Loose notes and draft fragments

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 1840 LB/03/03/01
  • Dates of Creation
      c 1986-1994
  • Physical Description
      488 items

Scope and Content

Large file of loose pages of manuscript and typescript notes relating to 'Flickerbook' by Leila Berg. Many of the pages are torn scraps of paper and envelopes, and the notes include fragments of memories, some recorded as dreams; poems and song lyrics; lists of books read and films seen at various points in her life; and some notes regarding the arrangement and style for the book. The file also contains two photographs taken during Leila Berg's childhood, both of which were reproduced in the book. Some of the material here relates to later periods in Leila Berg's life than that covered by 'Flickerbook', which ends in 1939. This suggests she had in mind to continue with further volumes of autobiography covering her life post 1939.

The contents of this file show very little clear order or systematic approach to drafting the text - Berg appears simply to have written memories and impressions down as they came to her, which accords with her account of the writing process as a 'reliving' rather than a remembering. Some organisation has been done, where material has been inserted into envelopes or folders with labels and notes on the cover, and in all cases these sub-divisions have been maintained and clearly indicated within the file. Many of the loose papers have been numbered in ink, with the numbers indicating the period of her life to which they relate. This seems to have been a retrospective process, in order to organise her thoughts and notes to write the book.