems had only been published in magazines and newspapers, mostly in the UK by 2017. Cumulus; Collected Poems was been heavily revised and this working is included in this material. The newer poems include; The Weird Sisters (The Dark Sisters), Postcard, Earthly Music (Impromptus), Returning, The Motorcyclist (The Minotaur), Byron Bay: Winter, The Sea Wall,A Country Churchyard, On the Shore, The panther (Rilke),Autumn Day (Rilke), Beach Suburb, Intensity, Minima II, and The Latter Days, Afterimages, Intensity, Lineations, Certain Things, Bright Day, The Visit, Pumpkins, Telling the Beads, The Pen, Experience of Poetry, Summer's Lease, Thomas Hardy, The Circus, The Sea Shell, Nameless Earth, Classifying the Animals, Home Run, In the Bus, Scotland Visitation.
The Darkness in the Earth, 2012 - 2016 (File 2) - Box 1 (MS Acc17.076)
Multiple copies of poem with edits.
The Latter Days, 2012 - 2016 (File 4) - Box 1 (MS Acc17.076)
Multiple copies of poem with edits, copies of published poem in the Australian review February 20-21 2016.
Partial proofs, 2012 - 2016 (File 5) - Box 1 (MS Acc17.076)
Includes partial printouts of Daylight Saving: a Selection of Poems (2013) and Contemporary Australian Poetry (2016).
Various Poems - Including additions to Cumulus, 2012 - 2017 (File 6) - Box 1 (MS Acc17.076)
Poems include; Inscription, The Sea-Wall, Travelling, The panther (Rilke), Byron Bay: Winter, The Motorcyclist (The Minotaur), On the Shore, Configuration, Greyhounds, To John Olsen, Virgil denied, Earthly Music II (Impromptus), After Edward Hopper, Postcard, A Country Churchyard, The Latter Days, Coast Road.
Cumulus; Collected Poems Manuscript, 2012 (File 7) - Box 2 (MS Acc17.076)
Manuscript in book sections and list of contents.
Cumulus; Collected Poems - Partial manuscript, 2012 (File 8) - Box 2 (MS Acc17.076)
Some sections of manuscript, Certain Things, Lineations, Afterimages. Introduction and handwritten notes.
Various Poems, n.d. (File 10) - Box 2 (MS Acc17.076)
Includes poems from Cumulus; Collected Poems, edited and annotated. Deux Ex Machina (The Motorcyclist), Minima, The panther, Autumn Day, Byron Bay: Winter, Earthly Music II (Impromptus), The Weird Sisters, Travelling, Postcard, The Sea-Wall, A Beach Suburb, On the Shore, A Country Churchyard, The Latter Days, The Minotaur, Intensity, Earthly Music, Days of '71, In the Mallee, The Sideboard, Thomas Hardy, and Wintry Twilight, Bellingen.
Various Poems, n.d. (File 11) - Box 2 (MS Acc17.076)
Includes Cumulus; Collected Poems - Partial proof with corrections and annotations. Poems include The Dusk, Memories of the Coast, Within the Travellers Eye, The Circus, ' A Poem of not more than Forty Lines on the Subject of Nature, Sketch of the Harbour, A Sea-Shell, Travels En Famille, Joan Eardley in Catterline, Classifying the Animals, Wing-Beat, Flying Foxes, Under the Summer Leaves, Looking after a Friends House, Very Early, In the Bus, The Sideboard, Scotland Visitation, Brushtail Possum, Valedictory, Days of '71, Impromptus, Journey, the North Coast, A Farmwoman Speaks, During the Bombing, 1967, Illusions, Home Run, Tableau, The Hospital, In the Bus, The Canoe, On Contradictions, Emptying the Desk, Among the Mountains of Guang-Xi Province in Southern China, The Drift of Things, A Farewell to Arms, On a Forestry Trail, Minima, Shack and Pine Tree, Ekphrasis 'Manhunt Near my Home' by Irvine Homer, Apothegms, The Life of a Chinese Poet, Intensity, The South Coast, While Looking for a House, Landscape, After Heraclitus.
