Showing 72 results

Some one hundred and forty letters, 1948-1997, in English and Welsh, to John Elwyn from various correspondents (surnames S-W), both personal and work related.
The correspondents include Christopher Sandford, 1953 (ff. 12-13), Meic Stephens, 12 December 1995 (f. 22), Winifred Coombe-Tennant, 19 February 1948 (f. 33), Dewi-Prys Thomas, 1977-1978 (ff. 36-37), David Tinker, 1967 (ff. 44-45), John Ward, 1967-1992 (ff. 75-78 verso), George Weber of Edmonton, Alberta, 1987-1994 (ff. 81-97 verso), Sir Huw Wheldon, 1961, [?late 1970s] (ff. 116-118), Phillip Whitfield, 1991-1996 (ff. 119-146 verso), the Rev. G[wilym] O[wen] Williams, 20 February 1952 (f. 158), Kyffin Williams, [1960s]-1995 (ff. 161-167), Stan Williams, [?early 1990s], (f. 171), and the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, 1965-1967 (ff. 148-153). Also included are draft letters from John Elwyn (ff. 53, 58 verso-59 verso, 63 verso, 100) and drafts of two poems by Phillip Whitfield, 1991-1992 (ff. 124, 127, 129, 131, 134, 138, 141), with a translation into Welsh of one of them [?by John Elwyn], [?1992] (f. 147).

Papers, 1966-1994, comprising letters and cards to the playwright Dedwydd Jones, mostly from actors, playwrights and other prominent theatrical and literary figures.

Autograph draft, [1972], of Dannie Abse's poem 'Down the M4', containing autograph revisions, deletions and variant readings (f. 74).
Also included is a typescript fair copy of his poem 'Talking to Blake', with a manuscript note to Roy [Davids], dated 28 May 1993 (f. 75). 'Down the M4' was collected (as the first in a sequence of four poems entitled 'Car journeys') in Dannie Abse, Funland and Other Poems (London, 1973), p. 27; 'Talking to Blake' was first collected in Dannie Abse, On the Evening Road (London, 1994), p. 3.

Diary of Raymond Garlick containing entries for the period 8-22 July 1990, kept during a two week cruise, mostly of the Baltic (ff. 1-51, text on rectos).
The ship called at Amsterdam, Netherlands (ff. 7-8), Leningrad (ff. 19-27) and Riga, USSR (ff. 33-36), Visby, Sweden (ff. 37-39), Copenhagen, Denmark (ff. 40-42), and Oslo, Norway (ff. 43-45). Also included are an incomplete draft of the poem 'Leningrad', dated 18 July 1990 (ff. 77 verso-8) and an apparently unpublished poem entitled 'At the Winter Palace', dated 14 July 1990 (ff. 78 verso- 9).

Over a hundred and fifty letters, 1961-88 in English, Welsh and French, from various correspondents (surnames Jones-W). The letters, some of which include fair copies of published poems, are chiefly concerned with contemporary writing in Wales in both English and Welsh and with the recipient's work as editor of a number of volumes in this field. The correspondents include Glyn Jones (36, and three poems) 1967-86, Gwyn Jones (6) 1967-87, Saunders Lewis (1) 1974, Roland Mathias (17) 1961-86, Leslie Norris (32, and one poem) 1967-86, Eigra Lewis Roberts (2) 1970-3, R. S. Thomas (1) 1975, John Tripp (8) 1968-78, Harri Webb (14) 1967-79, and Kyffin Williams (8) 1970-1.

Forty-eight letters, 1934-1980, to John Petts from various correspondents including David Jones (7) 1954-1956, Professor Gwyn Jones (5, together with a draft introduction for a projected but apparently unpublished volume entitled 'Woodcuts of Wales'), 1947-1949, Alun Lewis (15) [1940]-1943, and Gwyn Williams, Trefenter (2) 1949-1951; also included is one letter, 1942, to Alun Lewis from Huw Menai, enclosing three autograph poems.

