Guide to the Papers of Vincent Buckley [MSS 229]

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Manuscript Name Papers of Vincent Buckley
Manuscript Number MSS 229
Last Updated August 2021
Extent 1.3 m (10 boxes + 1 folio)
Location Special Collections, UNSW Canberra
Abstract This collection comprises manuscript papers and related material by Vincent Buckley.

Scope and Content

The papers of Vincent Buckley include correspondence, notebooks, manuscript and typescript drafts, variant versions, page proofs, book reviews, author's legal agreement, newspaper clippings and lecture notes.

Date Range of Content

1937-1992

Organization

Special Collections staff has imposed the series arrangement of this collection to describe and preserve context and relationships.

Biographical Note

Vincent Thomas Buckley was born 8 July 1925 in Romsey, Victoria and died 12 November 1988. He was educated at St. Patrick's College, 1938-1942 and the University of Melbourne, where he received a B.A., 1949 and M.A., 1953, before undertaking further study at Cambridge University, 1955-1957. He served in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War and worked as a public servant before joining the teaching staff at Melbourne University in 1951. He was the inaugural Lockie Fellow in Australian Literature and Creative Writing, 1958-1960, Senior Lecturer, 1961-1963, Reader, 1964-1967, held the Personal Chair in Poetry until his early retirement, 1967-1987 and was a member of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

Buckley was a poet, academic, editor and critic of Australian and Irish literature. In the 1950s and 1960s, he had considerable intellectual and literary influence in Melbourne through his writing and teaching. He published eight volumes of poetry and several critical studies, and edited several anthologies of verse and the magazines Prospect (1958-1963) and was poetry editor of the Bulletin (1961-1963). In 1969, he founded the Committee for Civil Rights in Ireland, and throughout his later life he visited and lived in Ireland.

Buckley was the recipient of several awards, including:
Festival Awards for Literature (SA), John Bray Award for Poetry, 1992, winner for Last poems
Northern Territory Literary Awards, Red Earth Poetry Award, Open Section, 1984, winner for 'Synchrony'
FAW Christopher Brennan Award, 1982, winner
Dublin Prize, 1977, winner
Myer Award for Australian Poetry, 1967, winner for Arcady and other places : poems
Australian Literature Society Gold Medal, 1962, winner for Masters in Israel
The Quadrant Prize for Contributions to Issue Numbers 23-26, 1962 - 1963, winner for 'Parents'
Australian Literature Society Medal, 1959
The Borestone Mountain Poetry Award, 1951

Buckley's publications include:
The world's flesh (1954)
Essays in poetry : mainly Australian (1957)
Australian poetry (editor, 1958)
Poetry and morality : studies on the criticism of Matthew Arnold, T. S. Eliot and F. R. Leavis (1959)
Henry Handel Richardson (1961, 2nd ed. 1970)
Masters in Israel (1961)
The Campion paintings, by Leonard French; introduction and annotation of plates by Buckley (1962)
Eight by eight (editor, 1963)
Arcady and other places (1966)
Poetry and the sacred (1968)
Ulster : why?, compiled by Vincent Buckley (1973)
Golden builders and other poems (1976)
Late-winter child (1979)
The pattern (1979)
Selected poems (1981)
Cutting green hay : friendships, movements and cultural conflicts in Australia's great decades (1983)
Memory Ireland : insights into the contemporary Irish condition (1985)
Last poems (edited, with a foreword by Penelope Buckley, 1991; published posthumously)
The Faber book of modern Australian verse (editor, 1991; published posthumously).

The Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize instituted in memory of Buckley, and which alternates between Australian and Irish poets, was awarded for the first time in 1993; the recipient was Lisa Gorton, for a poem sequence entitled 'Tidings'.

References:
The Oxford companion to Australian literature, 2nd ed. (1994)
The bibliography of Australian literature. A-E (2001)
AustLit Australian Literature Gateway database, 2003
Ozlit: Australian Literature Resources on the Net, Books & Writers Database, 2003

Administrative Information

Access

This collection is available for research.

Restrictions on Use

No copying is permitted without the permission of the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Vincent Buckley, Special Collections, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy, MSS 229, Series [Number], Folder [Number].

Provenance

The collection was acquired by the Library in several instalments from Penelope Buckley from 1991-1993.

Additional Information

Separated Material

Further papers of Vincent Buckley are held by the National Library, in the Vincent Buckley Papers, at MS 7289.

Access Terms

Personal Names

Buckley, Vincent, 1925-1988 -- Archives.

Topical Subjects

Poets, Australian -- 20th century -- Archives.

College teachers -- Australia -- Archives.

