Literary papers and correspondence of Keith Douglas, with related material, including his paintings and drawings, and Douglas family photographs.
Details
Type of record: Archive
Title: Literary papers and correspondence of Keith Douglas, with related material, including his paintings and drawings, and Douglas family photographs.
Classmark: BC MS 20c Douglas/1
Creator(s): Douglas, Keith (1920-1944)
Date(s): 1881-2000
Language: English
Size and medium: 5 boxes, 4 folders, and 104 vols; manuscript, typescript, photographs, press cuttings, and printed material (some photocopy).
Persistent link: https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/94840
Collection group(s): English Literature
Description
The archive, acquired during the years 1968-1976 for the Brotherton Collection, was part gift of the poet's mother, Marie Douglas, and part purchase. Dr Desmond Graham, Keith Douglas' biographer, assisted in its acquisition and undertook a good deal of checking of materials on behalf of the Library. His correspondence with the Library throws light on some of the items acquired and has been preserved with the Collection as part of its history.
The archive includes the following: a large collection of photographs, drawings and paintings by Douglas; 94 books owned by him, 10 of which have autograph additions; 9 holograph poems by Douglas; proofs of his published poems; reports, certificates and testimonials relating to his school, university and army service periods; a large selection of press cuttings which include many reviews of his poetry and prose writings; a selection of periodicals relating to the various periods of his life; a number of other pamphlets, leaflets and memorabilia; three publications by Desmond Graham (his biography of the poet, his selection of prose by Douglas and his article about Douglas' library) and a catalogue of the Keith Douglas exhibition held at the Bodleian Library in 1974.
Comprises: (a) 1 box containing many miscellaneous documents associated with him, including some of his school reports, educational and army certificates, press cuttings concerning his life in the army, Oxford scholarship material, some autograph manuscript and typescript drafts and proofs of his poems, reviews of his poems and prose writings, correspondence with family members and friends, and a typescript Castellain family history dated 1881; (b) 1 box and 1 folder containing many drawings and paintings by him; (c) 1 box and 1 folder containing Douglas family photographs from his earliest childhood to the war years; (d) 2 boxes containing many parts of literary periodicals associated with him; (e) 1 folder of correspondence and lists concerning the acquisition of his archive for the Brotherton Collection, including references to the two exhibitions on Douglas mounted in the Bodleian Library in 1974 and then in the Brotherton Collection in 1975; (f) a metal cigarette case containing 5 of
his badges; and (g) 2 bundles of miscellaneous folders associated with the collection and its acquisition from which material has been removed.
Includes many drawings and paintings and a metal cigarette case containing 5 badges.
Physical characteristics
Measurement details: 5 grey boxes, grey folders
Biography or history
Keith Castellain Douglas (1920-1944), the war poet and prose writer, was born in Kent, brought up near Cranleigh, Surrey, and educated at Christ's Hospital and Merton College, Oxford, where he edited 'The Cherwell' and wrote stories and poems. At the outbreak of the Second World War he volunteered for the army, was trained at Sandhurst and Wickwar, and in 1941 was posted to Palestine. The history of his time in North Africa is told in his memoir 'Alamein to Zem Zem' (1946). He returned to England in 1943 and in 1944 was sent to France. There he was killed in action in Normandy four days after the D-day landings. His 'Complete poems' and a prose miscellany were edited in 1987 and 1985 respectively by Desmond Graham, who had also earlier written his biography, 'Keith Douglas 1920-1944' (1974).
System of arrangement
The BC MS 20c Douglas catalogue is based on an historic inventory. The arrangement of material does not necessarily represent the original order of the archive and it is considered partly processed by an archivist. When making requests to consult, please be aware that there may be discrepancies between description and physical arrangement. The retrievable unit for this collection is file level.
Access and usage
Access
Access to this part of the collection is protected under the Data Protection Act. You will need to complete a data protection access form and return it to Special Collections for review by staff before access can be granted