Guide to the Papers of Vicki Viidikas [MSS 096]

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Manuscript Name Papers of Vicki Viidikas
Manuscript Number MSS 096
Last Updated October 2021
Extent 1.89 m (18 boxes, 3 posters)
Location Special Collections, UNSW Canberra
Abstract This collection comprises manuscript papers and related material produced or accumulated by Vicki Viidikas.

Collection Subject Type

Literary

Scope and Content

This collection comprises manuscript papers and related material produced or accumulated by Vicki Viidikas.

Date Range of Content

1948-1998

Biographical Note

Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicki_Viidikas

Vicki Viidikas was born to an Estonian father and Anglo-Australian mother on 25 September 1948 in Sydney, New South Wales. She was educated at various schools in Queensland and Sydney until the age of 15 when she left school and home and worked variously as a veterinary assistant, typist, bartender, proof reader, apple packer, bookshop assistant, house cleaner, barmaid and research assistant. At age sixteen she began writing. Three years later 'At East Balmain', was her first poem to be published. Her poems have been published in magazines and anthologies. In 1975, Stephen Wallace directed a twenty-five minute film entitled Break up from the short story 'Getting it all together' published in Viidikas' book Wrappings.

She travelled widely and lived in India for more than a decade. Her interest in Indian life and culture and the Hindu religion was reflected in her writings, particularly India ink : a collection of prose poems written in India (1984). The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature says of her work: 'Viidikas's aim in both poetry and prose has been to write about the realities, as she sees them, of such subcultures as those centred on drugs, crime, alternative sexualities, or general non-conformist attitudes.'

Her awards include:
Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships, Literature Board Grants, 1980
Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships, Literature Board Fellowship, 1978
Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships, Literature Board Fellowship, 1975
Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships, Literature Board Grants, Young Writers' Grant, 1974.

Her publications include:
Condition red (1973)
Wrappings (1974)
Knabel (1978)
India ink (1984).

Vicki Viidikas died on 27 November 1998 in Sydney, New South Wales.

References:
Biographical material retrieved from the manuscript papers.
AustLit : the Australian Literature Resource, retrieved 13 June 2008.

 

Administrative Information

 

Access and Copying Conditions

Access: Check with Curator

This collection contains a variety of copyright material. Copyright is held by the creator of each item. Specific conditions for this collection are listed below. If no conditions are stipulated then the standard terms of the Copyright Act apply for published and unpublished items. Digitised material from manuscript collections is provided to clients by UNSW Canberra in good faith for private study and research only, and may not be published or re-purposed without the express and written permission of the individual legal holder of that copyright. Refer also to the UNSW copyright, disclaimer and takedown policy

Copying: Check with Curator

Preferred Citation

Papers of Vicki Viidikas, Special Collections, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, MSS 096, Box [Number], Folder [Number].

Provenance

The collection was acquired from Vicki Viidikas and her family in several instalments. The video cassette Break up, directed by Stephen Wallace was donated by A. Sallay.

Additional Information

Related Material

Further material relating to Vicki Viidikas is located in the papers of:
Tom Thompson and Elizabeth Butel at MS 9.
Nigel Roberts at MS 83.
Robert Adamson at MS 149.

Separated Material

Further papers of Vicki Viidikas are held by the National Library, in the Papers of Vicki Viidikas at MS 9729.

 

Subject Keywords

 

Subjects

Women authors, women poets, Australian literature

Personal Names

Vicki Viidikas 1948-1998

Occupations

Authors, poets

 

Container List

 

Series 1 Correspondence, 1948-1998

This series comprises correspondence, cards and postcards received by Vicki Viidikas from family, friends and editors relating to her personal and professional life, and personal material, 1948-1998. Correspondence is also included in the scrapbooks housed in Series 8 Folios.

Folder 1 
Cards and postcards, 1966-1990

Folder 2 
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1970-1975

Folder 3 
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1976-1977

Folder 4 
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1978-1979

Folder 5 
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1980-1981

Folder 6 
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1982-1983

Folder 7 
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1984

Folder 8 
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1985-1986

Folder 9 
Miscellaneous correspondence, and personal information, 1948-1998

Folder 10 
Correspondence and poetry from Bill Beard, 1970-1984

Folder 11 
Correspondence from Wally Randolph, 1976

 