Australian poetry -- 20th century.

Occupations

Poets

Academics

Series List and Descriptions

 

Series 1 Correspondence, 1951-1990

This series comprises two subseries of correspondence relating to Buckley's personal, writing and professional life. There is correspondence from family, friends, students, literary associates, agents, publishers and admirers regarding Buckley's university appointments and work, lectures and addresses, and various literary endeavours. There is also correspondence with Dr Penelope Buckley regarding publication of The Faber book of modern Australian verse (1991). Arrangement is alphabetical by name of correspondent or company, then chronological.

Much of the correspondence is from notable Australian literary personalities, including Bruce Beaver, R. D. FitzGerald, Helen Garner, Mary Gilmore, Gwen Harwood, Xavier Herbert, Jack Hibberd, A. D. Hope, Manfred Jurgensen, F. R. Leavis, David Malouf, David Martin, James McAuley, Rhyll McMaster, Dennis O'Driscoll, Bernard Smith, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Patrick White and Fay Zwicky.

Buckley's correspondence reflects the intensity of thought, debate and the copious exchange of political attitudes, ideas and thoughts between leading intellectuals in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s. His letters with Irish correspondents, and details of his visits to Ireland and Irish universities show his ties between Australian and Irish culture and writing.

1.1 Personal correspondence, 1952-1988

This subseries comprises personal correspondence with Vincent Buckley. Arrangement is alphabetical, then chronological with attributions by Buckley.

Folder 1
Personal correspondence A-H, 1952-1988

Including Ron Ayling, Bruce Beaver (3), Kevin Hart (3 notes), Seamus Heaney, T. R. Henn (1), Jack Hibberd (1) and A. D. Hope, together with drafts of his poetry

Folder 2
Gwen Harwood, together with drafts of her poetry, 1960s-1988

Folder 3
Personal correspondence J-L, 1953-1987

Including Nigel Jackson (1 from, 1 to), Evan Jones, together with drafts of his poetry, Galway Kinnell and F. R. Leavis (3)

Folder 4
Personal correspondence M-W, 1961-1988

Including David Malouf (1), David Martin (1), together with drafts of his poetry, Carolyn Masel, A. A. Phillips (1), Peter Porter (1), Bernard Smith, Peter Steele, Patrick White (1), Robert Wilson and miscellaneous cards

1.2 Professional correspondence, 1951-1990

This subseries comprises professional correspondence with Vincent Buckley with newspaper editors, literary associates, colleagues and students concerning Buckley's university appointments, work and university affairs, lectures and addresses and various literary endeavours.

Principal correspondents include The Age, Angus & Robertson, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian National University, The Australian, Max Charlesworth, Peter Cravan, Faber & Faber, Robert D. FitzGerald, Barbara Giles, Mary Gilmore, Robert Harris, Les Harrop, Xavier Herbert, Manfred Jurgensen, Tim Kelly, Thomas Kinsella, Peter Kuch, Brian Matthews, James McAuley, Thomas McCarthy, Meanjin, Les Murray, Mark O'Connor, Dennis O'Driscoll, Dinny O'Hearn, Vincent O'Sullivan, Outrider, Oxford University Press, K. K. Ruthven, John Sendy, Paul Simpson, Richard Tipping, Dimitris Tsaloumas, Ian Turner, University of Melbourne, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Gerard Windsor and Fay Zwicky. Arrangement is alphabetical, then chronological with attributions by Buckley.

Folder 1
Business correspondence A, 1969-1988

Including letters to the Age, letters from Angus & Robertson, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Bob Brissenden and David Brooks of the Australian National University, and The Australian

Folder 2
Business correspondence B-G, 1956-1988

Including the British Broadcasting Corporation, correspondence to Manning Clark (1), Danny Cusack (2), Deakin University, John Dormer (1), Robert D. FitzGerald (1) and Mary Gilmore (1)

Folder 3
Business correspondence relating to the release of the Hungarian writers and intellectuals still in prison appeal, 1959-1961

Including letters, lists and signatures of Australian writers and intellectuals and letters from H. R. Krygier of the Australian Association for Cultural Freedom, J. F. Cairns, Louise de Villefosse of the Comité Tibor Déry, K. D. Gott, Tibor Meray and Elizabeth Young

Folder 4
Business correspondence H-L, 1960-1988

Including Les Harrop, Xavier Herbert relating to Herbert's profound thanks for Buckley's review in Meanjin, vol.29 no.1, 1960, p.13-30 of Capricornia (1), Grahame Johnston, Paul Kane, Thomas Kinsella and Peter Kuch

