Guide to the Papers of Peter Carey

MS 7566

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator: Carey, Peter
Title: Papers of Peter Carey
Date Range: 1954-1988
Collection Number: MS 7566
Extent: 1.08 metres (7 boxes + 1 packet)
Language of Materials: English
Repository: Special Collections (Manuscripts)

Introduction

Scope and Contents

The papers include general correspondence, eight manuscript notebooks recording ideas for Carey's writing, drafts of several of his novels and short stories, reviews of his work, school reports and the transcript of an interview with Van Ikin. Five of the notebooks contain notes which relate mostly to Carey's novel 'Pets' which was later published as Illywhacker.

Correspondents include Phillip Adams, Noni Brahm, Clem Christesen, Laurie Clancy, Tim Curnow, Geoffrey Dutton, Brian Kiernan, Colleen McCullough, Frank Moorhouse, Stephen Murray-Smith, Bill Peach, Deborah Rogers (Carey's literary agent), Frank Thompson, Meril Yule, Judah Waten, Richard Walsh and Michael Wilding.

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-vn2583573).

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Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.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 becited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Peter Carey, National Library of Australia, MS 7566, [series and/or file number]'.

Provenance

The initial instalment of papers was acquired from Carey in 1984, under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme. In August 2001, the Library purchased privately one volume of Carey's business correspondence and in October 2001 it purchased at auction eight notebooks containing working notes for ideas for novels and short stories.

The Fryer Library at the University of Queensland holds a large collection of Carey Papers, including a set of notebooks which complement the holdings in Series 3 of this collection.

The State Library of Victoria holds manuscripts of unpublished works by Carey, together with material relating to his book True history of the Kelly Gang.

Arrangement

The Library has arranged the papers into six series, retaining Carey's organisation of papers within files.

Biographical Note

Peter Carey was born in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, in 1943. He was educated at Geelong Grammar School (1954-60) and later at Monash University where he studied science. Early contact with writers Morris Lurie and Barry Oakley led him into writing and advertising. Between 1962 and 1967 he supported his early writing career by working in advertising agencies in Melbourne, writing advertising copy. In the late 1960s he travelled through Europe and the Middle East and worked in London in advertising. He returned to Australia in 1970 and worked in a number of advertising agencies in Melbourne and Sydney. It was during this period that he began to write the short stories which appear in the Fat Man in History (1974)

In the late 1970s Carey moved to an 'alternative community' at Yandina in Queensland, writing for three weeks out of the month and working the fourth for an advertising firm in Sydney. During this time he wrote most of the stories which were published in War Crimes (1979) and completed his first novel Bliss (1981).

In 1980 Carey returned to Sydney and opened an advertising agency in partnership with Bani McSpedden. In 1981 he moved to Bellingen in northern New South Wales, which provided the inspiration for Illywhacker (1985) and Oscar and Lucinda (1988).

In 1990 Carey, his wife Alison Summers and his two sons took up residence in New York, where Carey went on to write The Tax Inspector (1991), The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith (1994), Jack Maggs (1997) and True history of the Kelly Gang (2001). He teaches creative writing part-time at New York University.

Carey has won numerous literary awards, including:

Vaughan, Rebecca. A brief history of Carey's working life. 1997.

Item Descriptions

Series 1. General correspondence, 1965-1982

This series comprises correspondence relating to Carey's writings, the publication of his books, negotiations for film rights for his novel Bliss and his short story 'The puzzling nature of blue'.

Correspondents include Phillip Adams, Noni Brahm, Clem Christesen, Geoffrey Dutton, Brian Kiernan, Colleen McCullough, Frank Moorhouse, Stephen Murray-Smith, Richard Walsh, Judah Waten and Michael Wilding.

Correspondence, 1969-1981 (File 1)

Much of the correspondence is concerned with a copyright dispute between Carey and Deborah Rogers (his literary agent) and Meril Yule and Frank Thompson of Queensland University Press. The letters are mostly incoming, with only a few copies of Carey's replies.

Correspondence, 1974-1980 (File 2)

Correspondence, 1965-1982 (File 3)

Business correspondence, 1969-1974 (File 4)

One bound volume of original letters, comprising 109 items, mostly letters dating from 1969-74. They include letters dating from the time of Carey's first book The fat man in history (1974) and important impressions of his unpublished novel 'Wog', including Geoffrey Dutton's rejection. Other correspondents include Phillip Adams, Clem Christesen, Laurie Clancy, Frank Moorhouse, Stephen Murray-Smith, Bill Peach, Deborah Rogers and Michael Wilding.