Manuscript and typescript drafts by Berta Ruck, [1955]-[1974x1978], of chapters of projected and published autobiographical works, mainly concerned with her life in Wales.
They include a manuscript draft of the first chapter of An Asset to Wales (London, 1970), [?1969] (ff. 1-24); drafts, mainly typescript, of various chapters for projected works entitled 'Welsh Harlequinade' and 'Fanfare for Wales', [1974x1978] (ff. 25-137); a typescript poem entitled 'Stair-case Remorse', [1970x1978] (f. 138); a typescript of various fragments of fiction and autobiographical prose, [1970x1978] (ff. 139-144); a cutting of an article by Ruck, 'A Golden Prince Came to the Castle', [1955] (f. 145); and a cut-out watercolour sketch of a young man (f. 146). There are references to N. C. Hunter (ff. 47-50), Stephen Peet, producer of the 1970 television documentary featuring Ruck (ff. 106-120), and to E. Nesbit (ff. 141-142).

Miscellaneous papers of Berta Ruck, 1902-[early 1970s], including autograph and typescript drafts of verse, [1920s]-[1930s], many in multiple copies (ff. 1-123); lecture notes, [c. 1935]-[c. 1945] (ff. 124-224); a short story, 'April Folly', [c. 1935], apparently related to her novel Half Past Kissing Time (London, 1936) (ff. 225-248); and some thirteen letters to the author in English and German, [1903x1904]-1971 (ff. 264-283).
The correspondents include Clement Scott, [1903x1904] (f. 264), Marda Vanne, 9 October 1936 (f. 280), Harold Nicolson, 14 June 1962 (f. 281, on the death of his wife, Vita Sackville-West), and Quentin Bell, September 1971 (ff. 282-283, concerning his biography of Virginia Woolf); there are also three letters, 1929, from 'Harry', her Austrian lover (ff. 265-272, mostly in German). Also included are two leaves from Ruck's journal, June 1930 (ff. 249-250); reminiscences, [early 1970s], of Lydia Lopokova (ff. 251-259) with a photograph of her, [?1920s] (f. 260); press cuttings of an article by Ruck, September 1936 (f. 261), and of two articles relating to Virginia Woolf, 1972 (ff. 262-263); W. R. Oliver's school report at Shrewsbury School, 1929 (f. 284); programme for 'My Lady Molly' at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, 1902 (ff. 285-286); and page proofs for Chapter 8 of A Smile for the Past (London, 1935) (ff. 287-292).

Eight typescript poems, [1970]-[1972], by R. S. Thomas, published in Poetry Wales, 6.1 (Summer 1970), 37-38, and ibid. 7.4 (Spring 1972), 9-14.
The poems are 'Vocation', [1970], 'Alma Mater', 'Dimensions', 'No', 'God's Story', 'The Hand', 'Ann Griffith' and 'Amen', [1972]. However, 'Saunders Lewis', also published in the Spring 1972 number, is not present.

Twenty-six letters and cards, 1961-1969, from Brenda Chamberlain to Alan Clodd of Enitharmon Press, relating mainly to the publication of her Poems with Drawings (1969) and Alun Lewis and the Making of the Caseg Broadsheets (1969). Also included are a few sketches, poems and photographs, 1936-1969, presented by Chamberlain to Clodd.

Letters, 1926-1968, to John Cowper Powys and Phyllis Playter from various correspondents, including Gerald Brenan (16, including one poem), 1957-1968; Maurice Browne (20), 1930-1954; James Hanley (15), [c. 1955]-1967; Claude Houghton (5), 1955-1956; Edgar Lee Masters (9), 1928-1945; Henry Miller (7), 1957-1962; and Ralph Shirley (18), 1940-1946; together with a few miscellaneous letters, including an undated draft letter from John Cowper Powys concerning literary censorship in America.

