Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1966-2015 (Creation)
Level of description
Collection
Extent and medium
27 boxes, 2 parcels
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Trevor Shearston was born in Sydney and graduated from University of Sydney in 1967. He spent seven years teaching and travelling in Papua New Guinea between 1968 and 1976, and has visited the country several times since In the 1970s and 80s he taught English and performed as a folk-singer. His experiences in New Guinea inform all his writing from his first collection of short stories Something in the Blood (1979) through his subsequent novels Sticks That Kill (1983), White Lies (1986), Concertinas (1988), A Straight Young Back (2000), Tinder (2002) and Dead Birds (2007) and his writing for screen and radio.
Repository
Archival history
Collection previously titled as: Papers, c1977-ca. 2002
Collection alternatively titled as: Trevor Shearston Collection.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Drafts, correspondence, research notes, and photographs for novels, screenplays and a short story written by Trevor Shearston. There are drafts for his radio documentary feature 'The New Guinea letters of John Green', aired in 1984. The screenplay for 'Snowdrop' (later filmed as 'Envy') had various working titles. Sticks that kill was initially preceded by a stage play call "Goaribari". A straight young back had the working titles of "The old magic touch" and the "Walk novel".
Arranged into Series :
Series A: Something in the blood [short story collection] (1979)
Series B: Sticks that kill [novel] (1983)
Series C: White lies [novel] (1986)
Series D: Correspondence with University of Queensland Press
Series E: A straight young back [novel] (2000)
Series F: Drafts for 'Walk novel'and 'The old magic touch' (A straight young back [novel])
Series G: Tinder [novel] (2002)
Series H: Dead birds [novel] (2007)
Series I: Concertinas [novel] (1988)
Series J: Snowdrop [screenplay] - filmed as Envy [motion picture] (1999)
Series K: New Guinea letters of John Green [radio documentary] (1984)
Series L: Short stories and dramatic works, published and unpublished, 1966 to 1995
Series M: Research files on Papua New Guinea
Series N: Game [screenplay]
Series O: Game [novel] (2013)
Series P: Photographs for Game [screenplay]
Series Q: Ben Hall realia
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Where possible, arranged according to original order.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Unrestricted access except for permanent restriction to forensic photographs in Box 13, Folder 6: material may be viewed by researcher; material may not be reproduced or exhibited.
Conditions governing reproduction
Permanent restriction to forensic photographs in Box 13, Folder 6: material may be viewed by researcher; material may not be reproduced or exhibited.
Language of material
- English
- Tok Pisin
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Photocopies on heat sensitive paper have been discarded as unable to be read.
Collection contains: colour and b&w photographs, slides, videocassette, and microcassette.
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Alma MMS ID
Alma Local System Number
Millennium Local System Number
Libraries Australia ID
OCLC Number
Access points
Subject access points
- Colonies in literature
- Papua New Guinea -- History -- Fiction
- Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) -- Fiction
- Papua New Guinea -- In literature
- Short stories, Papua New Guinean (English)
- Bushrangers -- Australia
- Bushrangers in literature
- Motion picture authorship -- Australia
- Revenge in motion pictures
- Short stories, Australian -- 20th century
- Drama -- Australia
- Papua New Guinea -- History
Place access points
Name access points
- Hall, Ben, 1837-1865 (Subject)
- University of Queensland Press (Subject)
- Green, John, ca. 1866-1897 (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Revised
Level of detail
Full
Dates of creation revision deletion
Revised, Linda Justo, 1-Oct-2019; Migrated from LMS: April 2019, P.A.