Various Poems, n.d. (File 12) - Box 3 (MS Acc17.076)
List of contents for Creekwater Journal (1970, 1973)
Cumulus; Collected Poems introduction, multiple copies with edits.
'Queries for Robert to Resolve'
'My Experience of Poetry.'
Poems include; It was my Sixtieth Year..., The Shark, A Farm Woman Speaks, Journey, the North Coast, A Bowl of Pears, On Climbing the Stone Gate Peak, Within the Travellers Eye, The Drift of Things, Back There, , On Climbing the Stone Gate Peak (a Poet of the Late T'ang),A Sight of Proteus,'In the Early Hours...',Memories of the Coast,Sapentia Lachrimarum,Tableau, Gardenias, A Country Churchyard, Summer, Summer..., Impromptus, (Traditional), Nativity, 'The Single Principle of Forms', Under the Summer Leaves, Home Run, Flying Foxes, A Farewell to Arms, The Sea Wall, Old House, Summer's Lease, Morning, The Single Principle of Forms, Going Back on a Hot Night, Before Dawn, Aubade, The Sideboard, Wintry Twilight, Bellingen, Shack and Pine Tree, At the Cove, Minima, Inscription, Pen, Landscape, Greyhounds, Configuration, Old House.Series 2. Correspondence, 2011 - 2017
Mostly emails, reference for Petra White, charcoal drawing, mock up book cover, book review, postcards, A note on Robert Gray by Paul Kane.
Correspondents include Paul Kane, Bret Walker, Susan Stewart, Marcia Russell, Stephanie Guest, Ted Genoways, Michael Hulse, Kevin Hart, Petra White, John Carrick, Sophie Gaur, Jacinta Le Plastrier, Dennis O'Driscoll, Stephen Edgar, Peter Robb, Stephen McInerney, Jeffrey Wainwright, Kristin Headlam, Jakob Ziguras, Ross Macleay, Michael Schmidt, Mary Jo Salter, Jakob Mattner, Michael Duffy, Margaret Connolly, Sian Scott-Clash, Louise Adler, Helen Tookey, Jordie Albiston, Beverley Sherry, Simon West, Susan Wyndham, Tim Curry, Geoffrey Lehmann, Jaya Savige, Lisa Gorton, Hamish Ironside, Dennis Haskell, Dh Matreyabandhu, Ted Hillyer, John Tranter, Chris Wallace-Crabbe.
Correspondence, 2011 - 2017 (File 13) - Box 3 (MS Acc17.076)
Correspondents include; Ted Hillyer, Michael Hulse, Stephen McInerney, Petra White, Marcia Russell, Stephanie Guest, Ted Genoways, Kevin Hart, Sophie Gaur, Jacinta Le Plastrier, Dennis O'Driscoll, Paul Kane, Peter Robb, Stephen Edgar, Jeffrey Wainwright, Dennis Haskell, Kristin Headlam, Helen Tookey, Jakob Ziguras, Ross Macleay, Michael Schmidt, Mary Jo Salter, Stephanie Guest, Jaya Savige,
Corrections for Cumulus; Collected Poems from John Carrick, John Leonard Press
Charcoal drawing.
A note on Robert Gray by Paul Kane.
Correspondence, 2011 - 2017 (File 14) - Box 3 (MS Acc17.076)
Correspondents include; Kevin Hart, Geoffrey Lehmann, Jeffrey Wainwright, Michael Hulse, Jaya Savige, Michael Duffy, Jacinta Le Plastrier, Jakob Ziguras, Margaret Connolly, Mary Jo Salter, Chris Felk, Louise Adler, Sian Scott-Clash, Jordie Albiston, Sophie Gaur, Jacinta Le Plastrier, Beverley Sherry, Simon West, Susan Wyndham, Tim Curry, Stephen McInerney, Dh Matreyabandhu, John Carrick, Lisa Gorton, Hamish Ironside, Luke Fischer, Stephen Romei, John Carrick, Paul Kane, Petra White.
