Guide to the Papers of Jack Beasley
MS 9266, MS Acc04.179
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Beasley, Jack, 1921-
- Title
- Papers of Jack Beasley
- Date Range
- 1947-1999
- Collection Number
- MS 9266, MS Acc04.179
- Extent
- 4.36 metres (30 boxes + 1 carton + 2 folio boxes + 11 sound/av carriers)
- Physical Facet
- LEGACY NOTE: MS = 2 large folio boxes + 23 ms boxesLegacy extent derived from Hume 1 & 2 combined locations spreadsheet.
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Special Collections (Manuscripts)
Introduction
Scope and Content
The collection comprises correspondence, drafts of The rage for life (1964), 'My unilateral debate: Katharine Susannah Prichard and matters pertaining' (in Australian Literary Studies, vol. 11, no. 7, Oct. 1983), A gallop of fire (1993), Red letter days (1979), Widdershins (1986), Journal of an era (1988), plays, miscellaneous literary writings, including children's stories, political papers, Wedgetail Press records and cassettes.
The principal correspondents are Neil Stewart, Alan Marshall, Judah Waten, John Morrison, Ralph de Boissiere and Elsie McConnell. Other correspondents include Katharine Susannah Prichard, A.A. Phillips, Dorothy Hewett, Noel Counihan, Ric Throssell and Carole Ferrier.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is available for reference.
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Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.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 Jack Beasley, National Library of Australia [class number, box number and series and/or file number]'.
Provenance
The collection was purchased by the National Library from Jack Beasley in 1995.
Arrangement
Beasley had kept the papers in good order and, wherever possible, this arrangement has been preserved by the Library.
Biographical Note
Jack Beasley was born in Merewether, NSW, in 1921. He worked as an electrical fitter at the BHP steelworks in Newcastle (1936-1941) and later he worked at the Bunnerong Power Station in Sydney.
For many years Beasley was an active member of the Communist Party of Australia. He had a strong interest in the arts, including the theatre, ballet and music, and he was closely associated with the Australasian Book Society which published or re-issued 87 books. In his memoirs, Red letter days: notes from inside an era, Beasley wrote about the Society and some of his fellow-writers of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Alan Marshall, Frank Hardy and Judah Waten. Beasley edited three books which were published by the Society: Price Warung's Convict days (1960), The tracks we travel: second collection including Mary Gilmore Award stories (1961) and Red letter days (1979).
Beasley worked in retail advertising and promotion between 1963 and 1977 and in the late 1980s he had his own publishing venture, Wedgetail Press, through which he published three of his own books. One of these, his novel Widdershins, contains autobiographical elements.
Beasley's published works include the following: Socialism and the novel: a study of Australian literature [Published privately], 1957; The tracks we travel: second collection including Mary Gilmore Award stories Sydney: Australasian Book Society, 1961; The rage for life: the work of Katharine Susannah Prichard Sydney: Current Book Distributors, 1964; Red letter days: notes from inside an era Sydney: Australasian Book Society, 1979; Widdershins Earlwood, NSW: Wedgetail Press, 1986; Journal of an era: notes from the red letter days Earlwood, NSW: Wedgetail Press, 1988; A gallop of fire: Katharine Susannah Prichard: on guard for humanity: a study of creative personality Earlwood, NSW: Wedgetail Press, 1993.
Item Descriptions
Class MS 9266. Original consignment
Comprises correspondence, drafts of The rage for life (1964), 'My unilateral debate: Katharine Susannah Prichard and matters pertaining' (in Australian literary studies, v. 11, no. 7, Oct. 1983), A gallop of fire (1993), Red letter days (1979), Widdershins (1986), Journal of an era (1988), plays, miscellaneous literary writings, political papers, Wedgetail Press records and cassettes. The principal correspondents are Neil Stewart, Alan Marshall, Judah Waten, John Morrison, Ralph de Boissiere and Elsie McConnell. Other correspondents include Katharine Susannah Prichard, A.A. Phillips, Dorothy Hewett, Noel Counihan, Ric Throssell and Carole Ferrier.
Contained in 23 boxes, 2 folio boxes.
Series 1. General correspondence, 1959-1996
Correspondence with other writers concerning their writing, work, reading and personal news, as well as Australian and world politics. The correspondents include Alan Marshall, Ralph de Boissiere, Judah Waten, Neil Stewart, John Morrison, Elsie McConnell, Katharine Susannah Prichard, A.A. Phillips, Dorothy Hewett, Noel Counihan, Ric Throssell, Harry Heseltine, Eric Fry, David Carter, Carole Ferrier, Stephen Holt and John Hetherington.
Series 2. The rage for life: the work of Katharine Susannah Prichard, 1961-1978
The rage for life was Beasley's first book on Katharine Susannah Prichard. It was published by Current Book Distributors in 1964. The series include handwritten drafts, typescript, notes, reviews and some correspondence.
Series 3. 'My unilateral debate: Katharine Susannah Prichard and matters pertaining', 1964-1983
Beasley's article on Prichard was published in Australian Literary Studies (vol. 11, no. 7, Oct. 1983). The series includes handwritten drafts, research material, notes, cuttings and correspondence.
Series 4. A gallop of fire: Katharine Susannah Prichard: on guard for humanity: a study of creative personality, 1960-1993
The book was published by the Wedgetail Press in 1993. The series include drafts, notes, cuttings, reviews, correspondence and copies of some of Prichard's books. The rage for life, Working bullocks, Coonardooand The black opal contain annotations for use in writing A gallop of fire.