Folder 5
Business correspondence M-N, 1952-1988

Including Brian Matthews (1), James McAuley, Thomas McCarthy (3) and Meanjin

Folder 6
Business correspondence O, 1960-1988

Including Mark O'Connor (1), Dennis O'Driscoll, Vincent O'Sullivan, Outrider and Oxford University Press

Folder 7
Business correspondence P-T, 1959-1987

Including Barbara Giles of P.E.N. (2), Barry Pittard (1), Ravan Press (1), royalty payment details, Peter Cravan of Scripsi, Robert Harris of Seahore Publications (1), John Sendy (1), Paul Simpson (3), Les Murray of South Head Press (1), Richard Tipping (1), together with his poetry, Dimitris Tsaloumas (2), together with his poetry and Ian Turner (1)

Folder 8
Business correspondence Universities-Z, 1968-1988

Including Jonathan White of the University of Essex (2), Irish universities including Tom Dunne of University College, Cork (1), Seán Lucy of University College, Cork (2), Leland [Lyons?] of the University of Dublin (1), Robert Welch of the University of Ulster at Coleraine (1), Tadhg Foley (2) and Patrick F. Sheeran (1) of University College, Galway, Christopher Pollnitz (5) and Paul Kavanagh (1) of The University of Newcastle, Lynn Hard (2), Harry Heseltine and Trish Middleton of the University College, UNSW, Manfred Jurgensen of the University of Queensland (5), John Winter of The University of Tasmania (1), Dennis Haskell of the University of Western Australia (2), copies of letters concerning the Vietnam conflict, Gerard Windsor (2) and Fay Zwicky (1)

Folder 9
Business correspondence illustrating academic life within the University of Melbourne, 1960s-1988

Correspondents include Marion Campbell, Anne Coulthurst, Neil Courtney, Tim Kelly, Dinny O'Hearn, Kevin Presa, K. K. Ruthven, A. L. Turner, Chris Wallace-Crabbe; letters concerning Buckley's retirement, letter from Buckley to the Vice-Chancellor regarding the Lockie Fellowship, letters with Buckley regarding the Farrago controversy, 1967 and Max Charlesworth

Folder 10
Business correspondence, University of Melbourne, 1983-1988

Including references, examiner's reports and correspondence with students

Folder 11
Business correspondence concerning Buckley's application for the Archbishop Mannix Travelling Scholarship for 1954, 1951-1957

Including photocopies donated to the Library by Anthony Strazzera of Buckley's letter to Fr. Rector [Murphy], references from A. D. Hope, Ian Maxwell, Clem Christesen and Father Golden, copies of letters to Father Gleason during his Cambridge period (6) and Buckley's handwritten curriculum vitae

Folder 12
Business correspondence relating from friends and admirers of Poetry and morality (1), Arcady and other places (1), Golden builders (1), Cutting green hay (27) and Memory Ireland (5),1959-1988

Including John ?, Thomas Butler, Neil Coughlan, Jean Crowcroft, Seamus Grimes, Bernard Jordan, Peter [Kelly], David Martin, Melbourne University Press, Denis O'Leary, Peter O'Shaughnessy, Penguin Books, Geoff Sharp and John J. Scullion

Folder 13
Business correspondence relating to the publication of The Faber book of modern Australian verse, 1983-1990

Including copies of letters from Vincent and Penelope Buckley and letters from Craig Raine, Mary Hill and Christopher Reid of Faber and Faber, together with a contract, 13/2/1984

Folder 14
Business correspondence relating to the publication of The Faber book of modern Australian verse, 1989-1990

Including copyright permission to reprint letters from Australian authors and publishers

 

Series 2 Poetry, 1947-1988

This series comprises notebooks, multiple versions of manuscript and typescript drafts of both published and unpublished poetry by Buckley including poems from Arcady and other places and Last poems.

This material is arranged chronologically and correspondence regarding the development, editing and publication of the poetry is included in Series 1.

2.1 Miscellaneous poetry, 1947-1981

This subseries comprises manuscript, typescript, carbon and photocopy drafts of Buckley's poetry published in literary magazines and anthologies, together with drafts of unpublished poetry and poetry used for The world's flesh (1954), Masters in Israel (1961), Arcady and other places (1966), Golden builders and other poems (1976), Late-winter child (1979), The pattern (1979) and Selected poems (1981)

Folder 1
Manuscripts, typescripts, carbons, photocopies and fragments of unfinished and finished poems, 1947-1970s

Folder 2
Manuscripts, typescripts, photocopies and fragments of unfinished and finished poems, 1950s-1970s

Folder 3
Manuscripts, typescripts, photocopies and fragments of unfinished and finished poems, 1960s-1981

Folder 4
Manuscripts, typescripts, photocopies and fragments of unfinished and finished poems, 1960s-1981

2.2 Arcady and other places (1966)

This subseries comprises manuscript drafts of Arcady and other places, published by Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Vic., 1966 and miscellaneous poetry drafts.

