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Material relating to the compilation and publication of The Art of Seamus Heaney, edited by Tony Curtis and originally published by Poetry Wales Press in 1982, with an introduction by Curtis (see, for example: https://www.serenbooks.com/product/the-art-of-seamus-heaney-paperback/), with references also to later editions of the publication. The material comprises: letters, 1988-1995, to Tony Curtis from Seamus Heaney (two addressed from Cambridge, Massachusetts (see note on Seamus Heaney, below), the remainder addressed from Heaney's home in Dublin), together with photocopied letter from Heaney to Professor Patrick Crotty, with brief note from Heaney to Curtis, and photocopied text of Seamus Heaney's play 'Munro'; letters, 1981-1993 and undated, to Tony Curtis from contributors/potential contributors to The Art of Seamus Heaney, including Professor Edna Longley, Dr Philip Hobsbaum, Professor Ciarán Carson, Professor Christopher Ricks, Professor Barbara Hardy, Douglas Dunn, Anne Stevenson, Bernard O'Donoghue, Peter Fallon, Professor Helen Vendler, Professor Patrick Crotty, Professor Macha Rosenthal, Professor Dick Davis, David (Annwn) Jones and Professor Blake Morrison; letter, 1981, to Tony Curtis from potential publishers Faber and Faber and, 1982, 1984-1985, from eventual publishers Poetry Wales Press; letters, 1984-1985, from Tony Curtis to potential contributors Professor Helen Vendler, Professor Christopher Ricks and Professor Jeremy Hooker and to Poetry Wales Press; research material relating to Seamus Heaney; photocopied acknowledgements, introduction and biographical note on Tony Curtis taken from The Art of Seamus Heaney; and Poetry Wales Press leaflet detailing press publications, including those by, or which include contributions by, Tony Curtis.

Not all correspondents are indexed: for access to full range of correspondents, it is recommended that this section of the archive is requested for viewing.

See also August 2002 and April 2016 papers under heading Goddard College.

Material, the vast majority of which is photocopied, relating to the compilation of Tony Curtis (ed.):The Art of Seamus Heaney, published by Poetry Wales Press in 1982, comprising: photocopied draft typescript texts by contributors, which include poet and writer Anne Stevenson, poet, translator and academic Dick Davis, poet, critic and lecturer Philip Hobsbaum and poet, writer and critic Roland Mathias; introduction, fly-leaf notes, index, etc, by Tony Curtis; critical paper by Tony Curtis relating to Seamus Heaney's collection of poems Field Work (Faber & Faber, 1979) submitted, 1980, during the course of Curtis's academic studies at Goddard College, Vermont (see August 2002 and April 2016 papers under heading Goddard College), together with material photocopied from printed source; details of a reading of Seamus Heaney's works by Tony Curtis, held at the Bute Theatre, Cardiff, November 1981; letters to Tony Curtis from contributors to the volume and from other correspondents, including Anne Stevenson and poet, critic, teacher, playwright and magic lanternist David Annwn (Jones), and letters to Tony Curtis from publishing houses, including Rosemary Goad of Faber & Faber; photocopied draft manuscript and typescript versions and photocopy from printed source of the poem 'North' (initially titled 'North Atlantic') by Seamus Heaney; printed Poetry Wales Press catalogue, 1981/2; material by or relating to Seamus Heaney photocopied from printed sources; and rough manuscript notes.

For the publication see, for example: https://www.serenbooks.com/product/the-art-of-seamus-heaney-paperback/.

See also August 2002 and April 2016 papers under heading Goddard College.