Class MS Acc23.090. Consignment received 2023, 1975-2000's
0.30 metres,The MS Acc23.090 instalment comprises of 10 creative journals containing quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational, cuttings of publications, lists of words to use in his work, fragments, musings and vignettes. It also includes correspondence with Australian poet Kevin Hart, Australian artist Ted Hillyer, condolence letter on the death of John Olsen, fan mail, notes on poems in NSW school curriculum and draft poems.
Correspondence, n.d. (File 1) - Box 1 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes letters, cards, postcards and two colour photographs.
Correspondence and notes, 2000s (File 2) - Box 1 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes miscellaneous correspondence, handwritten notes, poems including "Dharma Vehicle", "Impromptus" and notes by Robert Gray on his HSC poems.
Poems - Prose, n.d. (File 3) - Box 1 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and prose such as "On the Painter Giorgio Morandi", "The Latter Days", "Byron Bay: Winter", "The Panther" and one black and white photograph of Robert Gray. Includes drafts of poems and prose with annotations.
Correspondence - Notes - Articles, 2000s (File 4) - Box 1 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes correspondence and handwritten notes and chapter and article extracts on Australian poetry.
Notes - Poems - Articles, n.d. (File 5) - Box 1 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes article on "Christianity and Positivism", poems and prose such as "House by the Shore", "The Visit", "Shack and Pine Tree", "Impromptus", "Giorgio Morandi", "Dharma Vehicle" and others. Includes drafts of poems and prose with annotations.
Poems - Prose, 2000s (File 6) - Box 1 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and prose such as "The Latter Days", "Byron Bay: Winter", "Shack and Pine Tree", "The Visit" and others. Also includes notes and remarks by Robert Gray on his poems for the HSC.
Notes, n.d. (File 7) - Box 1 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes notes by Robert Gray on his poetry and poetry in general.
Journal, September 1975 (Item 9) - Box 2 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and notes on poems. Also includes quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational, cuttings of publications, lists of words to use in his work, fragments, musings and vignettes.
Collins Notebook, 10 June 1986 (Item 10) - Box 2 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and notes on poems. Also includes quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational, cuttings of publications, lists of words to use in his work, fragments, musings and vignettes.
Creative journal, 28 May 2002 (Item 11) - Box 2 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and notes on poems. Also includes quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational and lists of words to use in his work.
Creative journal, 26 June 1983 (Item 12) - Box 2 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and notes on poems. Also includes quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational and lists of words to use in his work.
Atoma notebook, 16 November 1997 (Item 13) - Box 2 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and notes on poems. Also includes quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational and lists of words to use in his work.
Creative journal, 20 January 1999 (Item 14) - Box 2 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and notes on poems. Also includes quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational and lists of words to use in his work.
Creative journal, n.d. (Item 15) - Box 2 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and notes on poems. Also includes quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational and lists of words to use in his work.
Creative journal, 25 April 1985 (Item 16) - Box 2 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and notes on poems. Also includes quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational and lists of words to use in his work.
Creative journal, n.d. (Item 17) - Box 2 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and notes on poems. Also includes quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational and lists of words to use in his work.
Creative journal, February 1978 (Item 18) - Box 2 (MS Acc23.090)
Includes poems and notes on poems. Also includes quotes from poetry and philosophy, lists of poems and philosophers that Robert found inspirational, cuttings of publications, lists of words to use in his work, fragments, musings and vignettes.
