Guide to the Papers of Ernest G. Moll
MS 9283
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Ernest G. Moll
- Title
- Papers of Ernest G. Moll
- Date Range
- 1878-1996
- Collection Number
- MS 9283
- Extent
- 2.24 metres (16 ms boxes + 2 map folios + 3 sound/av carriers)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Special Collections (Manuscripts)
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The collection comprises correspondence, personal documents, manuscripts, publications, newspaper clippings and photographs. These papers generally relate to Moll's writing and publishing activities, with little documentation of his activities as a lecturer at the University of Oregon. The collection includes material relating to Moll's poetry and prose writings 'Shoes of silence' (unpublished), Blue interval: poems of Crater Lake (1935), Brief waters (1945), Beware the cuckoo and other poems (1947), The waterhole (1948), The lifted spear (1953), Below these hills: the story of a Riverina farm (1957), Collected poems: 1940-55 (1957), The rainbow serpent and other poems (1962),Briseis(1965), The road to cactus-land: a group of poems (1971), The well and the star (1983), The view from a ninetieth birthday (1992), Recognitions at ninety-three (1993), The children of Somalia 1992-1994 and other poems (1994), A gleaner's sheaf of poems (1995) and other unpublished writings.
Among the correspondents are George Mackaness, Horace Stelling, Beatrice Davis, James McAuley, Hugh McCrae, David McCord, Christof Wegelin, Cecil Hadgraft, A. D. Hope, Vance Palmer, John Le Gay Brereton, Sir Robert Menzies, Rex Ingamells, Rosemary Dobson, George Ferguson and Kenneth Slessor.
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn95684).
Conditions Governing Use
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Ernest G. Moll, National Library of Australia, MS 9283, [box number and series and/or file number]'.
Provenance
The bulk of the Ernest Moll Papers were donated to the Library by Moll's daughter Dr Carolyn Moll in September 1997. An addition to the papers was made in October 1998 by Moll's nephew Peter Moll.
Related Materials
A small collection of papers relating to Moll is also held by the Fryer Memorial Library, including drafts of Below These Hills: the story of a Riverina Farm.
Arrangement
The collection was received in good order, and the Library has retained this arrangement.
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1900 | Born in Murtoa, Victoria, on 25 August |
| 1909 | Moved to Strathdown, Gerogery, New South Wales |
| 1913-18 | Attended Concordia College, Adelaide |
| 1920 | Moved to the United States |
| 1922 | Graduated Bachelor of Arts, Lawrence College |
| 1923 | Graduated Master of Arts, Harvard University |
| 1923-25 | Lectured at Colorado College |
| 1925-26 | Collected and imported 3 000 Australian native birds to the United States |
| 1927 | Returned to Colorado College |
| 1927 | Married Nieva Remington on 24 September [They had two children, Richard and Carolyn] |
| 1927 | Published first book of verse, Sedge fire (Harold Vinal) |
| 1928 | Appointed Assistant Professor of English at the University of Oregon |
| 1931 | Published Native moments and other poems (Metropolitan Press) |
| 1933 | Published The appreciation of poetry (F. S. Crofts) |
| 1934 | Published Campus sonnets (Metropolitan Press) and Poetry: the problem of appreciation (University of Oregon) |
| 1935 | Published Blue interval: poems of Crater Lake (Metropolitan Press) |
| 1939-40 | Lectured on exchange at Sydney Teachers' College |
| 1940 | Cut from mulga (1940, Melbourne University Press) chosen by the Commonwealth Literary Committee as best book of the year |
| 1945 | Published Brief waters (Australasian Publishing Company) |
| 1947 | Published Beware the cuckoo and other poems (Australasian Publishing Company) |
| 1948 | Published The waterhole (Angus Robertson) |
| 1953 | Published The lifted spear (Angus Robertson) |