Series 2 Diaries, 1970-1994

This series comprises diaries kept by Viidikas, 1982-1994

Folder 1 
Diary, 1982

Folder 2 
Diary/scrapbook, 1970-1991

Folder 3 
Photocopy of folder 2 - Diary/scrapbook, 1970-1991

Folder 4 
Diary, 1986

Folder 5 
Diary/scrapbook, 1985-1992

Folder 6 
India diary no. 2, 1990

Folder 7 
India diary no. 3 (with note: original diary I lost in India), includes poetry drafts, 1990-1991

Folder 8 
Photocopies of India diaries numbers 2 and 3, 1990-1991

Folder 9 
Diary, 8 July - 24 August 1990

Folder 10 
Diary, 15 July - 18 October 1991

Folder 11 
Diary, 1992

Folder 12-15 
Diaries labelled 1-4, including poetry drafts, 17 April 1993 - 25 May 1994

Folder 16 
Diary/notebook, 1993-1994

 

Series 3 Notebooks, 1980-1991

This series comprises literary notebooks kept by Viidikas, 1980-1991

Folder 1 
Literary journal containing notes for novels and poetry drafts, 1980-1991

Folder 2 
Photocopy of folder 1 - Literary journal containing notes for novels and poetry drafts, 1980-1991

Folder 3 
Notebooks containing drafts for the novel 'Kali and the dung beetle' (original title 'Kali and the stones') x 4, 1980-1986

Folder 4 
Photocopies of folder 3 - Notebooks containing drafts for the novel 'Kali and the dung beetle' (original title 'Kali and the stones') x 4, 1980-1986

Folder 5 
Notebook relating to India ink, together with a photocopy, 1983-1984

Folder 6 
Notebooks containing prose drafts x 2, 1986

 

Series 4 Literary Works, 1966-1997

This series comprises drafts of published and unpublished poems and short stories by Viidikas, 1966-1997.

4.1 Poetry, 1967-1997

This subseries comprises drafts of published and unpublished poems by Viidikas from 1967-1997. Some items have annotations and notes, including publication details in Viidikas' handwriting. There are multiple drafts and/or copies of many items, which have been left in their original order. Some folders also include drafts of short stories.

Folder 1 
Poetry: folder labelled Prose and poetry writings, 1967 onwards, 1967-1971

Folder 2 
Poetry: folder labelled Minor and bad poems from 1967 onwards - annotated typescript and carbon typescript drafts, 1967-1969 and 1972

Folder 3 
Poetry: folder labelled Poems 1969-1970 and 1971-1972 - annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts, 1969-1972

Folder 4 
Poetry: folder labelled Prose and poetry 1970-1975 - annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts, 1970-5/9/1977

Folder 5 
Poetry - annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts, 1973-1979

Folder 6 
Poetry: folder labelled Miscellaneous poetry; Originals poetry; Needs some dates - annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts, undated

Folder 7 
Poetry: folder labelled 'Hoods of desire : a sequence of poems for Terry Gilmore'; Poems 1971; Miscellaneous poems, 1968, c1970-1975 - annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts, 1968-1975

Folder 8 
Poetry - manuscript, annotated typescript and photocopy typescript drafts, 1975-1992

Folder 9 
Poetry: folder 1 labelled Selected poems, comprising poems and short stories - manuscript, annotated typescript and photocopy typescript drafts, 1985-1992

Folder 10 
Poetry: folder 2 labelled Poems - corrected typescript and corrected carbon typescript drafts, 1986-1997

Folder 11 
Poetry: folder 3 labelled 'Swamp city : writings on Melbourne' - corrected typescript and carbon typescript drafts, and photocopy typescript drafts, 1983-1992

Folder 12 
Poetry: folder 4 labelled Miscellaneous poetry - manuscript, annotated typescript and carbon typescript drafts, undated

Folder 13 
Poetry: folder 5 labelled Poems/Writings, comprising twenty one poems and eleven short stories - annotated typescript and carbon typescript drafts, 1972-1992

Folder 14 
Poetry: folder 6 labelled Miscellaneous poems, 1990 - manuscript and annotated typescript drafts, 1988-1993

Folder 15 
Poetry: folder 7 labelled 'The Christopher series'; Stories, comprising poems and short stories - annotated typescript and carbon typescript drafts, 1989-1992

4.2, Short Stories, 1966-1996

This subseries comprises manuscript and typescripts drafts, page proofs and correspondence relating to published and unpublished short stories by Viidikas. There are multiple drafts and/or copies of many short stories, which have been left in their original order. Some folders also include drafts of poems.