Class. Consignment received 19 May 2011, 1886, 1985-2011
1.35 metres,Papers reflecting Gray's writing processes and his interactions with other Australian and international poets and painters. The papers include correspondence, a notebook, manuscripts and multiple annotated typescripts for several of Gray's works. The works are: The land I came through last; Afterimages; Nameless earth; and a volume of his collected poems 'Cumulus' (published in 2011). Correspondents include Christopher Koch, Peter Goldsworthy, Kevin Hart, Les Murray, Dennis O'Driscoll and Jan Zwicky. In addition, there is a letter from Patrick White, in which White names Robert Gray, along with Bruce Beaver, as one of the two best poets in Australia.
Series 1. The Land I Came Through Last, 1886 - 2011
Robert Gray's memoir, published as The Land I Came Through Last by Giramondo 2008. The memoir underwent seven rewrites and multiple title changes, draft titles included 'The Waters Under the Earth', 'A Light in the Porch', and 'Life with the Sergeant-Major'. The book won the CAL (Copyright Agency Ltd)/Waverley Library Award and earned Gray a Doctor of Creative Arts degree from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
The Land I Came Through Last - Memoir by Robert Gray, 2008 (Item 1) - Box 1 (MS Acc11.066)
Published copy of Robert Gray's Memoir.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, c. 2006 (File 2) - Box 1 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir. Typed and handwritten, annotated.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript with editing notes, 2006 (File 3) - Box 1 (MS Acc11.066)
Includes cover letter to Robert Gray from Chris regarding his edits on Gray's manuscript. Letter dated 5 April 2006.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, c. 2006 (File 4) - Box 1 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript material of Gray's memoir. Typed and handwritten, annotated.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, c. 2006 (File 5) - Box 1 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Working title of 'The Waters Under the Earth'.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, c. 2006 (File 6) - Box 1 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscripts of Robert Gray's memoir. Typed and handwritten, annotated. Drafts with working titles of 'The Waters Under the Earth', and 'Life with the Sergeant-Major'
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, c. 2006 (File 7) - Box 2 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Working title of 'Life with the Sergeant-Major'.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, c. 2006 (File 8) - Box 2 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, c. 2006 (File 9) - Box 2 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, c. 2006 (File 10) - Box 2 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, handwritten and annotated.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, n.d. (File 11) - Box 2 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, handwritten and annotated.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, n.d. (File 12a) - Box 2 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Working title of 'The Waters Under the Earth'.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript, n.d. (File 12b) - Box 3 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Working title of 'The Waters Under the Earth'.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript and research material, 1886-c 2007 (File 13) - Box 3 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, handwritten and annotated. Family history research material including birth, death and marriage certificates.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript and research material, n.d. (File 14) - Box 3 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapters 6-13.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript and research material, n.d. (File 15) - Box 3 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapters 4, 10, 14.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript and research material, n.d. (File 16) - Box 3 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapters 2, 4, 'Christianity'.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 17) - Box 3 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapters 15, 3 copies.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 18) - Box 3 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapters 5, 2 copies.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 19) - Box 4 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapters 7, 2 copies; pages from indeterminate chapter.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 20) - Box 4 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapters 6-7, 9
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 21) - Box 4 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapters 1-5.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 22) - Box 4 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapters 1-2.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 23) - Box 4 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapters 6, 18. assorted single pages.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 24) - Box 4 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapter 16/18.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 25) - Box 4 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed and annotated. Chapter 18.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 26) - Box 4 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed. Chapters 7-13.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 27) - Box 4 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed. Chapters 14, 15, 18, 19, 20.
The Land I Came Through Last - Draft manuscript chapters, n.d. (File 28) - Box 5 (MS Acc11.066)
Draft manuscript of Robert Gray's memoir, typed. Chapters 1, 2, 3 (partial), 6 (partial), 17-20. With tracked changes.
The Land I Came Through Last - Thesis submission and letters of recommendation for Emeritus Award, 2008 -2011 (File 29) - Box 5 (MS Acc11.066)
Thesis examination report, Gray's memoir The Land I Came Through Last was submitted for a Doctorate of Creative Arts at the University of Warwick.
