Collection ID: LMC 2756
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Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Sillitoe, Alan.
Abstract:
The Sillitoe mss. III, 1980-2010, consists of the papers of writer Alan Sillitoe, 1928-2010, with emphasis on the last three decades of his career.
Extent:
25 Boxes
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Item], Sillitoe mss. III, Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.

Background

Biographical / Historical:

Alan Sillitoe was born in Nottingham, England and dropped out of school in his early teens, taking on several factory jobs before joining the air training corps at the end of World War II. He became a radio operator after the war and was discharged after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. Sillitoe settled eventually in the Mediterranean area, where a prior interest in English literature was reignited after befriending the poet Robert Graves. Sillitoe's first two novels, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1958) and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and Other Stories (1959), were highly successful and influential depictions of the working class from his youth that touched a nerve with the burgeoning counterculture. Both novels were adapted into motion pictures.

Although primarily known from the era as one of British literature's Angry Young Men (a label he rejected), Sillitoe went on to forge a long and versatile career as a novelist, short story writer, playwright, poet, memoirist, and author of travelogues. His later works, represented in this collection, include The Saxon Shore Way (1983), Nottinghamshire (1987), Leading the Blind (1994), Alligator Playground (1997), The German Numbers Woman (1999), Broken Chariot (1998), Flight of Arrows (2003), Gadfly in Russia (2007), and an unpublished novel, Moggerhanger. Also featured in the collection are correspondence, speeches, articles, and reviews.

Scope and Content:

Correspondents include: Martin Amis, Tom Courtenay, Margaret Drabble, Eugene Dubnov, Albert Finney, A.M. Holmes, Patrick McCabe, China Mieville, Amos Oz, Mary Sackville-West, Brian Sillitoe, Michael Sillitoe, Ruth Fainlight-Sillitoe, W. D. Snodgrass, Peter Straus.

Writings include drafts and proofs of Sillitoe's novels, stories, and poems. Personal records include invitations and flyers, business records, and Morse writings. Miscellaneous materials include photographs, literary magazines, and various printed materials. Newspaper Clippings include interviews with Sillitoe and reviews of his work. Audio/Visual Materials include video cassettes of Sillitoe's graduation speeches and appearances on BBC television shows.

Acquisition information:
Acquired: 2011
Processing information:

Processed by Barbara Wallace and Casey Blackmore. Completed in 2013.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into the following series: I. Correspondence; II. Writings; III. Personal Records; IV. Miscellaneous; V. Newspaper Clippings; VI. Audio/Visual Materials.

Physical location:
ALF (Auxiliary Library Facility)

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

This collection is open for research.

Many collections are housed offsite; retrieval requires advance notice. Please make an appointment a minimum of one week in advance of your visit.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

Photography and digitization may be restricted for some collections. Copyright restrictions may apply. Before publishing, researchers are responsible for securing permission from all applicable rights holders, then filling out the Permission to Publish form.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[Item], Sillitoe mss. III, Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.

CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
1200 East Seventh Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-5500, USA
CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
CONTACT:
(812) 855-2452
liblilly@indiana.edu