| 1957 | Published Collected poems: 1940-55 (Angus Robertson) |
| 1957 | Published Below these hills: the story of a Riverina farm (Melbourne University Press), written in collaboration with brother Otto Moll |
| 1962 | Published The rainbow serpent and other poems (Angus Robertson) |
| 1965 | Published Briseis(Pageant Press) |
| 1966 | Retired from the University of Oregon, and was awarded the University Medal for Distinguished Academic Service |
| 1971 | Published The road to cactus-land: a group of poems (Edwards Shaw) |
| 1972 | Moved to Oroville, California |
| 1983 | Produced The well and the star (privately printed) |
| 1992 | Published The view from a ninetieth birthday (La Jolla Poets Press) |
| 1993 | Produced Recognitions at ninety-three (printed by Comer's Print Shop, Oroville) |
| 1994 | Produced The children of Somalia 1992-1994 and other poems (Comer's Print Shop) |
| 1995 | Produced last book of verse, A gleaner's sheaf of poems (Comer's Print Shop) |
| 1997 | Died in Oroville on 15 May |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1900 | Born in Murtoa, Victoria, on 25 August |
| 1909 | Moved to Strathdown, Gerogery, New South Wales |
| 1913-18 | Attended Concordia College, Adelaide |
| 1920 | Moved to the United States |
| 1922 | Graduated Bachelor of Arts, Lawrence College |
| 1923 | Graduated Master of Arts, Harvard University |
| 1923-25 | Lectured at Colorado College |
| 1925-26 | Collected and imported 3 000 Australian native birds to the United States |
| 1927 | Returned to Colorado College |
| 1927 | Married Nieva Remington on 24 September [They had two children, Richard and Carolyn] |
| 1927 | Published first book of verse, Sedge fire (Harold Vinal) |
| 1928 | Appointed Assistant Professor of English at the University of Oregon |
| 1931 | Published Native moments and other poems (Metropolitan Press) |
| 1933 | Published The appreciation of poetry (F. S. Crofts) |
| 1934 | Published Campus sonnets (Metropolitan Press) and Poetry: the problem of appreciation (University of Oregon) |
| 1935 | Published Blue interval: poems of Crater Lake (Metropolitan Press) |
| 1939-40 | Lectured on exchange at Sydney Teachers' College |
| 1940 | Cut from mulga (1940, Melbourne University Press) chosen by the Commonwealth Literary Committee as best book of the year |
| 1945 | Published Brief waters (Australasian Publishing Company) |
| 1947 | Published Beware the cuckoo and other poems (Australasian Publishing Company) |
| 1948 | Published The waterhole (Angus & Robertson) |
| 1953 | Published The lifted spear (Angus & Robertson) |
| 1957 | Published Collected poems: 1940-55 (Angus & Robertson) |
| 1957 | Published Below these hills: the story of a Riverina farm (Melbourne University Press), written in collaboration with brother Otto Moll |
| 1962 | Published The rainbow serpent and other poems (Angus & Robertson) |
| 1965 | Published Briseis(Pageant Press) |
| 1966 | Retired from the University of Oregon, and was awarded the University Medal for Distinguished Academic Service |
| 1971 | Published The road to cactus-land: a group of poems (Edwards & Shaw) |
| 1972 | Moved to Oroville, California |
| 1983 | Produced The well and the star (privately printed) |
| 1992 | Published The view from a ninetieth birthday (La Jolla Poets Press) |
| 1993 | Produced Recognitions at ninety-three (printed by Comer's Print Shop, Oroville) |
| 1994 | Produced The children of Somalia 1992-1994 and other poems (Comer's Print Shop) |
| 1995 | Produced last book of verse, A gleaner's sheaf of poems (Comer's Print Shop) |
| 1997 | Died in Oroville on 15 May |
Item Descriptions
Series 1. General Correspondence, 1929-96
This series includes general and personal correspondence, as well as correspondence relating to Moll's writing and publishing activities. Most of the letters date from Moll's time at the University of Oregon, from the 1930s to the 1960s. The correspondence also documents Moll's lifelong interest in and association with Australia and Australian writers.
