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Manuscript Name | Papers of Philip Martin |
Manuscript Number | MSS 309 |
Last Updated | August 2021 |
Extent | 3.54 m (24 boxes + 1 folio) |
Location | Special Collections, UNSW Canberra |
Abstract | This collection comprises manuscript papers and related material produced or accumulated by Philip Martin. |
This is a comprehensive collection, which comprises papers relating to Philip Martin's professional writing career and personal life. It traces the emergence of an eminent Australian literary figure, and is indicative of the volume and highly significant output of Martin.
The collection consists of correspondence, journals/writer's notebooks, manuscript and typescript drafts of poetry and prose, audio cassettes and photographs. They document Martin's work as a poet, academic, translator, critic, reviewer and broadcaster.
1950-2001
Special Collections staff has imposed the series arrangement of this collection to describe and preserve context and relationships.
Philip John Talbot Martin was born in Richmond, Victoria on the 28 March 1931. He was educated at Xavier College, Kew, 1937-1950, and graduated with a B.A. from the University of Melbourne in 1958. Prior to his teaching career Martin worked at the Titles Office, Melbourne, 1953-1956, and as a Publication Officer at the University of Melbourne, 1956-1960. His teaching career began, firstly as a Tutor in English at the University of Melbourne, 1960-1962, followed by a position as a temporary Lecturer in English at the Australian National University, 1963. In 1963, he returned to Melbourne as a Senior Lecturer in English at Monash University where he worked until his early retirement due to ill health in 1988. During his teaching career he was also a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Amsterdam in 1967, Visiting Professor, University of Venice in 1976, and Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota in 1983. He was a member of International P.E.N., Fellowship of Australian Writers, Association for the Study of Australian Literature, member and former Chair of the Poet's Union of Australia, Melbourne Branch, 1978-1979 and 1981-1982 and Amnesty International.
From 1962 Martin was a frequent broadcaster of poetry and features on Australian and overseas radio. He read poetry in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Hobart, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Yugoslavia, England and the United States, and conducted several poetry workshops. He began publishing poems as a student at the University of Melbourne and his poems, articles and reviews were widely published in Australia, Europe and the United States in journals and anthologies. He broadcast both as a critic and poetry-reader, and wrote the scripts for several television features produced by the Australian Broadcasting Commission.
Martin's publications include:
Voice unaccompanied : poems (1970)
A bone flute (1974)
From Sweden : translations and poems (translated by Martin, 1979)
Strava : poems on Attila and the Huns (photocopied from Southerly and published by the author, 1980)
Directory of Australian poets 1980 (edited for the Poets Union of Australia by Philip Martin ... [et al] 1980)
A flag for the wind (1982)
Shakespeare's sonnets; self, love and art (1982)
Lars Gustafsson (translated by Martin, 1982)
A season in Minnesota : poems (1987)
Lars Gustafsson : the stillness of the world before Bach (translated by Martin, 1988)
New and selected poems (1988).
Philip Martin died in Victoria on 18 October 2005.
References:
Martin's curriculum vitae, [1992]
Directory of Australian poets 1980 (edited for the Poets Union of Australia by Philip Martin ... [et al], 1980, p. 166
Oxford companion to Australian literature, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1994, p. 517
AustLit : The Resource for Australian Literature, 2006.
Papers of Philip Martin, Special Collections, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy, MSS 309, Series [Number], Folder [Number].
The collection was acquired by the library in several instalments from Jenny Gribble, 1992-2001.
Further manuscript material relating to Philip Martin may be found in Special Collections, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy in the Papers of Kate Llewellyn, at MSS 029.
This collection originally included a number of publications, listed below. These autographed works have been catalogued separately, and added to the Library's rare book collection.
Martin, Philip. Voice unaccompanied. Canberra: ANU Press, 1970.
Martin, Philip. A bone flute. Canberra: ANU Press, 1974.
Martin, Philip. From Sweden. Melbourne: Monash University, 1979.
Martin, Philip. A flag for the wind. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire, 1982.
Martin, Philip. A season in Minnesota. Northfield, Minnesota: Carleton College, 1987.
Martin, Philip. New and selected poems. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire, 1988.
This series comprises two subseries of correspondence relating to Martin's personal, writing and professional life including letters, faxes and postcards. The correspondence is from friends, students, literary associates, agents, publishers and editors and admirers regarding Martin's university appointments and work, lectures and addresses and various literary endeavours. Arrangement is alphabetical by name of correspondent or business, then chronological.