Folder 1
Manuscript drafts and one folio notebook, 1960-1966

2.3 Golden builders and other poems (1976) and Late-winter child (1979)

This subseries comprises a contract for Golden builders and other poems, published by Angus & Robertson, London, 1976, and a notebook containing drafts of Late-winter child, published by Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1979, and miscellaneous poetry drafts.

Folder 1
Contractual Agreement; one notebook containing miscellaneous poetry and drafts of poems used for Late-winter child and manuscript and typescript drafts, 1972-1979

2.4 Last poems (1991)

This subseries comprises notebooks, manuscript, typescript, word-processed and photocopy drafts of poems from Last poems, by Vincent Buckley; edited and with a foreword by Penelope Buckley, published posthumously by McPhee Gribble, Ringwood, Vic., 1991. Some of these poems have been published in magazines and in earlier published volumes in the same or earlier versions. There are finished poems and some in draft.

Last poems consists of two sections. The first section entitled 'A poetry without attitudes' contains all the poems left on the word-processor in the Melbourne University English Department by Vincent Buckley, together with a few selected by Penelope Buckley as they thematically belonged. The second section entitled 'The watch's wheel - pieces and songs', is something of a workshop collection consisting of pieces, poems and songs originally selected for inclusion in the book by Vincent Buckley and updated by Penelope Buckley and Chris Wallace-Crabbe.

The arrangement of about half the poems in 'A poetry without attitudes' was according to a list of contents left in manuscript by Vincent Buckley; the rest were arranged by Penelope Buckley. The arrangement of 'The watch's wheel - pieces and songs' was made by Penelope Buckley in consultation with Chris Wallace-Crabbe, who also reduced the projected size to half.

Folder 1
Annotated manuscripts, typescripts, photocopies and word-processed drafts for 'A poetry without attitudes'

Folder 2
Annotated manuscripts, typescripts, photocopies and word-processed drafts for 'A poetry without attitudes'

Folder 3
Three notebooks containing manuscript drafts, chiefly 'The watch's wheel - pieces and songs'

Folder 4
Proof corrections and changes; preliminary pages; correspondence and proof changes for the second edition, 1991-1992

Folder 5
Poems not available for Last poems as they came to light after the book's content had been decided and production started

Folder 6
Poems available, but not used; book plans (4) and Buckley's biographical details

 

Series 3 Prose, 1937-1980s

This series comprises manuscript and typescript drafts of various prose works written by Buckley, including short stories, an autobiography, articles, criticisms, reviews and lectures. Correspondence regarding the development, editing and publication of this material is included in Series 1.

Series 3.1 Short stories, 1937 or 1938

This small subseries comprises one folder containing an exercise book with two juvenile short stories.

Folder 1
One exercise book containing two handwritten short stories and pencil drawings of heads, c. 1937-1938

Including one short story entitled 'The legion of the lost' written by Buckley in c. 1937-1938? and an untitled short story about the 1938 VFL grand final

Series 3.2 Autobiographical Works, 1976-1983

This small subseries comprises one folder regarding Cutting green hay, published by Penguin Books, Ringwood, Vic., 1983.

Folder 1
Includes a manuscript draft fragment, 11 p.; photocopy of the book outline for the publisher, 3 p.; editor's note and travel itinerary, 1976-1983

3.3 Articles and Reviews, 1960-1988

This small subseries comprises one judges' report, articles, criticisms and book reviews written by Buckley for Australian and overseas literary journals and newspapers.

Folder 1
Copies of journals, manuscript, typescript and carbon drafts of published criticisms and articles, 1960-1988

Including 'Blake's originality', 'Colderidge : vision and actuality', untitled article on Denis Donoghue and 'Passion and control in Wuthering heights'

Folder 2
Manuscript drafts of book reviews, typescript of a judges' report for the Nettie Palmer Prize for non-fiction and A. A. Phillips Award for Australian Studies and copies of published articles, 1960-1988

3.4 Lectures, 1960-1980s

This subseries comprises course notes, teaching notes and manuscript drafts of university lectures. This material is arranged alphabetically by lecture title.

