Correspondence from Helen Garner – 125 letters (1982 to 2014)
Comprises:
[File 1]: 1982 to 1985 – 22 letters
[File 2]: 1986 – 29 letters (including 8-page typescript of a short story titled ‘What we say’)
[File 3]: 1987 to 2000 – 61 letters
[File 4]: 2003 to 2014 – 13 letters

Correspondence from Jeffrey Smart – 26 letters (undated, 1978 to 2012)
[File 1]: 1978 to 1991; 1999; 2012. In a letter of 13 Sep 1980 Smart writes: ‘Dear David, It’s midnight. I’ve come down to the studio to look again at your portrait […] it is, I feel sure, the best picture I have ever painted.’

Correspondence from Elizabeth Riddell, Mrs Elizabeth Greatorex – 41 letters
Comprises:
[File 1]: 1974 to 1998

Correspondence from Patrick White – 7 letters
Comprises:
[File 1]: 1976 to 1990

Johnno is Malouf’s most outwardly autobiographical novel and has been much praised as a realistic presentation of wartime Brisbane. It traces the childhood and early adult life of the narrator, and his relationship with the school rebel Johnno until Johnno’s untimely death. It was first published in 1975. This series includes two typescripts (both carbon copies) of the original manuscript version of Johnno. The earlier copy has extensive handwritten reworking by Malouf and uses the name “Johnny” throughout. In the later copy is again reworked and the author has manually changed “Johnny” to “Johnno.” There are significant textural alterations, cuts and additions, between these two drafts. Earlier drafts of the manuscript are held in the National Library of Australia collection and the top copy is held in the Fryer Library University of Queensland Press Archive. These typescripts provide a valuable link between the two. Published in 1975 by University of Queensland Press.

Child’s Play is an account of the experiences of an Italian terrorist and his special interest in his victim. It was first published in 1981 with another novella, The Bread of Time to Come (later changed to Fly Away Peter). It was republished in 1982 with two short stories, Eustace and The Prowler. This subseries includes manuscript drafts for original first draft, first typescript draft, and second typescript draft. All the drafts have explanatory notes by David Malouf.

One handwritten page with notes for the first draft, which gives details of how the first draft was created. With the note is the first draft of Child's Play. This draft comprises handwritten and typescript leaves. Handwritten pages are in blue and red biro and some in black ink. Typescript leaves have extensive handwritten emendations. Undated.

Folder used for Child’s Play. With handwritten notes by author.

One-page working plan, 17 Mar 1980, together with newspaper article Come sono lontani da Bakunin questi burocrati del terrorismo from La Nazione, which in Malouf’s words ‘was the spur’

One leaf, handwritten in blue ink, with details of accompanying typescript. First typescript draft, written in Brisbane in April 1981, handwritten emendations in blue ink, hand written numbering on all pages (one is missed), 105 [sic 106] leaves. Accompanied by small note about a mistake in numbering of pages numbers 3 and 4 (not counted in total number of leaves).