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  • Leeds Poetry Collections, 1950-1980


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    Three Moments in British and German Poetry of the First World War(1985) - Hanna Ostermann

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/15
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Photocopy of Hanna Ostermann's M.A. dissertation, Three Moments in British and German Poetry of the First World War, submitted to the School of English, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 19 April 1985; with Jon Silkin's ms annotations. Discusses German pre-war Expressionist poetry, responses to the declaration of war in British and German poetry, and poetry written by soldiers on the front.

    Access Points

    Subjects
    Expressionism in literature Germany
    World War, 1914-1918 Poetry History and criticism
    War poetry, German History and criticism
    War poetry, English History and criticism
    Dissertations, Academic
    Personal Names
    Ostermann Hanna

    An Exploration of the Literature of Siegfried Sassoon(1986) - Jan Miles

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/16
    Physical Description: 1 spiral-bound essay.

    Scope and Content

    Spiral-bound, word-processed copy of Jan Miles' special study, 'An Exploration of the Literature of Siegfried Sassoon,' submiitted in partial fulfillment of the Combined Studies B.A. at the College of St Paul and St Mary, Cheltenham. Inserted at the front is a loose sheet with an abstract.

    Access Points

    Subjects
    World War, 1914-1918 Literature History and criticism
    Personal Names
    Miles Jan
    Sassoon Siegfried 1886-1967

    War Literature: Miscellaneous (2)(1983-1986) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/17
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Miscellaneous collection of items relating to Silkin's interest in war literature, originally held together in an envelope labelled '1st World War & War - Misc.' Includes a photocopy of Richard Tillinghurst's CV, ca. 1983 (Dept. of English, Harvard University); a photocopy of Laurence Goldstein's poem 'The Three Musketeers, Illustrated Edition' (from an unidentified publication); a photocopy of a clean draft (?) of '"Tumult in the Clouds:" The Flying Machine and the Great Crusade,' chapter 5 in Goldstein's The Flying Machine and Modern Literature(published Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986); a photocopy of the title-page and title-poem of Paul Bewsher's The Bombing of Bruges (Hodder and Stoughton, 1918); a typescript letter from Don Hale (11 May 1983) accompanying a photocopy of a page from a "bullet note book" featuring a poem by soldier Sandy McLellon and a ts transcription of the poem; a photocopy of the poem 'Armistice Day 1974' with ms note to Jon Silkin from Bob Miller (the poem's author?); ms letter from Simeon Underwood (dated 14 November [no year]) concerning Rudyard Kipling's First World War short stories; photocopy of a syllabus for the subject Literature and The Great War, taught by Hugh Buckingham; photocopy of clippings from the Radio Times of listings for the Composers of the Great War series broadcast in July 1985; ms letter to Michael Blackburn from Joyce Hubert (16 May 1985) with a note from Hubert to Jon Silkin concerning A.M. Burrage, author of War is War (London: Gollancz, 1930); a photocopied collection of war poetry and prose (various authors); and a ts letter from Philip Saunders (16 May 1985) accompanying photocopies of poems and prose by Leslie Rider Bumpus, extracts written about Bumpus and the letter written to Bumpus' father following his death.

    Access Points

    Subjects
    World War, 1914-1918 Poetry
    War poets, English
    Airplanes, Military, in literature
    Personal Names
    Goldstein Laurence 1943-
    Bewsher Paul
    Hale Don
    McLellon Sandy
    Miller Bob
    Underwood Simeon
    Buckingham Hugh
    Blackburn Michael
    Burrage Alfred McLelland
    Saunders Philip
    Bumpus Leslie Rider 1883-1917

    Editorials from The New Republic(February 1988) - David Levy

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/18
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Word-processed letter from David Levy (University of Oklahoma) to Jon Silkin, accompanying photocopies of editorials from the first edition of The New Republic (both 7 November 1914) by Walter Lippmann and Herbert Croly, biographical information on Lippmann and Croly compiled by Levy, and a page from a photocopy of an article on The New Republic written by Levy. The letter suggests that the last item is a page from one of two encyclopedia articles photocopied by Levy and sent to Silkin which are no longer present.

    The letter and other items sent to Silkin by Levy are grouped together by a sheet of paper with ms notes by Silkin relating to his research on war literature.

