Guide to the Papers of Gerry Turcotte [MSS 050]

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Manuscript Name Papers of Gerry Turcotte
Manuscript Number MSS 050
Last Updated October 2021
Extent 4 boxes + 1 AV box
Location Special Collections, UNSW Canberra
Abstract Papers, scripts, drafts, etc. including Turcotte’s prose and poetry, papers on issue N°31 of Span, papers on the University of Sydney ‘Writer’s Choice’ evening talks and Turcotte’s Writers in Action, correspondence with authors.

 

Collection Subject Type 

Literary

Scope and Content

This collection relates to prose and poetry by Gerry Turcotte, as well as to issue N°31 of the journal Span, Turcotte’s book Writers in action and the University of Sydney ‘Writer’s Choice’ evening talks. The papers consist of annotated drafts, correspondence with authors and transcripts of talks by authors. The collection also includes audio visual material with recordings of talks by authors invited to the ‘Writer’s Choice’ evening talks.

Date Range of Content

1985-1991

Biographical Note 

Gerry Turcotte was born in Montreal and grew up speaking both French and English, an experience that is frequently explored in his early poetry. A British Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Award for doctoral work brought him to the University of Sydney where he completed a PhD thesis on Australian and English-Canadian gothic fiction in 1991. During his studies he published a number of poems in Australian magazines and many of these were collected in Neigbourhood of Memory: Poems, 1985-89. He was appointed lecturer at the University of Wollongong where he remained until taking up the position of Dean, School of Arts and Sciences, at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, in 2007. In addition to his academic work, Turcotte has published several more collections of poetry, including Border Crossings: Words and Images (2004) that combines poetry and prose with photographs taken during the previous two decades. Turcotte's interest in the issue of linguistic differences is further explored in Flying in Silence (2001), his first novel. In 2011 Dr Gerry Turcotte was selected as the President of St Mary's University College, Calgary, Canada.

References:
Author record, Gerry Turcotte, AustLit (www.austlit.edu.au), St Lucia: The University of Queensland, 2002-. [Retrieved 18/10/2018].

 

Administrative Information

 

Access and Copying Conditions 

Access: Open Access

This collection contains a variety of copyright material. Copyright is held by the creator of each item. Specific conditions for this collection are listed below. If no conditions are stipulated then the standard terms of the Copyright Act apply for published and unpublished items. Digitised material from manuscript collections is provided to clients by UNSW Canberra in good faith for private study and research only, and may not be published or re-purposed without the express and written permission of the individual legal holder of that copyright. Refer also to the UNSW copyright, disclaimer and takedown policy. 

Copying: No copying is approved.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Gerry Turcotte, Special Collections, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, MSS 050, Box [Number], Folder [Number].

Provenance 

The collection was acquired in 1987, 1990 and 1994.

 

Subject Keywords

 

Subjects 

Australian literature, Australian poetry, poets, writers, Australian poets, Australian writers, 20th century literature.

Personal Names

Gerry Turcotte

Peter Carey 1943-

David Malouf 1934-

Thomas Keneally 1935-

Amanda Lohrey 1947-

Les Murray 1938-

Manning Clark 1915-1991

Corporate Names 

University of Sydney

University of Wollongong

Occupations

Poet, writer, academic

 

Container List

 

Box 1 

Papers, scripts, drafts, etc. 

Folder 1

Prose - ‘Myolina’, original poetry and drafts.

Folder 2

Louis Nowra material.

Miscellaneous articles - ‘Harmonice Poesie’, ‘John Dee and Johannes’

Kepler’ and Maggie Helwig’s ‘Book of Tongues’.

‘Geoffrey of Monmouth and Tennyson: a Paradoxical Parallel’.

Folder 3

Original prose and roughs.

Folder 4

Poetry - roughs.

Folder 5

Manuscript Neighbourhood of Memory Poems: 1985-1988.

Miscellaneous prose.

‘The Bird’

Folder 6

Neighbourhood of Memory Poems: 1985-1988, poetry.

 

Box 2

Papers on Span N°31, February 1991 (Journal of the South Pacific Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies) – Includes contributions by Peter Corris, Keri Hulme, Janet Garrick, Jeff Guess, Freh Wah, Diane Fahey, Max Richards, Beryl Langer, Chris Prentice, Suzette Henke, Efi Hatzimanolis, Yasmine Gooneratne, Joseph Pugliese, Peter Alcock, Keri Lyons, and Sue Gillett.

Folder 7

Span N°31. Originals and correspondence, 1990-1991, Part I.

Folder 8

Span N°31. Originals and correspondence, 1990-1991, Part II.

Folder 9

Span N°31. Annotated drafts.

Folder 10

Span N°31. Annotated drafts.

 

Box 3

Papers on Turcotte’s Writers in Action and the University of Sydney ‘Writer’s Choice’ evening talks.

Folder 11

Writers in Action. Notes and annotated typescript draft foreword and introduction (Derek Peat and Gerry Turcotte)

Folder 12

Annotated typescript drafts of Gerry Turcotte’s speech for the launch of his book

Annotated typescript drafts of the book

Correspondence, 1990

Invitation cards to the launch of Writers in Action (Wednesday 26 September 1990)

Folder 13

‘Writer’s Choice’. Transcripts and correspondence, 1989-1990

Includes introductions by Gerry Turcotte and transcripts of talks by Ruby Langford, Manning Clark, Amanda Lohrey, Jack Davis, Helen Garner and Alex Buzo.