Correspondence and letters of recommendation for an Emeritus Award from the Australia Council from; Helen Garner [Australian writer], Dennis O'Driscoll [Irish poet], Kevin Hart [American poet and academic], Paul Kane [American academic], and Peter Goldsworthy [Australian writer].
Series 2. Poetry and other writing, 1990 - 2011
Manuscripts and typescripts of Gray's poems with annotations and revisions. This material was being prepared for Gray's poetry books and includes poems featured in Afterimages, Cumulus: Collected Poems, Nameless Earth, New and Selected poems, and Grasschrift ( a Dutch/English collection of Robert Gray's poems).
Includes notebooks, loose notes, ephemera - magazines and newspaper clippings, interview transcript, papers relating to Australian novelist and playwright Patrick White.
Afterimages - Manuscript, n.d (File 30) - Box 5 (MS Acc11.066)
Typed and annotated manuscript of Afterimages, a book of Gray's poetry published in 2002 by Duffy and Snellgrove.
Afterimages - Manuscript, n.d (File 31) - Box 5 (MS Acc11.066)
Typed, handwritten and annotated manuscript of Afterimages, a book of Gray's poetry published in 2002 by Duffy and Snellgrove.
Afterimages and Creekwater Journal - Manuscripts, n.d (File 32) - Box 5 (MS Acc11.066)
Typed and annotated manuscripts of Afterimages and Creekwater Journal, a book of Gray's poetry published in 1973 by University of Queensland Press.
Cumulus: Collected Poems - Manuscripts, n.d (File 33) - Box 5 (MS Acc11.066)
Typed and annotated manuscripts of various poems for Gray's poetry book Cumulus: Collected Poems published 2012 by the John Leonard Press.
Cumulus: Collected Poems - Manuscripts, n.d (File 34) - Box 5 (MS Acc11.066)
Typed and annotated manuscripts of various poems for Gray's poetry book Cumulus: Collected Poems published 2012 by the John Leonard Press.
Cumulus: Collected Poems - Manuscripts, n.d (File 35) - Box 6 (MS Acc11.066)
Typed and annotated manuscripts of various poems for Gray's poetry book Cumulus: Collected Poems published 2012 by the John Leonard Press.
Cumulus: Collected Poems - Manuscripts, n.d (File 36) - Box 6 (MS Acc11.066)
Typed and annotated manuscripts of various poems for Gray's poetry book Cumulus: Collected Poems published 2012 by the John Leonard Press.
Cumulus: Collected Poems - Manuscripts, n.d (File 37) - Box 6 (MS Acc11.066)
Typed and annotated manuscripts of various poems for Gray's poetry book Cumulus: Collected Poems published 2012 by the John Leonard Press. Includes handwritten notes about poem order and other musings.
Australian Poetry since 1788 - Page proofs, c.2010-2011 (File 38) - Box 6 (MS Acc11.066)
Typed partial typescripts with annotations. Includes the section of the book with Robert Gray's poems, the introduction, editor bio and acknowledgements. Two copies. Australian Poetry since 1788 was edited by Geoffrey Lehmann and Robert Gray and published in 2011 by UNSW Press.
Nameless Earth - Manuscript, c. 2005 (File 39) - Box 6 (MS Acc11.066)
Annotated typescript of Nameless Earth with cover letter to his editor Judith [Wilson?] at Carcanet Press, states this is the third and definitive version. The book was published in 2006.
Nameless Earth - Proof, 30 June 2006 (File 42) - Box 7 (MS Acc11.066)
Includes letter from Judith Willson at Carcanet writing about enclosed proofs of book Nameless Earth.