    Access Points

    Subjects
    Correspondence
    Editorials
    World War, 1914-1918 Press coverage United States
    Personal Names
    Levy David W. 1937-
    Lippmann Walter 1889-1974
    Croly Herbert David 1869-1930

    War Poetry Publications(1975-1991) - Hilda D. Spear

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/19
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Offprint of Hilda D. Spear and Sonya A. Summersgill's 'Poison Gas and the Poetry of War,' from Essays in Criticism, vol. XLI no. 4 (October 1991), with inscription to Jon Silkin on cover (26 November 1991); photocopy of Hilda Spear's article '"I Too Saw God:" The Religious Allusions in Wilfred Owen's Poetry,' from English, 24 (1975); and a copy of Sword and Pen: Poems of 1915 from Dundee and Tayside, edited by Hilda Spear and Bruce Pandrich (Aberdeen University Press, 1989), inscribed to Jon Silkin and Lorna Tracy on title page (March 1990).

    Access Points

    Subjects
    World War, 1914-1918 Poetry
    Gases, Asphyxiating and poisonous War use Poetry
    War poetry, Scottish
    Personal Names
    Spear Hilda D.
    Summersgill Sonya A.
    Pandrich Bruce
    Owen Wilfred 1893-1918

    Great War Exhibitions(1979-1985) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/20
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Photocopied information on Isaac Rosenberg and the Slade School of Art (for/from an exhibition?); catalogue for the Artists and the Great War exhibition of pictures from the Imperial War Museum collections, held at Newcastle Upon Tyne Polytechnic Art Gallery (23 April-18 May 1979); and a letter from David A. Cohen to Jon Silkin (8 July 1985), accompanying photocopied items relating to The Great War exhibition at the Hahn Gallery, London (8-23 November 1985) including a poster, list of artists, and David Cohen's article, 'Collecting Art of the Great War.'

    Access Points

    Subjects
    World War, 1914-1918 Art and the war
    Art and war
    Exhibitions
    Exhibition catalogs
    Correspondence
    Personal Names
    Rosenberg Isaac 1890-1918
    Cohen David A.
    Corporate Names
    Stephen Hahn Gallery
    Newcastle Polytechnic Gallery

    Poets of the Forties Conference(1979) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/21
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    File produced for delegates the Poets of the Forties conference held at Yr Academi Gymreig in 1979, labelled for Jon Silkin. The file contains duplicated sets of poems by Keith Douglas, Alun Lewis, Sidney Keyes, T.E. Nicholas (in Welsh) and "American Poets of the Forties;" and a list of suggestions for further reading. The poems by Douglas, Lewis and Keyes include Silkin's ms annotations.

    Access Points

    Subjects
    World War, 1939-1945 Poetry
    War poets, English
    War poets, Welsh
    Congresses and conventions
    Personal Names
    Douglas Keith Castellain 1920-1944
    Lewis Alun 1915-1944
    Keyes Sidney 1922-1943
    Nicholas T. E. (Thomas Evan)
    Corporate Names
    Welsh Academy

    Symposium Abstracts(1991) - Universitåt Graz

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/22
    Physical Description: 1 file.
    Language of Material: Includes items in German.

    Scope and Content

    Abstracts received for the symposium The First World War in English and German Literature: A Comparative View, held at Karl-Franzens-Universitåt, Graz, 23-26 September 1991. Amongst the contributors are Patrick Bridgwater, Dominic Hibberd, Holger Klein, Marjorie Perloff and Hilda D. Spear.

    Access Points

    Subjects
    World War, 1914-1918 Literature and the war
    War and literature
    Abstracts
    Personal Names
    Bridgwater Patrick
    Hibberd Dominic
    Klein Holger Michael 1938-
    Perloff Marjorie
    Spear Hilda D.
    Corporate Names
    Universitåt Graz

    [On Rosenberg and Owen]([ca. 1963-1970?]) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/23
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Ms and annotated ts draft paper discussing the poetry and experience of Isaac Rosenberg and Wilfred Owen.