Letters and cards, 1975, 1978-1982, to Tony Curtis, the main correspondent being Canadian poet and writer Miriam Waddington (Curtis and Waddington being part of a Wales/Canada exchange scheme organised by Yr Academi Gymreig). Related material includes correspondence between Curtis and Greg Gatenby regarding a poetry reading by Curtis at the Harbourfront Centre, Toronto and biographical details relating to Miriam Waddington. Other correspondents comprise: Patricia Wilcox of Iris Press, Binghampton, New York (references to Tony Curtis's collection of poems titled Album, published by Christopher Davies in 1974 (see, for example: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3786389-album)); 'Val' of University College Swansea's English Department (discussing a session of poetry reading in which Tony Curtis was to participate); and Sophia Sackville-West of Faber and Faber Publishers.

Correspondence addressed to John Pikoulis from various sources other than those having had personal acquaintance with Alun Lewis but which have relevance to Alun Lewis and/or his literary work and therefore to Pikoulis's research into Lewis, the correspondents comprising: faculty members of University College, Cardiff (1972, 1979, 1981-1983 and undated), the correspondence relating to Pikoulis's proposal to establish a Centre for the Study of Welsh Writing in English at University College, Cardiff, together with printed 1993 Centre for the Study of Welsh Writing in English study guide titled 'Wales at War Alun Lewis & other writers', the guide's consultant editor listed as John Pikoulis; writer, poet and literary critic Roland Mathias (1975); university librarian William Dieneman (1978, 1979 and undated); Bernard Cole (1978); [?writer] Leslie Frewin (1979 and undated); author and librarian Dr F. G. Cowley (1979, 1983); Manchester Central Library (1979); poet and literary critic Alun Llywelyn-Williams (1979); letter from John Pikoulis to writer and poet Derek Stanford (1979) and undated letter to John Pikoulis from Derek Stanford (enclosed in separate envelope); poet, critic, teacher and broadcaster Professor Jeremy Hooker (1979, 1997); David Sims of University College Swansea's English Department (1979); Howard Mallatratt (1980); literary editor, journalist, translator and poet Meic Stephens (1980); Comyns Close Clinic (medical doctors' surgery), London (1980); John R. Bieneman of Lowther College (1980-1981); the National Library of Wales (1980); Ellen Smith Dunlap of the Humanties Research Center at the University of Texas, Austin (1980); John A. Lloyd of the United Africa Company (1980); Keith (Picton) Evans of Bradford College (1980); economic historian Professor Sir Hrothgar John Habakkuk (1980); bibliographer, reviewer and antiquarian bookseller Timothy d'Arch Smith (1980); A. P. Watt Ltd, literary agents to Robert Graves (1980); writer, poet and playwright Ronald Duncan (1980); Alan Hancox (undated), enclosing letter, 1980, from John Pikoulis; Constable & Co. (1980); the British Medical Association (1980); Basil Blackwell of Basil Blackwell & Mott Ltd, publishers (1980, 1981); Paul O'Prey, Professor of Modern Literature at the University of Roehampton (1980, 1982); Faber and Faber Ltd (1980); George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, publishers (1980); Sotheby's, London (1980); Michael Foot, MP (1980-1981); [writer] John [Alun] Davies (1980); the Government of India National Library (1980); the Inland Revenue (1980); the Reverend John M. C. Yates (1981); Professor Jean-Bertrand Barrère (1981); poet and writer Stephen Spender (1981); The Observer newspaper research department (1981, 1983); writer, teacher and literary editor John Atkins (1981); the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (1981); The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust (1981); the New Statesman magazine (1981); politician, author, journalist and broadcaster Woodrow Wyatt, Baron Wyatt of Weeford (1981); the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland (1981); G. Davies, borough librarian, Central Library, Aberdare (1981); forensic scientist Margaret Pereira (1981); writer and lecturer Jacqueline Banerjee (1981); Bernard Knight, Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales Welsh National School of Medicine, Cardiff (1981); writer and lecturer Horst S. Jarka (1981); Louisa Hopkins Bowen, Curator of Manuscripts at the Morris Library, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois (1982); poet and writer Ted Hughes (1982, 1985); the British Library (1983); George A. Hilton (1985); schoolteacher David Hughes of Clifton, York (1985); Professor John Harris Paterson of Leicester University (1985); Benedictine nun and author Dame Felicitas Corrigan (1986); writer and lecturer John Harris (1988); Jeff Morgan, director of the BBC2 drama-documentary Alun Lewis: Death and Beauty (broadcast 22 July 1994), enclosing third draft script of the programme for Pikoulis's perusal (1993); Edward E. Milburn (1995); Bethan Hensman (1996, 1998); Angela Morton (1996); Victor Golightly (1996); [most probably the writer] Paul Willetts (1999); writer Cynthia Rogerson (2002); [?] Richards (undated); university lecturer Eric Homberger (undated); academic, cultural historian, author and former BBC programme editor and broadcaster David (Dai) Smith (undated), enclosing copy of a published article on Alun Lewis by Dai Smith (text annotated in John Pikoulis's hand); and renowned authority on Welsh folk music Meredydd Evans (Merêd) (undated note).