Patrick White - Related papers, 1991 - 1997 (File 43) - Box 7 (MS Acc11.066)
Review by Robert Gray of Patrick White; A Life by David Marr. Typed and annotated with handwritten notes. This was published as Pictures from an Exhibition: the Irritability and Generosity of Patrick White in The Times Literary Supplement, 9 August 1991.
Article Patrick White: Painter Manqué by Helen Hewitt published in Voices Winter 1997.
Patrick White was an Australian Novelist and Playwright.
Notes and drafts - Various, n.d. (File 44) - Box 7 (MS Acc11.066)
Typed and handwritten notes and drafts, annotated. Loose papers and notepads.
Papers - Various, c. 1990-1993 (File 45) - Box 7 (MS Acc11.066)
Copy of Handwritten transcript of Interview with Robert Gray, July 1992. Review [?] 'Pearls before Connoisseurs: Paspaley as wine-makers'. Collected print media; The Australian Magazine - September 18-19 1993; pages from The New Yorker Arts section October 12 1992; Coffs Harbour Newsletter c 1990; 2 religious pamphlets.
Notebook, c. 1994-1995 (File 46) - Box 7 (MS Acc11.066)
Hardcover notebook with handwritten notes inside. Also contains newspaper clippings inside back cover, mostly from 1994-1995 regarding the Australia Council and Les Murray.
Grasschrift - page proofs, 20 May 2005 (File 47) - Box 7 (MS Acc11.066)
Dutch/English collection of Robert Gray's poems translated by Maarten Elzinga, published by Wagner & Van Santen 2005. Page proofs with annotations.
Poems sent to Ted, 15 May 1994 (File 48) - Box 7 (MS Acc11.066)
Various poems with cover letter addressed to Ted [Hillyer?] asking for his opinion on the included poems. Typed.
Poems - Various, n.d. (File 49) - Box 7 (MS Acc11.066)
Poems for Nameless Earth with additional material published in Cumulus and New and Selected poems. Annotated typescripts of poems, handwritten notes and poems
Poems - Various, n.d. (File 50) - Box 8 (MS Acc11.066)
Poems for Nameless Earth with additional material published in Cumulus and New and Selected poems. Annotated typescripts of poems, handwritten notes and poems. Includes the Panther by Rilke translated by Robert Gray.
Poems - Various, n.d. (File 51) - Box 8 (MS Acc11.066)
Poems for Nameless Earth with additional material published in Cumulus and New and Selected poems. Annotated typescripts of poems, handwritten notes and poems
Series 3. Correspondence, 1985 - 2010
Correspondence between Robert Gray and his personal and professional contacts, many of whom are other writers and creatives. Discussions of Gray's work, life and professional updates from correspondents.
Correspondence - Emails and letters, 2009 - 2011 (File 54) - Box 9 (MS Acc11.066)
Topics include life and creative work updates from friends, discussions of Robert Gray's poetry including translation to German, Gray's memoir The Land I Came Through Last, an anthology that included Gray's poetry, and his dissertation.
Correspondents include; Jeffrey Wainwright [British poet and academic], Joachim Sartorius [German poet, head of the Berlin Literature Festival], Barry Hill [Australian poet and prose writer], Dennis O'Driscoll [Irish poet], Ted Hillyer [Australian painter], Rosamund Bartlett [translator and biographer of Chekhov, Tolstoy and other Russians], Heather Cam [Canadian/Australian writer], Hilary Armstrong, Jennifer Compton [New Zealand poet and essayist], Stephen Edgar [Australian poet and editor], Petra White [Australian poet], Ivor Indyk [Australian academic and editor], Susan Wyndham [then arts editor of the Sydney Morning Herald], Phillipa McGuinness [Australian writer and publisher], Geoffrey Lehmann [Australian poet], John Foulcher [Australian poet and teacher], Martin Harrison [Australian poet and academic], Anne Ferguson [Australian sculptor], Kevin Hart [American poet and academic], and Robert Bolton [then arts editor of the Financial Review].