Folder 1
'A', course and teaching notes, manuscript drafts and photocopies, c. 1970s-1980s

Folder 2
'B', course and teaching notes and manuscript and carbon drafts, c. 1960s-1980s

Folder 3
'C' and 'E', course and teaching notes and manuscript drafts, c. 1970s-1980s

Folder 4
'L-M', 'P', course and teaching notes and manuscript drafts, c. 1970s-1980s

Folder 5
'R-S', course and teaching notes and manuscript drafts, c. 1970s-1980s

3.5 The Faber book of modern Australian verse, 1983-1990

This subseries comprises lists, acknowledgements list, notes, notebook, manuscript, typescript and photocopy drafts of Buckley's introduction for The Faber book of modern Australian verse, edited by Vincent Buckley and published posthumously by Faber and Faber, London, 1991. Correspondence regarding the development, editing and publication of the this material is included in Series 1, folders 13 and 14.

Folder 1
Introduction - manuscript notes and photocopies, c. 1980s

Folder 2
Introduction - annotated typescript and photocopy draft fragments, c. 1980s

Folder 3
Introduction - foolscap notebook with annotated typescript insertions; typescript fragments with Buckley's emendations only, sent to Craig Raine of Faber and Faber, 17/4/89

Folder 4
Introduction - annotated superseded typescript draft fragments

Folder 5
Introduction - annotated typescript and photocopy draft fragments

Folder 6
Introduction - annotated typescript and photocopy draft fragment; annotated typescript and photocopy drafts of Penelope Buckley's 1st re-write, her short c.v. relating to the project and Acknowledgements corrections together with a covering letter to Ms Hill, Desk Editor of Faber and Faber, 18/9/90

Folder 7
Introduction - annotated typescript and photocopy drafts of Penelope Buckley's re-write

Folder 8
Introduction - amended typescript sent to Craig Raine of Faber and Faber, together with a letter from him on suggested changes, 20 June 1989

Folder 9
Introduction - annotated galley proofs

Folder 10
Manuscript, typescript and photocopies of Author and poetry lists, photocopies of poetry lists, poets works and poetry anthology rates

 

Series 4 Miscellaneous Papers, 1950-1988

This series comprises a scrapbook, copies of published works and photocopies of reviews, articles and criticisms concerning Buckley's work as an intellectual, academic and writer, published in literary journals, newspapers and university magazines.

Folder 1
Scrapbook of reviews about Buckley's published works; articles by Buckley; criticisms about Buckley's works and a letter from A. A. Phillips dated 21/9/1957, 1954-1958

Folder 2
Reviews of The world's flesh, Essays in poetry, mainly Australian and Australian poetry 1958, 1954-1959

Folder 3
Reviews and criticisms of Poetry and morality : studies on the criticism of Matthew Arnold, T. S. Eliot and F.R. Leavis, 1959

Folder 4
Reviews and criticisms of Poetry and morality : studies on the criticism of Matthew Arnold, T. S. Eliot and F.R. Leavis and Masters in Israel, together with a carbon copy of a letter from Wilbur Sanders, 1959-1961

Folder 5
Reviews of Arcady and other places : poems, 1966-1967

Folder 6
Reviews of Poetry and the sacred, 1968-1969

Folder 7
Reviews of Golden builders and other poems, Late-winter child, The pattern and Memory Ireland, 1976-1986

Folder 8
Reviews of Cutting green hay : friendships, movements and cultural conflicts in Australia's great decades, together with a copy of a letter from Buckley to Dr Walter of Griffith University, concerning Dr Edward Duyker's review, 1983-1984

Folder 9
Articles concerning Buckley published in various journals and newspapers and a typescript poem entitled 'Conversation with Vincent Buckley' by Peter ?, 1960-1988

Folder 10
Articles collected by Buckley from magazines and newspapers, 1950-1988

Folder 11
Photocopies of Commonwealth Literary Fund information and the 1959 ANZ Peace Congress minutes, articles and newspaper clippings 1957 and 1959

 

Series 5 Audio Visual, 1992

This small series comprises one audiocassette produced for ABC Radio National's Encounter program on Vincent Buckley and donated to the Library by Graham Rowlands.

Folder 1
Participants of the program include Graham Rowlands, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Fay Zwicky and Penelope Buckley, together with a photocopy of a letter sent to Lyn Hard from Graham Rowlands, 28/6/1992

 

Series 6 Folios, 1992

This small series comprises one poster advertising a fundraiser for the Support Rights in Ireland organisation.

Folder 1
'A night of folksinging and poetry' (Support Rights in Ireland) with singers - Declan Affley, David Brannigan, John Fitzgerald, Danny Spooner, Glen Tomasetti and readers - Vincent Buckley, Alan Cole, John O'Brien and D. J. O'Hearn