Folder 1 
Proof sheets for Wrappings, published by Wild & Woolley, Sydney, 1974

Folder 2 
Miscellaneous short stories, 1983-1990

Folder 3 
Short stories: folder 1 labelled Short stories 'Cut the perfume : a collections of short stories and prose', 1991, comprising fifteen short stories and one poem - annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts, 1966-1991

Folder 4 
Short stories: folder 2 labelled Short stories - Writings, comprising fifteen short stories and notes - annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts, 1973-1988

Folder 5 
Short stories: folder 3 labelled 'Drug 'high' stories : heroin, white light, white heat', comprising twenty five short stories - annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts, 1984-1989

Folder 6 
Short stories: folder 4 labelled Short stories, comprising twenty two short stories - annotated typescript and photocopy typescript drafts, 1973-1989

Folder 7 
Short stories: folder 5 labelled Stories and poems 'India in the nineties', comprising short stories, poems and clippings based on Viidikas' experiences in India - annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts, 1973-1996

Folder 8 
Short stories - annotated typescript drafts, and photocopies of Viidikas' diaries for 'India in the nineties', 1970-1994

4.3, Novel, 1977-1989

This subseries comprises manuscript and typescripts drafts relating to Viidikas' unfinished and unpublished novel 'Kali and the dung beetle : an East/West novel'.

Folder 1 
Novel: 'Kali and the dung beetle : an East/West novel' - correspondence, clippings and readers comments, 1977-1986

Folder 2 
Novel: 'Kali and the dung beetle : an East/West novel' - note from Kerry Leves to Betty [Kunig], 1987, to say this is the 1985 version, 1986-1987

Including:
Corrected and annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts edited by Kerry Leves and Peter Blazey

Folder 3 
Novel: 'Kali and the dung beetle : an East/West novel', unedited version, 1988

Including:
Chapter 1 'Dharma seesaw' - original unedited version: corrected typescript drafts, 65 p.
Edited version: corrected and annotated photocopy typescript drafts, 64 p.

Folder 4 
Novel: 'Kali and the dung beetle : an East/West novel', unedited version, 1988

Including:
Chapter 2 'Heads and tails' - original unedited version: corrected typescript drafts, 79 p.
Edited version: corrected and annotated photocopy drafts, 79 p.

Folder 5 
Novel: 'Kali and the dung beetle : an East/West novel', unedited version, 1988

Including:
Chapter 3 'Goan fantasy' - note from Kerry [Leves]
Annotated and corrected typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts, 80 p. (incomplete)

Folder 6 
Novel: 'Kali and the dung beetle : an East/West novel', unedited version, 1988

Including:
Chapter 4 'The duckyard' - edited and typed: corrected and annotated typescript and carbon typescript drafts, 93 p. (incomplete)

Folder 7 
Novel: 'Kali and the dung beetle : an East/West novel', unedited version, 1988

Including:
Chapter 5 'Mountain muddles' - original unedited version: corrected and annotated photocopy typescript drafts, 105 p.
Original edited version: corrected and annotated typescript and carbon typescript drafts, 105 p.

Folder 8 
Novel: 'Kali and the dung beetle : an East/West novel', unedited version, 1988

Including:
Chapter 6 'Temple fever' - original unedited version: photocopy with a few carbon typescript drafts, 100 p.
Original edited version: corrected and annotated carbon typescript drafts, 82 p.
Edited version typed by Anna: corrected and annotated typescript and carbon typescript drafts, 99 p.

Folder 9 
Novel: 'Kali and the dung beetle : an East/West novel', 1985-1989

Including:
Notes
Random annotated typescript and carbon typescript pages from chapters
Photocopies of research material
Scraps from the novel - annotated typescript and carbon and photocopy typescript drafts
Glossary of Hindi and English - annotated typescript draft, 8 p.
Odd pages from novel - annotated typescript and carbon and photocopy typescript drafts
Notes for 'Mountain muddles' - annotated typescript drafts

 

Series 5 Miscellaneous Papers, 1970-1997

This series comprises material collected by and sent to Viidikas, 1970-1997.

Folder 1 
Publisher's catalog, theatre and poetry programs, and photocopies of poetry and one short story sent to Viidikas, 1970-1997

 

Series 6 Audio Visual, 1973-1975

This series comprises one audio and one video cassette relating to Viidikas and her work, 1973-1975. Both items are available for viewing only - no copying.