1.1, Personal correspondence, 1959-2001
This subseries, folders 1-34 comprises personal correspondence with friends and fellow writers. The correspondence with friends and writers, many of whom are part of the literary history of Australia, is full and detailed, and a genuine exchange of news and views. The correspondents include Anne Elder, Bruce Beaver, Carmel Bird, David Campbell, Manning Clark, Bruce Dawe, C. Day-Lewis, Rosemary Dobson, Ian Donaldson, Sylvia Eversole, Helen Garner, Barbara Giles, Dorothy Green, John Hamell, Keith Harrison, Gwen Harwood, Bernard Hickey, A. D. Hope, Kate Llewellyn, David Malouf, John Manifold, P. M. McCaughey, John Manifold, Gustav Nossal, Mark O'Connor, Peter Porter, Judith Rodriguez, David Rowbotham, Noel Rowe, Vivian Smith, Ruth Speirs, Douglas Stewart, Terence Tiller, Janette Turner Hospital, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Patrick White and Judith Wright.
Folder 1
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, Carmel Bird, together with her poetry, short stories and newspaper clippings, 1984-1995
Folder 2
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, B, 1964-1987
Including Bob Brissenden (2), Bruce Beaver (3) and Vincent Buckley (2)
Folder 3
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, David and Judy Campbell (10, together with poetry), 1963-1978
Folder 4
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, C-F, 1959-1986
Including Manning Clark (2), C. Day-Lewis (1), Rosemary Dobson (7 to and 1 from), Ian Donaldson (6), Geoffrey Dutton (3) and Bill Fitzwater (3)
Folder 5-9
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, Bruce Dawe, together with poetry and prose drafts, copies of Martin's letters to Dawe and newspaper clippings, 1963-2000
Folder 10-11
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, Bruce Dawe, 1981-1983
Regarding Martin's editing of poetry drafts for Sometimes gladness : collected poems, 1954-1982, by Bruce Dawe, 2nd ed., rev. ed., published by Longman Cheshire, Melbourne, 1983. There are letters from Dawe and Longman Cheshire, Dawe's annotated typescript carbon and typescript photocopy drafts of poems to Martin, annotated photocopies of the introduction, photocopies of corrections, and contents and titles lists
Folder 12
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, G, 1963-1991
Including Helen Garner (3), Barbara Giles (4, together with poetry), Dorothy Green (7, together with poetry) and Robin Grove (4)
Folder 13
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, H, 1967-1989
Including Susan Hampton and Andrew McDonald (6, together with poetry from Hampton) and Bernard Hickey (9 from, 1 to)
Folder 15
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, Keith Harrison (16 from, together with poetry and 2 letters from Martin), 1983-1986
Folder 16-19
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, Gwen Harwood, 1974-1995
Together with poetry and a fragment of a mss notebook and a letter dated 6/11/77, with Harwood's comment to Martin 'that she found by chance an old notebook with the first drafts of 'Father and child'; normally I destroy all drafts at once, but I'd scribbled in a book full of useful information, and the appalling first attempts were preserved'. I see (I'd forgotten) that I meant it to be one long poem linking my father's blindness to the 'daylight-riddled eyes - you can see the beginning of Nightfall marked (7); then I go back and finish Barn owl with the seventh verse you have'
Folder 21
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, I-K, 1963-1993
Including Evan Jones (2), Harry Kemp (10) and 2 typescript poems from Rudi Krausmann
Folder 22
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, K-L, 1980-1998
Including Jascha Kessler (6, together with poetry), Joyce Lee (2, together with poetry)
Folder 27
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, M, 1966-1995
Including J. M. MacKenzie (6), David Malouf (2 to, 1 from), John Manifold (1), Davis McCaughey (4) and Patrick McCaughey (19)
Folder 28
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, M-Q, 1961-2000
Including Hilary McPhee (1 from, 1 to), Les Murray (4 from, 1 to), Rosemary Nissen (2, together with poetry), G. J. V. Nossal (3), Mark O'Connor (2), Hal Porter (1, including poetry) and Peter Porter (3 from and 1 to)
Folder 29
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, R, 1973-1992
Including Verena Reichel (2 from, 2 to), Judith Rodriguez (4, together with poetry), David Rowbotham (1) and Noel Rowe (4, together with poetry and 1 from)
Folder 30
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, S, 1963-1985
Including Kel Semmens (1), Vivian Smith (1), Ruth Speirs (1) and Peter Steele (3, together with poetry)
Folder 32
Personal correspondence from friends and writers, T, 1978-1981
Including Terence Tiller (2 from, 2 to), Tomas Transtromer (2), Dimitris Tsaloumas (2) and Janette Turner Hospital (1)
1.2, Business correspondence, 1964-1988
This subseries, folders 1-9 comprises literary correspondence to and from Philip Martin, with publishers, newspaper editors, literary associates and colleagues concerning Martin's various literary endeavours, work, university affairs and university appointments.
Material relating to Voice unaccompanied : poems, Selected poems, by Lars Gustafsson and Martin's radio and television works are included in Series 3; administrative material relating to his membership of literary societies are included in Series 4; audio visual cassettes relating to his broadcasts are included in Series 5 and photographs relating to the book launch of New and selected poems, the ABC documentary 'Williamstown', T. & R. Weiss', Anne Elder and Gwen Harwood are included in Series 6.
