Alan Close papers, 1985-1995

MLMSS 8040

fonds

1985-1995

91697

1.53 metres of textual material (10 boxes and 1 folder)

Alan Close was born in Sydney in 1955. His first book, The Romance of the Season, was published by McPhee Gribble in 1989, and his stories and poems have appeared in many Australian newspapers and magazines. In 1990 Close received a New South Wales Writer's Fellowship and an Eleanor Dark Fellowship. He was highly commended in the 1991 Warana Short Story Award and runner-up in the Sydney Morning Herald short story competition in 1993.

Close's second book, The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler, was published in 1995, also by McPhee Gribble. The book combines fiction and fact, based on the intimate letters that Chandler wrote to a 17-year-old Australian girl, Deirdre Gartrell, in Armidale in 1956-1957. The two never met. Chandler destroyed all of Deidre's letters to him shortly before he died in 1959. However, his letters to her survived and the book reflects Close's search for them.

Reference:
Library correspondence file

BOX 1
Envelope marked 'Active papers - Chandler', being manuscript and typescript, Feb. 1991 - June 1993, including outlines, drafts, and lengthy letter to Hilary McPhee, 4 July 1991, discussing background to the Chandler letters, options for the book (fiction and/or/non-fiction) and copyright issues

Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler labelled '1st Draft all rewritten (May 92)', being manuscript and typescript with manuscript annotations and corrections

Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler dated April 1992 marked 'Original', 3rd draft January 1992, revised 1993, being typescript with manuscript annotations and corrections

Notes on structure, 16 Jan. 1993, 8 June 1993, 28 Oct.[1993?]

Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler dated April 1992 (crossed out), corrected May 1992 and Jan. 1993, being typescript with manuscript annotations and corrections

BOX 2
Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler (with working title Hello, My Lovely) dated June 1993, being typescript with manuscript annotations and corrections

Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler dated June 1993, being typescript with manuscript annotations and corrections

Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler dated December 1993, being typescript 'with notes by Ian and Anne' on yellow post-it notes

BOX 3
Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler dated Dec 1993, being manuscript and typescript with manuscript annotations and corrections

Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler (with working title Letters To A Stranger - The Last Raymond Chandler Mystery) dated March 1994, being typescript with manuscript corrections

Several alternative titles dated March 1994:

Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler (with working title Love Letters To A Stranger - The Last Raymond Chandler Mystery) dated April 1994, being typescript with manuscript annotations and corrections by Dee [Deirdre Gartrell]

Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler dated 3 May 1994 marked 'New Versions approved by Dee', and 'Old Versions of Easter 94 MS rejected by Dee'

Photocopies of the letters to go in the book, with manuscript annotations

Loose pages including 'new abortive drafts 30/3/94', and Nov. 1993 drafts, being manuscript and typescript with manuscript annotations and corrections

BOX 4
Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler dated May 1994 (with working title Love Letters To A Stranger - The Last Raymond Chandler Mystery), being typescript with manuscript annotations

Draft of The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler dated Dec. 1994, being typescript with manuscript annotations and corrections by Deirdre Gartrell

Envelope containing articles collected about Raymond Chandler and other related material

BOX 5
17 exercise books containing notes and drafts (in novel form) for Chandler book, dated Feb. 1991 - Feb. 1994

Envelope containing correspondence between Close and people connected with Chandler papers and Sophie Cunningham (McPhee Gribble), Aug. 1987 - Nov. 1994

Envelope containing correspondence with Penguin and McPhee Gribble about publicity for launch of book, and letters of appreciation received from the public, Nov. 1994 - May 1995

Envelope containing complete set of letters (photocopied) from Chandler to Deirdre, Feb. 1956 - Dec. 1957, also with correspondence (photocopied) between Deirdre and Helga Greene, (Mar. 1960 - Feb. 1961, and Frank MacShane, May 1980; and original letters (photocopied), reproduced in book, received by Close during his search for the Chandler letters, Sept. 1987 - Apr. 1991

BOXES 6-8
2 draft book-covers for The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler

Six sets of galleys for The Australian Love Letters of Raymond Chandler, with manuscript annotations, dated Sept. 1994 - Nov. 1994

BOX 9
Drafts of short stories, some of which were ultimately used as a series of linked stories in the book The Romance of the Season, manuscript and typescript with manuscript annotation (Some of the short stories were also published separately)

Drafts of The Romance of the Season (working title: Lucy's Birthday, being manuscript and typescript with manuscript annotations

BOX 10
Further drafts of The Romance of the Season, being typescript with manuscript annotations

Supporting material for Australia Council Category "B" Fellowship Grant 1985

Contract with McPhee Gribble for 'Lucy's Birthday' (The Romance of the Season), 1988

Correspondence with Allen & Unwin regarding Vogel Award, 1986-1987

Correspondence with Sophie Cunningham (McPhee Gribble) regarding The Romance of the Season, 1987-1992

Other letters received regarding The Romance of the Season, 1986-1995

Reviews of The Romance of the Season

FOLDER 11 (RESTRICTED)
Correspondence between Close and Deirdre Gartrell, with letters received from her children, Mar. 1988 - Jan. 1995

Partly restricted: Applies to MLMSS 8040/ Folder 11

Copyright status:: In copyright - This collection has multiple rights owners
Research & study copies allowed: Applies to material in which Alan Close owns copyight