Collection Subject Type

Literary

Scope and Content

This collection comprises manuscript and annotated typescript drafts, and correspondence concerning poet and novelist Peter Goldsworthy's publications Archipelagoes (1982), Zooing (1986), Bleak rooms : stories (1988) and This goes with this (1988).

Date Range of Content

1978-1988

Biographical Note

Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Goldsworthy

Peter Goldsworthy was born on the 12 October 1951 at Minlaton, South Australia. He grew up in various South Australian towns and in Darwin before studying medicine at the University of Adelaide. Goldsworthy graduated in 1974 and, while beginning his career in medicine, began to see his poems published in Westerly and several issues of the Friendly Street poetry reader. Goldsworthy's poetry and short fiction began to attract attention in the early 1980s and in 1982 he won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for a first collection with Readings from Ecclesiastes. In 1989 he published his first novel, Maestro, and has since published five more novels, including a collaboration with Brian Matthews.

Goldsworthy's poetry and fiction often assess the triviality of contemporary life with acerbic wit and humour. His works frequently exhibit a compassion for the disadvantaged that is balanced by his critique of the apathy of those more fortunate.

His novels have been well received and Maestro is widely taught in high schools. His works have been translated into many languages. He has published essays in many periodicals and published a selection of these in Navel gazing (1998).

Some of Goldsworthy's poems have been set to music by Australian composers such as Graeme Koehne, Richard Mills and Matthew Hindson, and he has written libretti for Richard Mills' operatic version of Ray Lawler's Summer of the seventeenth dolland the opera Batavia, also by Mills.

He was appointed Chair of the Australia Council's Literature Board in 2001 and has also chaired the Libraries Board of South Australia.

Goldsworthy has been awarded:
International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, 2005: longlisted for Three dog night 
The Courier-Mail Book of the Year Award, 2004: shortlisted for Three dog night 
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, 2004: shortlisted for Three dog night 
Miles Franklin Literary Award, 2004: shortlisted for Three dog night 
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, Best Fiction Book, 2004: shortlisted for Three dog night 
FAW Christina Stead Award, 2003: winner for Three dog night 
Colin Roderick Award, 2003: shortlisted for Three dog night 
Note: Announced in 2004 Helpmann Awards for Performing Arts in Australia, Best New Australian Work, 2002: winner for Batavia 
NBC Banjo Awards, NBC Turnbull Fox Phillips Poetry Prize, 1991: shortlisted for This goes with that : Peter Goldsworthy : selected poems 1970-1990 
ABC / ABA Bicentennial Literary Award, Poetry Australia Literary Award, 1988: winner for Poetry Australia 
Government Biennial Literature Prize (SA), 1984: winner for Readings from Ecclesiastes : poems 
FAW Anne Elder Poetry Award, 1982: joint winner for Readings from Ecclesiastes : poems 
Commonwealth Poetry Prize, Best First Collection of Poetry, 1982: winner for Readings from Ecclesiastes : poems 
Patricia Hackett Prize, 1980: joint winner for Moonta 
Patricia Hackett Prize, 1980: joint winner for Diary of a failed assassin 
Patricia Hackett Prize, 1980: joint winner for The man who was Wally Wallaby 
Premio Bancarelle Award, 1980: winner for Before the day goes 
Patricia Hackett Prize, 1980: joint winner for Bank statement, March 79 
Patricia Hackett Prize, 1980: joint winner for Songs on the Death of children 
Patricia Hackett Prize, 1980: joint winner for Bees 
WA Sesquicentenary Literary Competition, Short Stories by Australian Writers Not Including Western Australians Award, 1979: joint winner for Memoirs of a small 'm' Marxist.

References:
AustLit : The Resource for Australian Literature, October 2004.

Administrative Information

Access and Copying Conditions

Access: Check with Curator

Copying: Check with Curator

Preferred Citation

Papers of Peter Goldsworthy, Academy Library, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, Box [Number], Folder [Number].

Provenance

The collection was acquired from Peter Goldsworthy in three instalments between 1987 and 1988.

Additional Information

Related Material

Further manuscript material relating to Peter Goldsworthy may be found in the Academy Library, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy in the Papers of Kate Llewellyn, at MS 29.

Subject Keywords

Subjects

Australian authors, Australian literature

Personal Names

Peter Goldsworthy 1951-

Corporate Names

Occupations

Poets, novelists

Container List

Box 1

Folder 1 
Annotated typescript draft of untitled, unpublished novel

Folder 2 
Manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of Archipelagoes (1982) and correspondence from Curtis Brown, Richard Walsh and Angus & Robertson, 1983-84

Folder 3 
Typescript draft of 'Been there, done that' an early form of Zooing (1986)

Folder 4 
Manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of short stories 'That's all folks' and 'Sweet and sour story'

Folder 5 
Annotated typescript draft of Zooing (1986)

Folder 6 
Manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of short stories 'Sacred beef', 'The list of all answers' and 'Three new definitions of neighbourly' for Zooing (1986)

Folder 7 
Manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of a short story 'The blooding' for Zooing (1986)

Folder 8 
Correspondence from Angus & Robertson and Curtis Brown, 1980-1986

Box 2

Folder 9 
Manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of a short story 'A corner of Adelaide that is forever England'

Folder 10 
Manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of short stories 'Been there, done that' and 'The Rotary exchange student' for Zooing (1986)

Folder 11 
Manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of short stories 'The law and procedure of meetings in Australia and New Zealand' retitled 'The law and procedure of meetings' for Zooing (1986)

Folder 12 
Manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of short stories 'Dr Witton' retitled 'Heaven and earth, Horatio' retitled 'A cobbler's child' for Zooing (1986)

Folder 13 
Correspondence and poetry from Les Murray, 1978-1987 and Kate Llewellyn, 1982-1986 and correspondence from Andrew Sant, 1981-1987

Folder 14 
Typescript drafts of poems for This goes with this (1988)

Folder 15 
Annotated typescript drafts of poems for This goes with this (1988)

Folder 16 
Annotated typescript drafts of short stories for Bleak rooms : stories (1988)

Box 3

Folder 17 
Manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of short stories 'The reunion', 'Triple word score', 'Great to see you again' retitled 'Quantified', 'Requiescat in pace', 'The boat person' retitled 'Nice Chinese doctor', 'The tattoo', 'Three pleasant memories' retitled 'Fragments from Chaucer' retitled 'Frocks, wireless, gorgeous, slacks' for Bleak rooms : stories (1988)

Folder 18 
Annotated typescript drafts of short stories 'Remember you're out', 'Innocence' and 'The last hippie' retitled 'Affirmative action dinner party' for Bleak rooms : stories (1988)