Some of the material includes copious notes made in John Pikoulis's hand and several items are annotated by Pikoulis.

Please note that many of the names referenced within the correspondence may be found in other sections of this archive.

Correspondence requiring more detailed description comprises:

Letters, 1980-1990, and undated note on business card, enclosing photocopied material, to John Pikoulis from Ulrich Schaefer, Frankfurt, the contents of the correspondence relating to both Pikoulis's and Schaefer's research into Alun Lewis and his work; draft letter, 1986, to Ulrich Schaefer from John Pikoulis; and letters to Ulrich Shaefer from various other correspondents, including one, 1987, from Bert Harden, who met and became friends with Alun Lewis at Longmoor military camp in Hampshire in 1940 (see under Letters to John Pikoulis from Bert Harden and under Letters to John Pikoulis from military colleagues of Alun Lewis and from military organisations). One item amongst the photocopied material is a letter, 1987, to Schaefer from Gweno Lewis, in which Gweno responds to Schaefer's queries regarding Alun Lewis, her responses annotated, most likely for Pikoulis's benefit ('Do you know?'), in Schaefer's hand. Together with printed and photocopied details from book catalogues, reviews, etc relating to Alun Lewis's works and copies of some of Alun Lewis's work translated into German and French.

Letters, 1981-1982 and undated, to John Pikoulis from writer and novelist Elizabeth Berridge, who claimed, for a brief period, to have been psychically in touch with Alun Lewis through messages transmitted to Berridge from Lewis via automatic writing, or psychography. Together with a transcript of an alleged communication from Alun Lewis to Elizabeth Berridge; suggested rewriting by Elizabeth Berridge of Pikoulis's proposed account of the automatic writing sessions, later published in John Pikoulis: Alun Lewis: A Life (Poetry Wales Press, 1984), pp. 282-93 (attached to letter dated 19 March 1982); photocopy of an undated letter to Gweno Lewis from Elizabeth Berridge; typescript transcripts of Berridge's communications with Alun Lewis (annotated in John Pikoulis's hand) (originally enclosed with Berridge's letter to Gweno Lewis); and rough notes in Pikoulis's hand, on the dorse of which is a typescript transcript of short stories allegedly transmitted by Alun Lewis to Elizabeth Berridge via automatic writing (see John Pikoulis: Alun Lewis: A Life (Poetry Wales Press, 1984), pp. 285-93). The letters contain references to Gweno Lewis, Gwyn Thomas (see under Letter to John Pikoulis from Gwyn Jones) and to John Pikoulis: Alun Lewis: A Miscellany of his Writings (Poetry Wales Press, 1982). For Elizabeth Berridge, see John Pikoulis: Alun Lewis: A Life (Poetry Wales Press, 1984), pp. 282-93.

Letters, 1988, to John Pikoulis from David Leslie Davies, Cwmaman; together with manuscript translation from Welsh into English by (now) Plaid Cymru politician Cefin Campbell of Job Lewis's elegy to his wife Mary, Job and Mary Lewis being Alun Lewis's paternal grandparents. With a manuscript note from Cefin Campbell to John Pikoulis and an attached note in Pikoulis's hand.