Series 5. Red letter days: notes from inside an era,1959-1993
In the 1950s Beasley became involved in the Australasian Book Society, an organisation which published or re-issued 87 books. In Red letter days, published by the Australasian Book Society in 1979, Beasley wrote about the history of the Society and the lives of some of the radical writers of the 1950s and 1960s. The series, which includes drafts, notes, cuttings and some correspondence, has been arranged according to the chapters of the book.
Series 6. Widdershins, 1967-1993
Widdershins(Wedgetail Press, 1986) was Beasley's first published novel. It contains autobiographical elements that were re-created as fiction. The series includes drafts, cuttings, notes and some correspondence.
Series 7. Journal of an era: notes from the red letter days, 1967-1992
The book was published by the Wedgetail Press in 1988. The series include drafts, notes, cuttings and some correspondence.
Series 8. Plays, 1980-1987
Drafts, notes, cuttings and correspondence relating to 'Diary of a murder' and 'Ladies delight'. The correspondents are Ray Lawler, Robyn Archer and Clem Gorman of the Australian National Playwrights Conference.
Series 9. Miscellaneous writings, 1975-1978
The series contains drafts, reviews, photographs and notes of Beasley's other writings, including stories for children and an introduction for Dorothy Hewett's play This old man comes rolling home (1976).
Series 10. Records of the Wedgetail Press, 1986-1994
Beasley owned a publishing company, the Wedgetail Press. The series contains Wedgetail Press financial records.
Series 11. Political papers, 1954-1994
Beasley was an active member of the Communist Party of Australia for many years. The series includes notes, cuttings and leaflets relating to his political activities.
Series 12. Miscellaneous papers, 1947-1994 (bulk 1975-1994)
The series includes notebooks containing records of Beasley's visit to China, representing the Communist Party of Australia, in 1957-1958, papers concerning other writers and the Public Lending Right, and correspondence concerning the Australia Council's Fellowships.
Correspondence with Australia Council, concerning Beasley's applications for Fellowships, 1975-1980 (File 7)
Photocopies of miscellaneous journal articles, including 'Near the wharves' by Judah Waten, 'The wire fences of Jarrabin' by Dorothy Hewett, 'The native bears' by Roland Robinson and 'Transition' by Frank Dalby Davison (File 8_9)
Papers concerning a proposed publication entitled 'Profile'. (File 10)
Following the demise of the Australasian Book Society, the draft was given to Eric Fry and it was later published as Rebels and radicals (edited by Eric Fry, 1983).
Series 13. Cassettes, 1963-1993
11 cassettes containing various interviews, including one with Beasley by Caroline Jones, interviews with Judah Waten, Frank Hardy, Joe Waters, Ralph de Boisiere, George Seelaf and Alan Marshall and a story-reading by Katharine Susannah Prichard.
J Waters on ABS [1 of 11], 1/04/1975 (Item NLA.MS-SAV000589) - Cassette-Box 170
1 item, AMPEX 60, Compact cassette tapeJudah Waten commentary; Ralph de Boissiere commentary [2 of 11], 17/04/1975 (Item NLA.MS-SAV000590) - Cassette-Box 170
1 item, MITAPE C-90, Compact cassette tapeA M Blue's Accident; Alan Marshall Pt 1 [3 of 11], 3/06/1975 (Item NLA.MS-SAV000591) - Cassette-Box 170
1 item, MITAPE C-90, Compact cassette tapeG Seelaf; Alan Marshall Pt 2 [4 of 11], 2/5/1975, 3/6/1975 (Item NLA.MS-SAV000592) - Cassette-Box 170
1 item, AMPEX 60, Compact cassette tapeFrank Harvey on Willesee TV program; K S Pritchard reading 2 stories [5 of 11], 2/10/1975, 7/12/1975 (Item NLA.MS-SAV000593) - Cassette-Box 170
1 item, Scotch C-90, Compact cassette tapeNathan Zusman; ABS - 1968 Crisis, present and future [6 of 11], 22/12/1976 (Item NLA.MS-SAV000594) - Cassette-Box 170
1 item, Happy Tape C90, Compact cassette tapeBooks and Writing program with Jan Garrett [7 of 11], 2/04/1979 (Item NLA.MS-SAV000595) - Cassette-Box 170
1 item, Scotch C-90, Compact cassette tapeABC radio 'Books and Writers' program; 'Michael Parkinson in Australia' TV program [8 of 11], 2/4/1979, 7/4/1979 (Item NLA.MS-SAV000596) - Cassette-Box 170
1 item, Happy Tape C90, Compact cassette tapeContainer List
Series | File | Box |
---|---|---|
1 | 1-8 | 1 |
1 | 9-13 | 2 |
2 | 1-5 | 2 |
3 | 1-6 | 3 |
4 | 1 | 3 |
4 | 2-5 | 4 |
4 | 6-11 | 5 |
4 | 12-19 | 6 |
5 | 1-8 | 7 |
5 | 9-12 | 8 |
5 | 13-18 | 9 |
5 | 19-26 | 10 |
5 | 27-30 | 11 |
5 | 31-32 | 12 |
5 | Folios 1-2 | Folio Box 1 |
6 | 1-3 | 12 |
6 | 4-7 | 13 |
6 | 8-13 | 14 |
6 | 14 | 15 |
7 | 1-5 | 15 |
7 | 6-8 | 16 |
8 | 1-3 | 16 |
8 | 4-9 | 17 |
8 | 10-13 | 18 |
9 | 1-2 | 18 |
9 | 3-8 | 19 |
10 | 1-4 | 20 |
11 | 1-5 | 21 |
12 | 1 | 21 |
12 | 2-8 | 22 |
12 | 9-12 | 23 |
12 | Folio 1 | Folio Box 1 |
12 | Folios 2-4 | Folio Box 2 |
13 | 1 | 23 |