The series contains letters from or correspondence with various friends, University of Oregon colleagues and students, writers, booksellers and publishers. There are photocopies of letters from Moll to his son Richard and family, and to his nephew Peter Moll. As well, there are handwritten and typescript copies of Moll's poems 'A poem and a letter for Saddam Hussein' and 'In a ninety-third year', sent to Richard for comment.
Among the correspondents are Horace Stelling, George Mackaness, Sir Robert Menzies, Dame Mary Gilmore (to Nieva, Moll's wife), A. D. Hope, Frank Dalby Davison, Rex Ingamells, Rosemary Dobson, George Ferguson, Beatrice Davis, A. D. Hope, James McAuley, Vance Palmer, Robinson Jeffers, John Le Gay Brereton, Cecil Hadgraft, Sir Richard Livingstone and David McCord. These are often single letters, such as the letter from Menzies congratulating Moll on receiving the Commonwealth Literary Committee prize for Cut from mulga. There are also letters from Hugh McCrae, including one addressed to 'George' (Mackaness) praising Moll's writings. Over the years Moll also received letters from University of Oregon colleagues, including Christof Wegelin, William Bowerman, Roland Bartel, Sylvan Karchner, Donald Erb and O. Meredith Wilson.
Series 2. Publishing Correspondence and Papers, 1931-96
This series comprises correspondence relating to the development and publication of many of Moll's writings. There is correspondence with or letters from various writers and editors, including George Mackaness, Kenneth Slessor, Rosemary Dobson, Beatrice Davis, George Ferguson, G. F. James, B. M. Ramsden, Judith Fisher and Frank Eyre. Moll had contact with various publishing companies, including Angus & Robertson, Melbourne University Press, Metropolitan Press, Thomas Nelson & Sons, Rigby, Australasian Publishing Company, Edward Arnold, Macmillan, Jacaranda Press, Whitcombe and Tombs, Oxford University Press, La Jolla Poets Press, Penguin and Longmans, Green.
The correspondence documents arrangements for publication of Moll's writings, including marketing and distribution, requests for reprints, and use of Moll's published poems in various anthologies, newspapers or magazines. There are also letters from the Australian Broadcasting Commission regarding radio broadcasting of the poems 'Cicadas in February' and 'Foxes among the lambs'.
This series includes correspondence relating to Blue interval: poems of Crater Lake (1935, Metropolitan Press), Brief waters (1945, Australasian Publishing Company), Beware the cuckoo and other poems (1947, Australasian Publishing Company), The waterhole (1948, Angus & Robertson), The lifted spear (1953, Angus & Robertson), Below these hills: the story of a Riverina farm (1957, Melbourne University Press), Collected poems: 1940-55 (1957, Angus & Robertson), The rainbow serpent and other poems (1962, Angus & Robertson) and The view from a ninetieth birthday (1992, La Jolla Poets Press). The series also includes correspondence, primarily with literary agent BartholdFles, regarding an unpublished novel 'Shoes of silence' (also titled 'The white cockatoo' and 'The other side of the night'). Drafts of these works are found in series 4 and 5.
There are also a small number of royalty statements and receipts from various booksellers and publishers. The series also contains newspaper cuttings and typescripts of reviews of most of Moll's published writings, including reviews by Vance Palmer, A. D. Hope, Thomas Gardiner, Robert FitzGerald, Thomas Shapcott, Hugh McCrae and Frank Dalby Davison.
Correspondence (various), 1938-1958 (File 2) - Box 2
Correspondence regarding early works, including 'Shoes of silence' (unpublished), 1938-56
Correspondence regarding Blue interval: poems of Crater Lake, 1955-58
Letter regarding Brief waters, 1945
Letter regarding Beware the cuckoo and other poems, 1945
Correspondence regarding The waterhole, 1947-48
Correspondence regarding The lifted spear, 1950-53
Correspondence regarding Collected poems: 1940-55, 1955-57 (File 3) - Box 2
Correspondence regarding The rainbow serpent and other poems, 1953-62
Correspondence regarding Below these hills: the story of a Riverina farm, 1956-61
Series 3. Miscellaneous Papers, 1878-1997
This series contains miscellaneous documents, photographs, newspaper clippings and reels of magnetic tape. The personal documents include a copy of Moll's birth certificate, graduation certificates, Australian and United Kingdom passports and World War II United States Civilian Defence Force registration cards.
