Miscellaneous literary papers and letters of, or relating to, George Barker

Comprises: (1) 3 letters to or from George Barker, including 1 undated and 2 dated 1977 and 1981 respectively, held in an envelope with typed drafts of his 'Critical sonnet for William Shakespeare', including manuscript corrections; (2) Typescript draft, with manuscript annotations, of 'The True Confession of George Barker', October 47; (3) Incomplete and unsigned letter by George Barker to Ralph Abercrombie on the death of Dylan Thomas, with an envelope postmarked 'Haslemere, 25 May, 1954'; (4) Manuscript essay by Paul Potts on Barker, entitled, 'The world of George Barker', together with a photocopy of the same as published in Poetry Quarterly, Vol.10, no.2 (Summer 1948), pp. 91-97; (5) Typed letter from Barker to Mrs Bland written from Zennor, October 18, n.y.; (6) Page proofs of 'Poems', by Barker, dated 1935, with autograph manuscript revisions; (7) Memorandum book containing manuscript poems, including drafts of various elegies, together with a photocopy of a letter from Barker to Miss O'Hagan dated 18 November 1987 inserted at the beginning; (8) Another smaller black-covered notebook containing 'Anno Domini' manuscript poems.

George Granville Barker (1913-1991), the English poet, was born in Essex. He taught in Japan and the United States as well as in England. His highly dramatic poems, often concerned with themes of remorse and pain, led critics to place him, perhaps misleadingly, among the 'New Apocalypse' movement. Barker's published works include: 30 Preliminary Poems (1933); Eros in Dogma (1944); News of the World (1950); The True Confession of George Barker (1950); The View From a Blind I (1962); Thurgarton Church (1969); The Alphabetical Zoo (1972); and Collected Poems (1987).

Access is unrestricted

Purchased from Sotheby's on 14 January 1981, 24 February 1981, and 8 January 1982, from Bristow's on 16 December 1982, and from Any Amount of Books on 8 July 1987.

In English.

The letters are listed in the Letters database http://www.leeds.ac.uk/library/spcoll/letters/letlink.htm#barker