Letter, 1995, to John Pikoulis from Edward E. Milburn which refers to the death of his father at sea in August 1940 and to William E. Ellis, brother of Gweno Lewis, whose photocopied letter of 1 December 1944 to Milburn's mother is enclosed, along with a photocopied press article relating to the British freighter Anglo Saxon, the ship on which Milburn's father served as Chief Engineer and William E. Ellis as Second Mate (see John Pikoulis: Alun Lewis: A Life (Poetry Wales Press, 1984), p. 99).

Each envelope marked with name of correspondent and date(s) of correspondence.

Photocopies (from originals and from printed sources) and typescript and manuscript transcripts of letters and cards to/from Alun Lewis, the correspondents comprising: Jean Gilbert, librarian of the former Pontigny Abbey in Burgundy, France (1938-1939); novelist, poet and literary historian Glyn Jones (1939-1941), the majority of the letters being photocopies of transcripts made by Alun John; Richard Mills ([1939-1941, 1943-1944]) (suggested dates inserted in John Pikoulis's hand), with accompanying notes by Pikoulis, some of which appear to refer to earlier correspondence between Lewis and Mills; poet and man of letters John Lehmann (1940-1943 and undated); Sir Bryan and Lady Renée Hopkin ([1940] (suggested date inserted in Pikoulis's hand)-1942), with annotations and rough notes in Pikoulis's hand; artist and engraver John Petts and his wife, artist, poet and writer Brenda Chamberlain (1940-1944 and undated), with annotations, including suggested dates of letters, in the hands of John Petts and John Pikoulis, with some items annotated by the poet, writer and literary critic Roland Mathias, and rough notes in the hand of John Pikoulis, also a batch of mostly duplicate letters (1941-1944 and undated) from Alun Lewis to John Petts and Brenda Chamberlain which have been annotated with observations in red ink by Roland Mathias (see also note under System of arrangement, below); poet and novelist Lynette Roberts and her husband, literary journalist, editor and poet Keidrych Rhys ([1941],1943 and undated) (suggested date of 1941 inserted by Pikoulis), with rough notes and annotations by Pikoulis; publishing houses Chatto & Windus (1941), Faber & Faber (1941) and Thomas Moult, editor of The Best Poems of 1941 (Jonathan Cape, 1942) ([1941]); photocopies of originals and transcripts of letters between poet, novelist and critic Robert Graves and Alun Lewis (1941-1944), together with related letters to John Pikoulis from Professor Paul O'Prey (1980, 1981) and Louisa Bowen at the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois (1982) and rough notes in Pikoulis's hand; Leslie and Bill Sykes (1942 and undated); novelist Llewelyn Wyn Griffith (1942) (see also John Pikoulis: Alun Lewis: A Life (Poetry Wales Press, 1984), p. 306); Professor Bonamy Dobrée (1942); Alun Lewis family members (parents Thomas J. and Gwladys Lewis (undated), uncle and aunt Timothy and Nellie Lewis (undated) and sister Mair Lewis (later Fenn) (1943)) (see also under Gweno Lewis, under Gwladys Lewis and under Other Lewis family members); Wendon Mostyn (aft. Jones) (1944) (this letter is referenced in a 1986 letter to John Pikoulis from Wendon Jones (see under Letters to John Pikoulis from academic and work colleagues of Alun Lewis and from academic institutions)); and poet and editor Seumas (or Seamus) O'Sullivan (undated).

Dates noted are those of original letters, not of photocopying/transcription.

Each envelope marked with correspondent(s') name(s) and date(s) of correspondence.

Note that cross-referencing of names inevitably occurs between friends and acquaintances, military colleagues and academic/work colleagues of Alun Lewis - please refer to all relevant categories.