Correspondence, incoming, from 1980-1983:
1980 – 31 letters: Jim Davidson (17 Apr, 19 Jun, 25 Jul, 18 Sep, 15 Oct 1980); Don Dunstan (6 Jul 1980); Geoffrey Dutton (28 Jun, 26 Dec 1980); Others (23).

1981 – 18 letters: Jim Davidson (6 May, 14 Jul, 8 Oct, 10 Nov 1981); Others (14).

1982 – 28 letters: Murray Bail (5 Jun 1982); Jim Davidson – Meanjin (10 Feb 1982); Don Dunstan (1); Jim Tulip (1); Robin Wallace-Crabbe (9 Jan 1982); Others (23).

1983 – 21 letters: Scripsi - Michael Heyward and Peter Craven, editors (9 Oct 1983); Norah Smallwood (21 Jan, 2 Aug 1983); Others (18)

One handwritten note by author about the accompanying '2nd typescript'. The second typescript is: the remaining pages from the original second typescript draft made in Rome in December 1980, which were heavily written over then retyped and replace pages for the final version. This second typescript draft was also heavily written over and to be used again in the final version. All pages are marked CP and numbered on the left top corner. This is the only surviving second typescript draft. 151 pages, Dec 1980.

One handwritten note by author: 'late rewriting of pages for the final typescript'. Three typescript leaves of amended pages for the final typescript draft, with minor 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’

Fly Away Peter is a novella, set in Queensland before the First World War, the story of Jim Sadler, a dedicated bird watcher, Ashley Crowther, his employer and Imogen Harcourt, an eccentric English photographer. It was first published in 1981 with Child’s Play under the title The Bread of Time to Come. It was republished in 1982 as Fly Away Peter. This subseries includes “original first hand-written drafts of Fly Away Peter (usually referred to as Birds)” [D.M.]; rewritten first draft in Brisbane; first typescript draft; second typescript draft; rewritten passages in second typescript draft; chapters 8, 10, 15 of first typescript reworked and replaced and afterword to Fly Away Peter.

Fly Away Peter was the winner of the 1982 Age Book of the Year Award.

One leaf, handwritten in blue ink, with notes by author on Afterword. Handwritten draft of the Afterword to Fly Away Peter, 5 pages, April 1981. Photocopy of typescript draft with handwritten emendations of the Afterword, 13 leaves, numbered 127 to 139,

One leaf, handwritten in blue ink, with notes by author on rewritten passages. Rewritten passages in second typescript draft, 5 leaves, 1981?

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).

One leaf, handwritten in blue ink, with details of accompanying typescript. Second typescript draft, written in Brisbane in April - May 1981, handwritten emendations in red and black, handwritten numbering on all pages (one is missed), 126 [sic 127] leaves.