Folder 14

Annotated typescript draft of Writers in Action – Penultimate copy.

Folder 15

‘Writer’s Choice’ - ‘Alex Buzo – The Young Person’s Guide to the Theatre’. Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introduction and the author’s talk.

Correspondence, 1990

Folder 16

‘Writer’s Choice’ - ‘Janette Turner Hospital – Dislocations, Borderline, Charades’. Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introduction and the author’s talk.

 

Box 4

‘Writer’s Choice’ - Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introductions and authors’ talks.

Folder 17

‘Writer’s Choice’ - ‘Peter Carey – Oscar and Lucinda’. Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introduction and the author’s talk.

Folder 18

‘Writer’s Choice’ - ‘David Malouf – 12 Edmondstone Street’. Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introduction and the author’s talk.

Folder 19

‘Writer’s Choice’ - ‘Roberta Sykes with Cliff Watego – Love Poems and Other Revolutionary Actions’. Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introduction and the author’s talk.

Folder 20

‘Writer’s Choice’ - ‘Amanda Lohrey – The Reading Group’. Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introduction and the author’s talk.

Folder 21

‘Writer’s Choice’ - ‘Jack Davis – Barungin, Smell the Wind’. Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introduction and the author’s talk.

Folder 22

‘Writer’s Choice’ - ‘Helen Garner – The Children’s Bach and Two Friends’. Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introduction and the author’s talk.

Folder 23

‘Writer’s Choice’ - ‘Les Murray – The Daylight Moon’. Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introduction and the author’s talk.

Folder 24

‘Writer’s Choice’ - ‘Ruby Langford – Don’t Take Your Love to Town’. Annotated transcripts of Turcotte’s introduction and the author’s talk.

 

AV 1

‘Writer’s Choice’. 28 TDK audio cassettes with a handwritten title. Recordings of talks by different authors for ‘Writer’s Choice’. 1989-1990. The transcript of some of the recordings is available in Boxes 3 & 4.

Audio cassettes:

AV1.1 - Peter Corris The Kimberley Killing Writer’s Choice 30.8.89 Intro. G. Turcotte – ‘Copy’

AV1.2 - Fay Weldon The Cloning of Joanna May 27.9.89 Writer’s Choice Intro. G. Turcotte – ‘Copy’

AV1.3 - Helen Garner Two Friends The Children’s Bach 11 Apr 1990 Intro G. Turcotte Writer’s Choice – ‘Copy’

AV1.4 - Lisa Alther 14 March 1990 Writer’s Choice Other Women Intro by Gerry Turcotte

AV1.5 - Writer’s Choice 19 April 1989 Peter Carey Oscar & Lucinda Introduction Gerry Turcotte –‘Copy’

AV1.6 - Amanda Lohrey The Reading Group 22 March 1989 Writer’s Choice Intro. G. Turcotte – ‘Copy’

AV1.7 - David Malouf 12 Edmondson St Writer’s Choice

AV1.8 - Thomas Keneally The Playmaker Writer’s Choice 23 Aug. 89 Intro G. Turcotte Side 1 & 3

AV1.9 - Thomas Keneally The Playmaker Writer’s Choice 23 Aug. 89 Intro G. Turcotte Side 2

AV1.10 - Ruth Cracknell Writer’s Choice 2 May 1990 Introduced by Gerry Turcotte

AV1.11 - Ruth Cracknell Writer’s Choice 2 May 1990 Side Three Continued

AV1.12 - Writer’s Choice Glenda Adams 29 Aug 1990 Dancing on Coral Intro. G. Turcotte

AV1.13 - Gwen Harwood Bone Scan 4 April 1990 Intro. G. Turcotte Writer’s Choice

AV1.14 - Alex Buzo Young Person’s Guide to the Theatre Intro. by G. Turcotte 21 March 1990 Writer’s Choice – ‘Copy’

AV1.15 - 15/8/90 Writer’s Choice – ‘Master’

AV1.16 - Writer’s Choice Tim Bowden 15 Aug 1990 The Way My Father Tells It Intro. G. Turcotte

AV1.17 - Writer’s Choice Radio Interview Jan Nary Interview

AV1.18 - John Tranter Under Berlin Writer’s Choice Sept 13 1989 Intro. G. Turcotte – ‘Copy’

AV1.19 - Writer’s Choice Jennifer Rowe 5 Sept. 1990 Murder by the Book Intro. G. Turcotte

AV1.20 - Janette Turner Hospital Charades Writer’s Choice

AV1.21 - Ruby Langford Don’t Take Your Love to Town Writer’s Choice Intro. G. Turcotte 20 Sept. 89 – ‘Copy’

AV1.22 - Roberta Sykes Writer’s Choice Love Poems & Other Rev. Actions – ‘Copy’

AV1.23 - Writer’s Choice Bruce Dawe 22 Aug 1990 Sometimes Gladness Intro. G. Turcotte

AV1.24 - Jack Davis Barungin 18 April 1990 Writer’s Choice Intro. Gerry Turcotte

AV1.25 - Writer’s Choice Blanche d’Alpuget 19 Sept 90 Winter in Jerusalem Intro. G. Turcotte

AV1.26 - Manning Clark Puzzles of Childhood 28 March 1990 Intro. G. Turcotte Writer’s Choice

AV1.27 - Morris West Masterclass Writer’s Choice Introduced by Gerry Turcotte – ‘Copy’

AV1.28 - Writer’s Choice Keri Hulme 1 Aug. 1990 The Bone People Introduced by G. Turcotte (defective copy?)