Principal correspondents include The Age, Akzente, Angus & Robertson, Anne Elder Poetry Fund, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Gessa Brill, Chatto & Windus, Lars Gustafsson, Helix, Literature Board of the Australia Council, Longman Cheshire, Meanjin, Monash University, Nimrod Theatre Company, Quadrant, Scripsi, Tom Shapcott, Jon Silkin, Southern review, the Swedish Institute, the Sydney morning herald, and Fay Zwicky.
Folder 1
Business correspondence, A, 1963-1988
Including The Age, Akzente, Douglas Stewart of Angus & Robertson, Anne Elder Poetry Fund and the ABC
Folder 4
Business correspondence, D-L, 1968-1986
Including Helix, Literature Board and Longman Cheshire
Folder 6
Business correspondence, N-R, 1962-1988
Including Nimrod Theatre Company, Quadrant and correspondence concerning readings by Martin
Folder 7
Business correspondence, S-T, 1974-1984
Including Scripsi, Tom Shapcott, Jon Silkin, Southern review, the Swedish Institute and the Sydney morning herald
This series, folders 1-18 comprises journals/writer's notebooks mostly written in exercise books together with loose manuscript pages. The journals contain candid and self-revealing entries and portray personal feelings, thoughts, and reflections about acquaintances and places. The journals record appointments and meetings; special events; records of conversations; lists of poem topics and articles to write, and drafts of articles and short stories. The journals have been arranged chronologically, and several are undated.
His entry in the notebook dated 10/6/1961 to 17/6/1962, explains his extensive use of notebooks as an outlet for his creativity 'But I don't want to make diary entries. This should be a notebook in a much wider sense: should contain notes for creative work, notes that will be shoved away and never used if written on loose sheets of paper'. Some notebooks overlap as he would 'run two books at the same time, one a record of my thinking on several important subjects, the other made up of various notes made on other subjects (topics for poems, etc.)'.
This series comprises 11 subseries and is a comprehensive collection containing research material, manuscript and typescript drafts of poems, galley proofs, translations, television and radio programmes, plays, short stories, articles, essays, interviews, readings, reviews and novels written by Martin.
3.1, Miscellaneous Poetry, 1950-1988
This subseries, folders 1-25 comprises drafts of unpublished poems and poems published in Australian and overseas literary journals, magazines, newspapers and anthologies and poetry written by friends. Arrangement is alphabetical by title or first line, except where Martin has specifically arranged the poetry by years or subjects.
Folder 8
Manuscript, annotated typescript and typescript photocopy drafts of poems together with research material, J, K, L
Folder 18
Manuscript, annotated typescript and typescript photocopy drafts of poems, together with criticisms, 1950-1954
Folder 19
'Poems' - contents list (2), manuscript, annotated typescript and typescript photocopy drafts of poems, 1950s-1960s; 'Poems, 1952-1954' and 'Poems, September 1955 - March 1957' - typescript drafts of poems and contents list
3.2, Voice unaccompanied : poems (1970)
This subseries folders 1-2, comprises manuscript and typescript drafts, research material, page proofs and book reviews of Martin's first volume of poems, which was published by the Australian National University Press, Canberra, ACT, 1970. Correspondence relating to these writings is included in Series 1.
3.3, A bone flute (1974)
This subseries folders 1-2, comprises notes, manuscript and typescript drafts of Martin's second book of poetry, which was published by the Australian National University Press, Canberra, ACT, 1974.
3.4, From Sweden (1979) and A flag for the wind (1982)
This subseries folders 1-3, comprises research material, notes, manuscript and typescript drafts of poems relating to From Sweden, poems by Lars Gustafsson, translated by Philip Martin, published by Monash University, 1979 and Martin's third book of poetry A flag for the wind, published by Longman Cheshire, 1982.
3.5, A season in Minnesota : poems (1987)
This subseries comprises manuscript and typescript drafts written by Martin whilst teaching the Fall Term at Northfield, Minnesota in 1983, together 'with a few written later out of the same vein of feeling', and published by Carlton College, Northfield, Minnesota in 1987.
3.6, New and selected poems (1988)
This subseries comprises Bruce Dawe's book launch typescript and manuscript and typescript drafts of Martin's fourth book of poetry, which was published by Longman Cheshire, Melbourne, 1988.
3.7, Translations, 1980s
This subseries, folders 1-3 contains research material and translations chiefly of Swedish poetry by Martin. Correspondence relating to these writings is included in Series 1.
3.8, Radio and Television Programmes 1962-1983
This subseries, folders 1-9 comprises notes, research material, manuscript and typescript drafts of poems used by Martin for ABC television and radio programmes, which has been arranged chronologically.