Folder 1 
Audio cassette and photocopy of the transcript, 3 December 1975, 7 p.: Vicki Viidikas' interview with Hazel de Berg, National Library of Australia, 3 December 1975 (original held: National Library of Australia in the Hazel de Berg collection ; DeB 901
VHS video cassette: entitled Break up, directed by Stephen Wallace; short film adapted from a short story 'Getting it all together', by Vicki Viidikas, 1975 (original held: National Film and Sound Archive)

 

Series 7 Photographs, 1917-1995

This series comprises a collection of photographs of Viidikas, her family, friends, pets and buildings, 1917-1995. The original arrangement has been retained.

Box-folder 1 
Various photographs of family, friends, pets and buildings, 1917-1980

Box-folder 2 
Various photographs of family, friends, pets and buildings, 1935-1995

 

Series 8 Folios, 1962-1998

This series comprises newspapers, galley proofs and scrapbooks, 1962-1998.

The scrapbooks include newspaper and magazine clippings, original and copies of correspondence, copies of poems and articles by other writers together with Viidikas' written response to their work, programs, multi-page enclosures, programs, tickets, maps and 'found objects' such as tins, pebbles, rocks, flowers and leaves. They provide a wealth of biographical information, and also illustrate Viidikas' artistic response to poems, stories and articles read in magazines and newspapers. The bulk of the correspondence is housed in Series 1 Correspondence.

Various drawings, pages and articles have been removed from some of the scrapbooks prior to receipt by the Library. Original drawings by Viidikas removed from the scrapbooks are housed in this series in box-folders 1 and 5.

Box-folder 1 
Folio material written or collected by Viidikas, 1966-1984

Including:
Corrected galleys for India ink : a collection of prose poems written in India, 1984
Biro draft entitled 'No longer Friday the 13th' 1 p.
Manuscript draft of two untitled poems and a watercolour drawing by Viidikas on the obverse
Watercolour painting by Fritz Stock, 23 March 1981
Newspapers with short stories by Viidikas
Newspapers collected by Viidikas
Posters for poetry readings
Scrapbook 1, includes clippings on various subjects and reviews and copies of poems by other poets, 1966-1969
Scrapbook 2, includes clippings on various subjects and copies of poems by other poets, 1968-1975
Scrapbook 3, includes clippings on various subjects and copies of poems by other poets, 1969-1971

Box-folder 2 
Scrapbooks, 1970-1979

Including:
Scrapbook 4, includes clippings on various subjects and copies of poems by other poets, 1970
Scrapbook 5, recording Viidikas' six months in Great Britain (with short trips to Paris, Belgium and Amsterdam), includes tickets, programs, maps, postcards, clippings, 'found objects', May-November 1973
Scrapbook 6 labelled Ego book I, includes clippings of reviews of Viidikas' writing, carbon transcript of the De Berg interview, correspondence, fan mail, badge with a photograph of Viidikas and four friends, and drafts of poems by other poets, 1974-1979

Box-folder 3 
Scrapbooks, 1973-1993

Including:
Scrapbook 7 labelled Ego book 2, includes clippings of interviews and reviews of Viidikas' writing, correspondence and photocopies of correspondence, photocopies of articles by Viidikas and programs, 1974-1988
Scrapbook 8, includes clippings of reviews of Viidikas' writing, photocopies of articles by Viidikas, correspondence, manuscript journal entries for poetry/prose readings written after the events, programs, annotated photocopy of the De Berg transcript, 1973-1993

Box-folder 4 
Scrapbooks, 1962-1998

Including:
Scrapbook 9, includes clippings on various subjects and reviews, correspondence and copies of work by other writers with responses by Viidikas, 1962, 1973-1974
Scrapbook 10, includes clippings on various subjects and reviews and copies of poems by other poets, 1966-1971
Scrapbook 11, includes clippings on various subjects, 1968-1998

Box-folder 5 
Scrapbook and drawings by Viidikas, 1968-1998

Including:
Scrapbook 11, includes clippings on various subjects, 1968-1998
Original drawings by Vicki Viidikas, 1973-1989 (some were removed from the scrapbooks by Viidikas)

 

Series 9 Posters, 1972-c1980

This series comprises one letter to Viidikas and two posters.

Oversize 1 
Poster entitled Contemporary Australian writers, with red ink annotations by Viidikas under most of the writers; produced by Pat Woolley; designed by Peter Hanbury; published by Books Australia, Balmain, N.S.W., [198-]
Poster entitled 'Books to escape the coffee table with'
Letter to Viidikas from J. Goodall, 1972