Biographical Note

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The German Numbers Woman (1999), Broken Chariot (1998), Flight of Arrows (2003), Gadfly in Russia (2007), and an unpublished novel, Moggerhanger.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 Note

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.

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.

Restrictions

Conditions Governing Access: This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use: Prior arrangements are not necessary before coming to the Library, however, patrons from out of town are encouraged to communicate with the Library in advance of their visits to ascertain availability of materials. Photocopying permitted only with permission of the Curator of Manuscripts, Lilly Library.

Related Material

See Sillitoe mss. and Sillitoe mss. II, also located at the Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

Subject Headings

Persons

Amis, Martin --Correspondence.
Courtenay, Tom --Correspondence.
Drabble, Margaret, 1939- --Correspondence.
Dubnov, E. (Evgeniĭ), 1949- --Correspondence.
Finney, Albert, 1936- --Correspondence.
Oz, Amos --Correspondence.
Sackville-West, Mary --Correspondence.
Sillitoe, Alan --Correspondence.
Snodgrass, W. D. (William De Witt), 1926-2009 --Correspondence.

Subjects

Authors, English--Correspondence

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

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

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquired: 2011

Processing Information

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

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Writings

Personal Records

Miscellaneous

Newspaper Clippings

Audio/Visual Materials