Martin first started broadcasting in 1962, firstly to schools then arts on programs. He wrote scripts for ABC television features, two of them involving dance, and one a documentary on Williamstown. Martin sees broadcasting as a part of his work both as a teacher and as a poet. Correspondence relating to these writings is included in Series 1.
Folder 1
Research, ideas and manuscript, typescript and typescript carbon draft (incomplete) of the ABC television documentary entitled 'Williamstown : the town at the edge of the city', 1962-1963
Folder 2
Research material, notes and manuscript, typescript and typescript photocopy scripts of the ABC Radio programme entitled 'The Dune-ship : a poem for voices', 1972-1975
Folder 3-4
Research material, notes and manuscript and typescript drafts of the ABC Radio programme entitled 'The Huns', 1976
Folder 5-8
Research material, notes, publicity flyers, manuscript and annotated typescript and typescript photocopy drafts of the ABC Radio Helicon programme 'Celibidache conducting : a suite for voices', 1984. This work is related to a 'Man with a baton' sequence published in Instructions for honey ants, edited by Paul Kavanagh, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, N.S.W., 1983, p. 49-60, 1978-1984
3.9, Dramatic Works, c. 1950s-1987
This subseries comprises ideas, research material, notes and drafts of plays written by Martin
This series, folders 1-8 comprises administrative material relating to Martin's membership of literary societies, undergraduate essays, interview, criticism, bibliography, newspaper clippings, receipts and Monash University course notes. Correspondence relating to these writings is included in Series 1.
Folder 1-2
Administrative material relating to Martin's participation as a member in the Poets' Union, Melbourne Branch including circulars, newsletters, minutes of meetings, readings and reports, 1978-1983
Folder 3
Administrative material and newsletters relating to Martin's participation as a member in the International P.E.N., Melbourne Branch and Fringe Network, 1981-1982
This series comprises audio cassettes relating to Martin's radio broadcasts and readings for the ABC, community and ethnic radio and radio readings of other Australian writers. Correspondence relating to these writings is included in Series 1.
Folder 2
Audio cassette of Philip Martin reading 'Celibidache conducting', at the Nourse Little Theatre, Carlton College, Minnesota, 28/9/1983
Folder 8
Audio cassette of the Radio Helicon programme entitled 'A House in Minnesota', by Philip Martin and a talk by Keith Harrison entitled 'The Water Man', 21 March, 1983, and The Poet's Tongue programme entitled 'Some poems of Philip Martin', 6/3/1983
Folder 11
Audio cassette of the 2XX Writers' workshop with Philip Martin, Ann Martin and Phillip MacKenzie
Folder 12
Audio cassette of a poetry reading for Vis. Arts by Jennifer Strauss and Martin, October 1977
Folder 16
Audio cassette of the ABC talk on the 'Hun' poem sequence, 14/8/1978, and Bruce Dawe poems, December 1978
Folder 19
Audio cassette of ABC programmes with Bruce Dawe and Geoff Page, and Martin on Martin, December 1978
Folder 21
Audio cassette of the Writers Radio programmes with Anne Elder reading, 24/11/1978 and Philip Martin, 21/12/1978
Folder 22
Audio cassette of the programme entitled 'A.D. Hope : personal choice and personal friends', 22 July
Folder 24
Audio cassette of Martin reading 'Preserved', 'Deirdre O'Day', 'Lilith', 'A Pequot Indian to the Puritans', 'Lilith sings' and 'Dune-ship'
Folder 28
Magnetic tape of the readings 'Since you have chosen death', by Jennifer Strauss and 'Bog people' and 'Sir Thomas Browne', by Martin, 1972
Folder 30
Magnetic tape of Martin reading poems from the 'Death-gift' sequence together with introductory comments
Folder 33
Magnetic tape of a programme entitled 'Senior student : the poetry of W.B. Yeats', 28/3/1970
Folder 34
Magnetic tape of a programme entitled 'Senior student : T.S. Eliot as a narrative poets', 28/3/1970
This small series comprises photographs of Martin and friends and photographs used for the documentary 'Williamstown'. Correspondence relating to these photographs is included in Series 1.
Folder 1
Philip Martin taken by Herve Alleaume, Monash, 1977
Philip Martin taken by Khen Lim, 1981
Martin and Bett Collings at the Port Fairy book launch of New and selected poems, April 1988
Negatives (8)
Research photographs for the ABC documentary on Williamstown, Victoria (38)
Cover design for Voice unaccompanied : poems
Martin's godson Brian Peter Hamilton Dawe (2)
Kate Llewellyn and Philip Martin (3)
Kate Llewellyn (3)
Miscellaneous domestic photographs from Gwen Harwood (36)
T & R Weiss' house (2)
Anne Elder, April 1980