Series 2. Writings, 1967-1979

The series comprises manuscript and typescript drafts, correspondence with publishers, cuttings, reviews and other papers relating to two of Carey's unpublished novels and a number of his short stories. Correspondents include Michael George of André Deutsch (one letter) and Tim Curnow of Curtis Brown (one letter).

Subseries 2.1. Novels

'Wog' (File 1)

Bound carbon copy of typescript and a copy of a letter from Michael George regarding the unpublished novel, 1967-70

'Adventures aboard the Marie Celeste' (File 2)

Bound copy of typescript with minor alterations (Eildon, March 1971) and a copy of a letter from Tim Curnow regarding the unpublished novel. The first page of the typescript contains the annotation 'This copy contains David Kendall's editorial marks and remarks, as the manuscript was prepared for publication by Outback Press in 1974 or 75'.

Subseries 2.2. Short Stories

'Structure', 1970 (File 3)

Typescript

'Crabs', 1972 (File 4)

Edited typescript.

'A windmill in the west', 1972 (File 5)

Drafts and cutting of the story as it appeared in Meanjin Quarterly, Dec 1972

'Peeling,', 1972 (File 6_7)

Edited typescript

'Happy story', 1973 (File 8)

Edited typescript

'Conversation with unicorns', 1973 (File 9)

Final draft and cut-out of published story in The Sun, Jan 1973

'Room no. 5', 1973 (File 10)

Typescript, plus printed copy as it appeared in Nation Review, 1973

'The mad puzzle king', 1973 (File 11)

Drafts and cuttings of the story as it appeared in the Living Daylight, 1973

'Joe', 1973 (File 12)

Typescript, 1973

'Around the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran', 1973 (File 13)

Typescript, 1973

'Withdrawal', 1974 (File 14)

Typescript, several drafts, 1974

'The fat man in history', 1974 (File 15)

Typescript, 1974

'The puzzling nature of blue', 1974 (File 16)

Manuscript and typescript drafts, 1974

'Kristin Du', 1974 (File 17)

drafts and notes, including early drafts of the same idea in a different story, 1974

'American dreams', 1974 (File 18)

Edited typescript, 1974

'Life and death in the Southside Pavilion', 1974 (File 19)

Typescripts of several drafts, 1974

'Report on the shadow industry', 1974 (File 20)

Typescripts, with several drafts, 1974

'I know you can talk', 1975 (File 21)

Typescript draft, 1975

'The chance', 1977 (File 22_23)

Manuscript and typescript drafts, 1977

'The cosmic pragmatist', 1977 (File 24)

Edited typescript, 1977

'Concerning the Greek tyrant', 1978 (File 25_26)

Edited typescript, 1978

'War crimes' (File 27_28)

Typed drafts, final versions, copies and preliminary notes as well as copies of published version cut out from periodicals.

'Feet' (File 29)

Edited typescript, undated

'Slides for a magic lantern' (File 30)

Bound original typescript with minor alterations, undated

'In loving memory of Luke McClosky' (File 31)

Edited typescript, undated

'Marvin Gnash is really weird' (File 32)

Edited typescript, undated

Untitled: (File 33)

Edited typescript, undated

'The dream of the world's greatest architect' (File 34)

Edited typescript, undated

'Saturday' (File 35)

Typescript, undated

'Rousseau set upon by his tigers' (File 36)

Typescript, undated

'Fire dreams' (File 37)

Edited typescript, undated

'The last great optimist' (File 38)

Edited typescript, undated

'Mayfair' (File 39)

Typescript, undated

'A schoolboy prank' (File 40)

Typescript and manuscript, undated

'Williamson wood' (File 41)

Typescript and notes, undated

Series 3. Notebooks, 1965-1985

During the course of his career, Carey has maintained notebooks of ideas for novels and short stories. Contained in this series are eight of these handwritten notebooks, all but two of which have been numbered by Carey. Five of the eight notebooks contain notes which relate mostly to Carey's novel 'Pets', which was later published as Illywhacker.

Unnumbered notebook, 1965-1970 (Item 1)

Contains notes and early draft of a novella entitled 'The Chance'

Unnumbered notebook, February-March 1967 (Item 2)

Contains ideas for novels and stories.

Notebook No. 1, September-October 1980 (Item 3)

Contains notes relating to the publication and promotion of Bliss, together with ideas for novels or stories and notes for Carey's advertising projects.