    Access Points

    Subjects
    World War, 1914-1918 Poetry
    Personal Names
    Rosenberg Isaac 1890-1918
    Owen Wilfred 1893-1918

    [Second World War Poetry Anthology]([ca. 1994-1995?]) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/24
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Page proofs of the contents pages and Jon Silkin's Introduction (dated Newcastle upon Tyne, 1994) to an anthology of poetry relating to the Second World War. The selection of poems was made by Silkin. It is unclear as to who the intended publisher was, and whether or not the anthology was ever published.

    Access Points

    Subjects
    World War, 1939-1945 Poetry Anthologies
    Proofs (Printing)

    On David Gascoyne([1980s?]) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/4/8/25
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Short annotated ts draft paper on David Gascoyne, accompanied by photocopies of poems by Gascoyne with Silkin's ms annotations.

    Related Material

    See also Silkin's paper on Gascoyne with Gascoyne's comments, Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/6/6/4.


    Access Points

    Subjects
    World War, 1939-1945 Poetry
    Personal Names
    Gascoyne David 1916-

    Drama(ca. 1955-1990) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5
    Physical Description: 13 boxes.

    Scope and Content

    This subfonds comprises papers relating to plays written by Jon Silkin, including his verse plays Gurney and The Illiterates. Includes drafts and scripts of plays; papers relating to the production of plays in theatres, including programmes, a small amount of correspondence and photographs; and fragments and incomplete drafts.

    Arrangement

    This subfonds has been arranged into the following series:

    Related Material

    Papers relating to the long poem/verse drama 'The People' (broadcast on Radio 3 and published in The Principle of Water (1974)), are held at Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/1/7/2.


    Separated Material

    Correspondence with the BBC and others relating to drama by Silkin is generally (although not exclusively) held within the Correspondence subfonds. Reference numbers for separated and/or related correspondence are provided in lower-level descriptions.

    Access Points

    Subjects
    Drama
    Playwriting

    Gurney(ca. 1981-1989) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1
    Physical Description: 7 boxes; 31 files.

    Scope and Content

    This series contains papers relating to Jon Silkin's verse play, Gurney, and includess extensive drafts and revisions; a small amount of correspondence relating to the play and its production; scripts of the play; programmes and other papers relating to productions by Steve Dearden/Inckproductions and Alec (Dave) Bell with Pentameters theatre company; photographs of the Pentameters production; and drafts and versions of the play relating to Silkin's revisions and adaptation of Gurney for radio.

    Administrative / Biographical History

    In September 1983, Jon Silkin took up post as Writer in Residence at King's College, Taunton, on the understanding that he would help with teaching and seminar groups within the English Department, and complete a play that would be suitable for acting by the school's pupils at the Edinburgh Festival. The play, Gurney, based loosely on the life of the poet Ivor Gurney, was written as a verse drama, and first performed by the school in June 1984 at the Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton and The Drum, Plymouth, directed by Peter Wood (a member of staff at King's College).

    Following this school production, Silkin worked with director Steve Dearden, and Dearden's theatre company Inckproductions, on a short tour of Gurney at theatres in the North East of England. The "World Premiere" of Gurney was performed at Dunelm House, Durham in November 1984, followed by performances in Hexham and Newcastle in January 1985, and at the Oxford Union Arts Festival in October 1985.

    As well as being in contact with Steve Dearden regarding Gurney, Silkin also corresponded extensively with theatre director Alec (Dave) Bell regarding drafts of the play; and Bell later directed a production of the play for Pentameters theatre company in London. Pentameters and Silkin were awarded an Arts Council Contract Writers Award for the rewriting/revision of Gurney in November 1985, and the play was staged again in Hampstead, London, in January-February 1986 under the title Black Notes, with a stage set designed by the Russian artist Kirill Sokolov.

    From a fairly early stage (ca. October 1984), Silkin was also in touch with contacts at the BBC, including Brian Miller and Ned Chaileet, with regard to turning the stage version of Gurney into a radio play. Despite substantial revisions to the play, and a writers' commission from the BBC in February 1987, Gurney was never produced for radio.

    A version of Gurney was published by Peter Mortimer's Iron Press in 1985.

    Arrangement

    Correspondence relating to Jon Silkin's search for theatres in which to stage productions of Gurney and financial support was originally dispersed throughout the files in this series. As this meant that some sequences of correspondence was split between files, this particular correspondence has been removed to form a separate file ( Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1/19).