Correspondence - Emails and letters, 2006 - 2011 (File 55) - Box 9 (MS Acc11.066)
Topics include life and creative work updates from friends, Gray's poetry including their translation to Italian, drawings for his book of collected poems with Dutch translations Grasschrift with Dutch publisher Meulenhoff, and the poetry of correspondents and others.
Correspondents include; Dennis O'Driscoll [Irish poet], Gayle E. Montime, Alex Selenitsch [Australian poet and architect], Hamish Ironside [British poet], Christine Godden [Australian photographer], Miriam Cosic [Australian Journalist, writer and former literary editor of the Australian], Kevin Hart [American poet and academic], John Hawke [Australian poet, writer and academic], Jo [knight?], Maria Cristina Biggio [Italian translator], Ivor Indyk [Australian academic and editor], Michael Hulse [British poet, translator and critic], Craig Sherborne [Australian poet], Ted Hillyer [Australian painter], Ms Verweij at Meulenhoff [Dutch publisher], John Olson [Australian artist], Stuart Cooke [Australian poet, translator and academic], Stephen Edgar [Australian poet and editor]
Travel itinerary, John Leonard article by Robert Gray, and an essay by Robert Gray about Christine Godden's photography exhibition "light touch" in 2009.
Correspondence - Postcards and greeting cards, 2001 - 2010 (File 56) - Box 9 (MS Acc11.066)
Personal correspondence. Correspondents include; Jan Zwicky [Canadian Poet], Harry Cummins [British poet], Lois Downing [Gray's sister], Ted Hillyer [Australian painter], Michael Hulse [British poet and translator] and wife Katherin Hulse, Joachim Sartorius [German poet, head of the Berlin Literature Festival], John Mateer [Australian poet], Dennis O'Driscoll [Irish poet], Cynthia Jeffreys [painter], Harry [?], Jill S, Hamish Ironside [British poet], Alan Pert [Australian architect and academic], Les Murray [Australian poet], Stephen [?], Chris [Christopher Koch?].
Correspondence - Emails and letters, 1985-2009 (bulk 2003-2009) (File 57) - Box 9 (MS Acc11.066)
Topics include; life and creative work updates from friends, Gray's poetry and memoir, the poetry of correspondents and others, a potential Japanese translation of Gray's poetry, and his appointment as visiting scholar at Meiji University in Tokyo.
Correspondents include; Anna Funder [Australian author], Geoff Page [Australian poet], Deb Wilkinson [Australian writer and policy researcher], Hamish Ironside [British poet], Michael Hulse [British poet and translator] and wife Katherin Hulse, Ted Hillyer [Australian painter], Dennis Haskell [Australian poet], Kevin Hart [American poet and academic], [Nonie?] Sharp, Judy King, Mike and Rusty, Hermione Stewart, Michael Schmidt [British poet and founder of Carcanet Press Ltd], Shigeo Kitagawa [Seigo University], Dr Shinichi Yamamoto [Meiji University].
Correspondence - Emails and letters, 2001 - 2007 (File 58) - Box 9 (MS Acc11.066)
Topics include; life and creative work updates from friends, Gray's residency at the B.R. Whiting Library in Rome, the poetry of correspondents and others, Robert Gray and Richard Dove's translation work of Joachim Sartorius' poetry, itinerary for Li River trip [China], partial essay on Shakespeare's sonnets.
Correspondents include; Lars Ahlström [Swedish writer and translator], Richard Dove [British translator, of German], Ted Hillyer [Australian painter], Maartan Elzinger [Dutch translator], Joachim Sartorius [German poet, head of the Berlin Literature Festival], Leon Cantrell [Australian academic], The Australia Council, Lois Downing [Gray's sister], Martin Harrison [Australian poet and academic], Stuart Cooke [Australian poet and academic], Michael Heald [broadcaster and poet], Dennis O'Driscoll [Irish poet], Michael Schmidt [British poet and founder of Carcanet Press Ltd]