Guide to the Papers of Arlene Chai
MS 9677
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Created: ©2002.
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Chai, Arlene, 1955-
- Title
- Papers of Arlene Chai
- Date Range
- 1993-2000
- Collection Number
- MS 9677
- Extent
- 0.9 metres (6 ms boxes)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Special Collections (Manuscripts)
Introduction
Scope and Content
The collection comprises papers relating to Chai's career as an author. There are edited typescripts of her four novels, research notes, correspondence with publishers and editors and files of publicity material. Correspondents include Bryce Courtenay, Elaine Markson Literary Agency, Headline Book Publishing, John Marsden, Pan Macmillan, Random House, Simon and Schuster and Julia Stiles.
Access
The collection is available for research. Not for loan.
Copying and Publishing
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. Further information on copyright is available from the Library's website.
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Arlene Chai, National Library of Australia, MS 9677, [series and file number]'.
Provenance
The collection was acquired from Arlene Chai under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme in 2000.
Arrangement
The papers have been arranged into series by the Library, with files created by Chai kept intact.
Biographical Note
Arlene Chai was born in 1955 in the Philippines, to Chinese parents. She was educated in Manila, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976. She began work as a copywriter for an advertising agency, eventually becoming a creative director at the Ted Bates agency in Manila. In 1982, Chai and her family migrated to Australia.
In 1985, Chai joined George Patterson Advertising in Sydney, where she remained for seven years. Encouraged to write by author and former work colleague Bryce Courtenay, Chai published her first book in 1995. She now teaches English as a second language and writes in her free time.
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Item Descriptions
Series 1. Correspondence, 1993-2000
The bulk of this series comprises business correspondence relating to the publication of Chai's books. There are letters of acceptance and rejection, details of advances, costs of production and responses from editors. Correspondents include representatives from Elaine Markson Literary Agency, Headline Book Publishing, Pan Macmillan, Random House and Simon and Schuster. There is one file of personal correspondence, including letters from Bryce Courtenay, John Marsden and Julia Stiles.
Series 2. The last time I saw my mother, 1993-1998
Chai's acclaimed first novel, The last time I saw my mother, drew on her mother's experiences in Manila during the Japanese occupation. It was published by Random House, Sydney in 1995 and has since been released in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Contained in this series are research notes, edited drafts and readers' letters relating to the novel.
Series 3. Eating fire and drinking water, 1996-1997
This series comprises papers relating to Chai's second novel, Eating fire and drinking water, which focuses on life in Manila under the Marcos regime. It was published in Australia by Random House, Sydney, in 1996 and in the United States by Ballantine, New York in 1998. There are research notes, an edited draft of the novel and readers' letters relating to the novel.
Series 4. On the Goddess Rock, 1997
Chai's novel, On the Goddess Rock, relates the story of a Chinese migrant from the Philippines who returns to the family's home in China. It was published by Random House, Sydney in 1998 and in 2001 was translated into German and published by Ehrenwirth/Verlagsgruppe Lübbe. Contained in this series are working notes, editorial notes and an edited typescript relating to the novel.
Series 5. Black hearts, 1999
Chai's psychological thriller, Black hearts, was published by Random House, Sydney in 2000. This series comprises editorial notes, edited typescripts and computer disks relating to the novel.
Editorial notes, two computer disks containing text of final submission, 1999 (File 1)
Series 6. Short stories, 1995-1999
This series comprises typescripts of short stories by Chai and a publication containing one of her stories.
Series 7. Publicity material, 1995-2000
In this series are papers relating to Chai's career. There are two files containing newspaper and magazine cuttings, publicity material for her books, publicity photographs and guides to literary events in which she was a participant. Chai also featured in Gateway to the Games, a multicultural media kit produced for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Container List
| Box | Series | File/Piece |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1-7 |
| 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 2-7 |
| 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | 3 | 2-6 |
| 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 2-4 |
| 4 | 5 | 1-2 |
| 5 | 5 | 3-6 |
| 5 | 6 | 1-2 |
| 6 | 7 | 1-3 |