Guide to the Papers of Alan Marshall
MS 2741, MS Acc22.160
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Alan Marshall
- Title
- Papers of Alan Marshall
- Date Range
- 1930 - 1977
- Collection Number
- MS 2741, MS Acc22.160
- Extent
- 4.87 metres (3 ms boxes + 21 archive boxes + 1 phase box + 1 medium folio box)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Special Collections (Manuscripts)
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The papers in the first four consignments of MS 2741 relate to Alan Marshall's work and include literary manuscripts, short stories, articles, manuscripts of published works; records of European trip, diary, correspondence concerning visits to U.S.S.R., Germany and Czechoslovakia; Correspondence, fan letters, subject files and correspondence from other Australian authors, including Hal Porter, Frank Hardy, Nettie Palmer, Dal Stivens, Judith Wright, Ron Tullipan, Frank Dalby Davison, Judah Waten, Mary Gilmore and David Martin.
The MS Acc22.160 consignment consists of material created by Alan Marshall including an annotated manuscript of 'The Gay Provider', a diary kept by Marshall during his visit to the Soviet Union in the 1960s, a first draft of his book 'This is the Grass', and an inscribed limited edition copy of 'The Complete Stories of Alan Marshall'.
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-vn1437815).
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-vn1437815).
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Alan Marshall, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file/item number(s)]'.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers of Alan Marshall (b. 1902 d 1984) were acquired by the Library in several consignments from 1970 and 1987, from Mr Marshall and his family. With no particular pattern, the consignments have been added to both MS 2741 and MS 3992, which have identical provenance. Readers are advised to scan the lists to both collections for material on their topic.
Marshall's secretary, Gwen Hardisty, organised his papers in filing cabinets and maintained an alphabetical index referring to file numbers. From time to time Mrs Hardisty would include in consignments to the Library the contents of the fastest-growing files. In 1982 the entire contents of the filing cabinets were consigned to the Library, together with the index. By this time many of the files had nothing in them but the empty files have been kept in numerical sequence to maintain continuity. The original notebook containing the index is at MS 3992, File 238.
There is no systematic chronological progression in the contents of consignments; very early material was sometimes acquired with the more recent consignments.
Some of the papers are charred, as a result of a fire which destroyed Marshall's Studio in Eltham in 1956.
MS 2741 summary of consignments: Original consignment, 1970 (19 boxes); Consignment added 1 August 1973 (2 Files); Consignment added September 1981 (3 boxes); Consignment added 21 June 1984 (2 boxes and 1 folio package).
Related Materials
MS 405 Typescript copy of Ourselves writ Strange, together with a selection of annotated photographs to be included in the published work.
MS 2222 Letters from Alan Marshall to his mother and sister, 1942, 1945-47, which form the basis of These are my people (See also MS 3992, Files 256-7). Letters to his mother and sister from China, 1956. Diary of a trip commencing May 1946. Manuscript copies of four works. This material was acquired from AM's sister Elsie McConnell.
MS 419 Letters from Marshall to Nellie Rogova Mitchell, 1965-1983 (3 files).
MS 1174 Material on Marshall in the papers of Vance and Nettie Palmer (Series 28). Also photograph of Marshall aged about 12, in Series 33, File 8.
MS 6043 Letters from Marshall to Marian Lofts, also clippings by and about Marshall, 1981-83 (2 Files). Restricted until 10 years after the death of Lofts.
MS 6831 Letters from Marshall to Jim Smith, 1974-82 (20 cm).
MS 7011 Letters from Marshall to Thelma Henry, 1981-84 (1 file).
MS 7320 Papers of Gwen Hardisty, who worked with Marshall for some twelve years, including as his secretary from 1975 to 1982. Date range 1981-83 (3 boxes).
The State Library of Victoria holds a small quantity of material of Marshall (2 metres). Contents are similar to NLA collections: drafts, children's letters, postcards.
Arrangement
MS 2741 is listed by box and file numbers but the file numbers begin at 1 within each box.
Item Descriptions
Class. Consignment added September 1981
Old typescript draft of short story FileRetributionFile, written when 21 (File 2) - Box 20 (MS 2471)
Signed note says it was the first ever completed, was submitted to the Bulletin, who acknowledged it with the words FileCrude but strong. Keep at itFile.
Handwritten draft of short story FileThe Cripple and the CourtesanFile, written when 29. (File 2) - Box 20 (MS 2471)
Accompanied by signed note on how the story came to be written
Letters: Gareth Jones-Roberts, Bernard and Elsie Pearce, Mardeta Sagiova, George Morant (artist), Megan Venton, Mark Mollison (File 3) - Box 20 (MS 2471)
Foreword to Alec Brierly's An illustrated history of the Kelly Gang Melbourne University Press, 1978 (File 5) - Box 20 (MS 2471)
First, second and third drafts, plus letters Judging of short story competition, Presbyterian Ladies College, Burwood, Victoria, 1978
Three handwritten and typed drafts of AM's comments on Senior and Intermediate Sections' entries, plus letters from teachers (File 5) - Box 20 (MS 2471)
Letters from authors and artists (File 9_10) - Box 20 (MS 2471)
Including Susan Tomnay, Ailsa O'Connor, Bill Wannan, Judah and Hyrell Waten, Ray Parkin, Noel Counihan, Lance Loughrey, Judith Wright, Dal Stivens, Nancy Keesing, Manning Clark, Patsy Adam-Smith, Dymphna Cusack, Douglas Harris, Fairlie Taylor, Marcello Maestro, Betty Roland, Don Green, Gill Armstrong, Jim O'Connor, Joan Dixon
Children's letters and contributions (File 1_5) - Box 21 (MS 2471)
Including 78 letters from Chilwell Primary School, others (203), illustrations by children for his novels (47) and stories by children (28)
Family letters. From daughters, sisters, nieces and their husbands (131) (File 6_8) - Box 21 (MS 2471)
Drafts of reviews for the Age 27 reviews commissioned by Stuart Sayers, plus three brief letters from Sayers (File 1_2) - Box 22 (MS 2471)
For each review there is an average of one handwritten or typewritten first draft and one final typed draft. Amongst the books reviewed are Nought to thirty-three by Randolph Bedford, Kangaroos by John Gould, Sidney Meyer by Ambrose Pratt, Bid time return by Fairlie Taylor and Bairnsdale: portrait of an Australian country town, by Hal Porter
General letters. Include invitations to talk, letters from admirers (236) (File 3_5) - Box 22 (MS 2471)
Class MS Acc22.160. Consignment received 2022, 1960 - 1977
The MS Acc22.160 consignment consists of material created by Alan Marshall including an annotated manuscript of 'The Gay Provider', a diary kept by Marshall during his visit to the Soviet Union in the 1960s, a first draft of his book 'This is the Grass', and an inscribed limited edition copy of 'The Complete Stories of Alan Marshall'.
The Gay Provider, December 1961 (Item 1) - Folio-Box 1 (MS Acc22.160)
Bound manuscript of the commissioned history of the Myer Emporium. Includes annotations throughout and a note on the inside cover commenting on changes requested by the Myer family.
Diary, 1960s (Item 2) - Folio-Box 1 (MS Acc22.160)
Sorted loose papers handwritten by Marshall during his visit to the Soviet Union.
This is the Grass, 1960s (Item 3a) - Folio-Box 1 (MS Acc22.160)
Array of loose papers consisting of a first draft and chapter synopses of the second book in Marshall's autobiographical trilogy.