Manuscript and typescript papers, [?1932]-[c. 1965], of the poet and author Clifford Dyment, comprising poetry, [?1932]-[?1965] (ff. 1-76), and miscellaneous prose, [1948]-[c. 1965] (ff. 77-95).
The poems appear to be mainly unpublished; those which appear in his published collections are 'Mouse' (f. 12) (Straight or Curly (London, 1937), p. 36), 'The Suicide' (f. 35) (Experiences and Places (London, 1955), p. 42), and ff. 46-76 which are drafts, [1955]-[1965], of sixteen out of the twenty-eight new dream poems in section VI of his Collected Poems (London, 1970), pp. 89-102 passim; 'Gedicht voor mijn Verjaardag', [late 1950s] (f. 37), is a Dutch translation by G. K. van het Reve of Dyment's 'Poem for my Birthday' (f. 36). The prose includes a corrected typescript, [1948], of the introduction to Thomas Hood, Selected Poems, ed. by Clifford Dyment ([London], 1948) (ff. 77-88, see also f. 26 verso); a draft letter to Bernard Miles, [early 1950s] (f. 89); and part of an essay on his dream poetry, [c. 1965] (ff. 91-92). Many of the later items are written on the backs of old letters, circulars and other ephemera as well as fragments of a typescript for his autobiography The Railway Game (London, 1962) (ff. 44 verso, 45 verso, 48 verso, 76 verso). A photocopy of the front cover of the original binder is f. i.

A volume containing autograph fair copies, [c. 1916], of fifteen poems by W. H. Davies, some of them apparently unpublished, submitted to James Guthrie for publication by the Pear Tree Press as a collection entitled 'Quiet Streams'; annotations have been added by Lord Kenyon.
A letter, 1916, from Davies to Guthrie, originally loose in the volume, has been tipped in on f. 16.

Some sixty letters, 1918-1964, to John Cowper Powys and Phyllis Playter from various correspondents, relating mainly to personal matters and to John Cowper Powys's work, with one letter, [n.d.], from John Cowper Powys to Phyllis Playter (ff. 73-76). The correspondents include: J[ohn] D[avys] Beresford (10) 1929-1938; Theodore Dreiser (5) 1923-1939; Emma Goldman (2) 1936-1937; Marianne Moore (6) 1926-1929; Sir Osbert Sitwell (2) 1935; and Stevie Smith (2, and two illustrated poems) 1951-1952.

Autograph and typescript drafts, [c. 1910s]-1961, of autobiographical writings by Augustus John included in the posthumous volume Finishing Touches (London, 1964) (see also NLW MS 21570E), together with rejected portions of the text (ff. 56-9). Some sections (ff. 60-75) had been submitted to The Sunday Times for publication, 1952-1958 (see MS 22775C, ff. 89-98). Also included are draft recollections by Augustus John of Ronald Fairbank (ff. 76-81), and various drafts of prose and light verse.

Drafts of eight poems by John Cowper Powys written for Phyllis Playter, most of them bearing the dedication 'to the T.T.', together with a pencilled caricature (f. 5) inscribed 'To my Valentine Feb 14 1949'.

One hundred and thirteen letters, cards and telegrams, 1934-1959, from Augustus John to Mavis de Vere Cole (later Mavis Wheeler). They contain personal and family news, including news of their son Tristan, letters of a more intimate nature, instructions regarding paintings and a few letters to Mavis in prison in 1954.
The letters are sent from various locations including his home, Fryern Court, various studios in London and from Provence and Jamaica. Also included are letters from John to A. P. Herbert, 10 September 1954 (f. 132), and to Tony Vivian, September-October 1954 (ff. 133-135), all relating to Mavis' trial. There are sketches by John on ff. 91 verso, 92, and 116 verso, and poems by him on ff. 4, 95-98.

Letters from John Cowper Powys to his brother, Llewelyn Powys, [1923], his companion, Phyllis Playter, [?1924], 'George', 1958, and a 'Mr London', [?1940s], the latter dictated by Powys to Phyllis Playter; together with miscellaneous literary papers, which comprise drafts of poems, [c. 1900]-1953, including an early version of 'Samphire' (published in Horned Poppies ... (1986)) and of several unpublished anniversary poems addressed to Phyllis Playter; a draft, [?1900]-1902, of an unpublished preface to poems by Alfred de Kantzow; an ink and pencil sketch of the map which forms the end-papers of Powys's novel Ducdame (1925); and drafts of the opening of a philosophical work, 1938, and of a speech in Welsh, [1935x1954], the latter composed by Powys while he was living in Corwen.

Autograph copy, [1956], of Margiad Evans's poem 'The Thunderstorm', dated 1954 but said to have been written while a patient at the [Kent and Sussex] Hospital, Tunbridge Wells, two years earlier. The poem is apparently unpublished.