    Separated Material

    Press cuttings of reviews of Gurney as published by the Iron Press are held at Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/1/18/6.

    See also Silkin's correspondence with the Arts Council (Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/8/ART), Steve Dearden (Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/8/DEA) and (Dave) Alec Bell (Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/8/BEL-1).

    Access Points

    Subjects
    Verse drama
    Personal Names
    Gurney Ivor 1890-1937 Drama

    King's College(1981-1985 ) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1/1
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    This file contains items relating to Jon Silkin's Writer in Residence post at King's College, Taunton. Includes a press cutting from The Guardian (26 May 1983) on Silkin's post and the play; correspondence from various members of staff at the school (September 1982 - May 1985) discussing Silkin's post and the play he has been comissioned to complete (i.e. Gurney), including Peter Wood and Jim Spalding; correspondence with The Netherbow Theatre, Edinburgh (August - December 1983) regarding the possibility of a King's College production of Gurney being staged there during the 1984 Edinburgh Festival; correspondence from Tony Boden regarding Gurney items in the possession of his family (June - October 1983); a copy of the South West Review, no. 18 (August 1983), including an announcement on Silkin's post at King's College; copies of 2 issues of the King's College magazine, Aluredian (1981-1982), one of which has Silkin's notes on contacts on the title-page; a carbon copy typescript blurb by Silkin on Gurney; and Silkin's ms notes of contact details for theatres in Surrey and people connected with Ivor Gurney.

    Related Material

    Papers relating to other residencies and appointments held by Silkin are held generally at Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/7. Papers relating to residencies in schools, colleges, etc. in the UK are held in series Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/7/7.


    Access Points

    Subjects
    Poets as teachers
    Schools
    Correspondence
    Personal Names
    Spalding Jim
    Boden Anthony
    Corporate Names
    King's College School (Taunton, England)
    Netherbow Theatre (Edinburgh, Scotland)

    Gurney Drafts (1)(ca. 1981-1983) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1/2
    Physical Description: 2 files.

    Scope and Content

    This file contains ms notes and plans for acts and scenes, and the plot(s) of Gurney; and extensive ms and typescript drafts and reworkings of individual scenes. Some of the drafts are written/typed on yellow and green paper.

    Also held in this file is a programme for a screening of Abel Gance's 1927 film Napoleon (ca. 1981).

    Arrangement

    Arranged as found; ms notes and plans are mixed in with scene drafts.

    Gurney Drafts (2)(ca. 1981-1983) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1/3
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Photocopies of annotated typescript drafts, ms notes, and some original annotated typescript drafts of scenes for Gurney. Some of the drafts include ms comments in the hand of Peter Wood. The drafts as a whole are accompanied by a page of ms notes/comments by Peter Wood.

    Separated Material

    Correspondence from Peter Wood is held in file Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1/1.

    Access Points

    Personal Names
    Wood Peter

    Gurney Drafts (3)(ca. 1981-1983) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1/4
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Annotated typescript drafts of Gurney, Acts 2-4, with a photocopied page of ms notes/comments in the hand of Peter Wood. Includes draft sections typed on yellow paper.

    Separated Material

    Correspondence from Peter Wood is held in file Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1/1.

    Access Points

    Personal Names
    Wood Peter

    Gurney Drafts (4)(ca. 1983-1985) - Jon Silkin, 1930-1997

    Reference Number: Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1/5
    Physical Description: 1 file.

    Scope and Content

    Photocopied ms notes on the direction of Gurney in the hand of Peter Wood; annotated typescript drafts of scenes in Act 1, including some on yellow paper; ms notes, programmes for the "World Premiere" Inckproductions/Steve Dearden production of Gurney; ts addresses for theatres in the North East of England; photocopied ts list of of music for Gurney; and photocopied ts drafts of Act 2, Scene 2 - Act 4, Scene 3 with ms notes in the hand of Alec (Dave) Bell

    Separated Material

    A letter from Jon Silkin to Peter Wood previously held in this file has been incorporated into file Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1/1.

    Correspondence from various theatres, potential financial supporters and Ronald Christ/Lumen has been removed from this file and is now held with similar items at Brotherton Collection MS 20c Silkin/5/1/9.

    Access Points

    Personal Names
    Wood Peter
    Bell Alec (Dave)
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