The series also includes a typescript and photocopy of J. O'Farrell's poem 'Ephemera: an Iliad of Albury', first canto with preface, dated 1878; and three letters from Sydney Jephcott to Moll, along with typescript and handwritten copies of Jephcott's poems 'Musette of magpies', 'Wheat waves' (dedicated to Moll), 'Sky idyl', 'Cumulus over Koscusko' and 'Moon-Rise'. There is a typescript of a dramatised review of Moll's Below these hills, broadcast during 'The land and its people' from station 3LO Melbourne, February 1961, and a typescript of a broadcast discussing Moll's life and work, c.1943, read as part of the 'Australian verse' session on station 2FC. The segment was written by George Mackaness and read by R. G. Howarth.
The series also includes a photocopy of a portion of Horace Stelling's narrative diary of a trip made by Moll, Stelling and Moll's brothers 'Sandy' (Louis) and 'Pomp' (Otto), from Albury to an Aboriginal settlement near Darwin in 1947. The lifted spear and 'The lightless ferry' resulted from this journey. There are a small number of photographs documenting Moll's life in Australia and the United States, including some dating from his years at Concordia College, and others taken on the journey to Central Australia.
The newspaper clippings relate to a wide range of topics, particularly Moll's writings, as well as his visits to Australia, his push for a Riverina University College at Albury in 1963, and articles on Beatrice Davis, Hugh McCrae and Sydney Jephcott.
Series 4. Poetry
This series includes drafts of poems, notes, worksheets, typescripts and galleys relating to Brief waters, Beware the cuckoo and other poems, The waterhole, The lifted spear, The rainbow serpent and other poems, Briseis, The road to cactus-land: a group of poems, The well and the star, The view from a ninetieth birthday, Recognitions at ninety-three, The children of Somalia 1992-1994 and other poems and A gleaner's sheaf of poems.
There are also drafts of a number of unpublished, unfinished and miscellaneous poems and poetry collections, including 'The upas tree', 'The gentle Caliban', 'Ruth' and the autobiographical 'Design and ambience'.
Bound typescript of Brief waters (1945), and galleys inscribed by George Mackaness (File 1_2) - Box 4
Handwritten and typescript drafts of poems included in The rainbow serpent and other poems, 1962 (File 6) - Box 4
Photocopied typescript of Briseis (1965), with annotations by Kester Svendsen (English Department Head, University of Oregon) (File 8) - Box 5
Handwritten and typescript drafts and galleys of poems included in The well and the star, 1983 (File 10) - Box 5
Handwritten and typescript drafts of poems for The view from a ninetieth birthday, 1992 (File 11_12) - Box 5
Photocopied typescript and printed copy of The children of Somalia 1992-1994 and other poems (1994) (File 14) - Box 5
Series 5. Prose
This series comprises handwritten and typescript drafts and worksheets relating to a number of Moll's prose works, all apparently unpublished. These include the autobiographical 'Postscripts for poems', 'Shoes of silence' (also titled 'The white cockatoo' and 'The other side of the night'), 'Elements of style' and 'A chapter for Cockie'.
The series also contains a small number of Moll's short stories and essays, including 'Dark angel', 'A bright fire', 'No Troy to burn', 'Wordsworth: the struggle for poetry', 'The artist and society', 'Literature and the human spirit', 'John Shaw Neilson', 'Regional writing in relation to a country's literature' and 'Some aspects of contemporary poetry'.
Typescript and handwritten drafts, notes and worksheets for Postscripts for poems, including one with annotations by Christof Wegelin (File 1_10) - Box 8, 9
Series 6. Publications
This series includes copies of some of Moll's writings, as well as volumes of poetry and prose by a number of Australian writers.