Seamus Heaney Literary Papers,
1963-2010
The Seamus Heaney Literary Papers consist for the most part of literary drafts of Heaney's poetry, prose criticism, verse translations and drama, from his associations to the Belfast Group in the early 1960's, the publication of his first collection 'Death of a Naturalist' (1966), through to his 2010 poetry collection 'Human Chain'. Drafts of all his major poetry collections are represented, alongside his prose writings (reviews, newspaper articles and critical essays and lectures, some of which were later collected in 'The Government of the Tongue' and 'The Redress of Poetry'), his translations of the work of poets Brian Merriman, Jan Kochanowski, Leos Janacek and Robert Henryson and his dramatic works 'The Cure at Troy' and 'The Burial at Thebes'. Among the drafts is related documentation which sheds light on his collaborations with both English National Opera and the Abbey Theatre, his interaction with publishers in the UK, Ireland and America and his schedule of public appearances. There is, in addition, fragmentary correspondence, covering the years 1963 to 2008. The literary drafts themselves include extensive manuscript and typescript worksheets, often heavily annotated, and a number of notebooks which contain manuscript drafts, alongside occasional diary entries and his jottings in which he reflects on the origins and progress of his creative ideas.
Main Creator: | |
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Format: | Manuscript |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Notes: | The cataloguing archivist has sought to maintain the original order in which the collection was organised by its creator. This means that where successive drafts of poetry collections were filed as distinct items by Seamus Heaney, they have been maintained as distinct items. In addition any titles on the original files, folders or envelopes in which the papers were housed have been noted in the catalogue. Many of the drafts are undated, but where a worksheet or notebook has been dated this information has been noted in the catalogue. Associated Materials: Department of Manuscripts, National Library of Ireland. There are additional Seamus Heaney manuscripts held in the Department of Manuscripts (MS 41,932/1-3). This consists of manuscript and typescript drafts of the poem 'Sweeney Astray', with additional notes on early Irish poetry, (call number MS 41,932/1-3); the Haberer Heaney Collection, (call number MS 49,601/1-28) and the McCabe Heaney Collection (call number MS 49,602/1-55) Associated Materials: Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Library, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Seamus Heaney Papers, 1951-2004; Associated Materials: Queen's University Library, Belfast. Seamus Heaney Beowulf Papers; Physical description: 19 boxes more |
Arrangement: | Fonds I. Poetry (1963-2010). II. Prose (1970-2002). III. Verse Translations (1979-1999). IV. Drama (1990-2004). V. Other Papers. |
Published / Created: |
1963-2010
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I.xvii.2. Manuscript and typescript drafts of poems collected in 'District and Circle',
2003-2005.
In Collection: | Seamus Heaney Literary Papers, 1963-2010 |
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Description: | Worksheets contain drafts of 'Relict' (collected as 'District and Circle'), 'Poet to Blacksmith', 'Tall Dames' (collected as Section 2 of 'Found Prose', 'Polish Sleepers', 'Brancardier', 'The Nod', 'Höfn' (with draft dated 6 June 2004), 'Carlo', 'Rilke: After the Fire' (alternative title in file 'Rilke: Burnt Out House'), 'Limen', 'Rilke: The Apple Orchard', 'Wordsworth Skates' (with draft dated 22 June 2004), 'A Clip' (with draft dated 3 Dec 2003), 'Testimonies' (collected as 'Anahorish 1944'), 'Turkeys' (collected as 'Quitting Time'), 'Out of Shot' (draft dated 3 Dec 2003), 'To George Seferis in the Underworld', 'To Edward Thomas On The Lagans Road', 'Testimoney: The Ajax Incident', 'Fiddleheads', 'One Christmas Day In The Morning', 'In Those Days She Flowed', 'Home Help', 'The Aerodrome', 'Súgán' (with draft marked as 'late revisions and dated 8 Aug 2005), 'To Pablo Nerunda in Tamlaghduff', 'The Blackbird of Glanmore', 'The Tollund Man in Springtime', 'A Chow', 'A Chow', 'A Scuttle for Dorothy Wordsworth', 'Tate's Avenue', 'Saw Music', 'Helmet', 'Sweeney Underground', 'The Turnip Snedder', 'The Harrow Pin', 'None Words', 'Horace and Thunder' (collected as 'Anything Can Happen', 'After Dark', 'Out of This World' (collected as 'Like Everybody Else ...'), 'The rest I'll speakof to the ones below in Hades' and 'To W.H. Auden by his fireside' (collected as 'A Stove Lid for W.H. Auden'). Also included is a draft of the contents page of 'District and Circle'. |
Main Creator: | |
Extent: | 152 pages; 3 folders. |
Format: | Manuscript |
Call Number: |
MS 49,493/126
(Manuscripts Reading Room) |
Rights: | Subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 2000, the papers in this collection are in copyright. It is necessary to obtain the express permission of the copyright owner before reproducing any material from this collection. |