Papers of Thomas Keneally, 1854-2023 [manuscript]

MS 6428 comprises manuscripts and typescripts of novels, plays, short stories and articles and extensive correspondence. Works among the manuscripts include Bring larks and heroes, Confederates, The cut-rate kingdom, Halloran's little boat, Ned Kelly and the city of bees, Passenger, Season in purgatory, The survivor, A victim of the Aurora, "Bligh", and "Burke and Wills". A large proportion of the correspondence is with publishers, literary agents and editors including Philip Ziegler, Tessa Sayle, James Moad, Thomas Stewart, Peter Grose, Donald Horne, Peter Cross, W.R. Cumming, John Abernethy, Clem Christesen, Tim Curnow, Geoff Barnes, Geoffrey Blainey, Alec Bolton, Barbara Buick, Peter Coleman, Sir William Collins, Xavier Herbert, Leonie Kramer, Les Murray, Cyril Pearl, Grace Perry, Patricia Rolfe, Fred Schepisi, Gavin Souter and Douglas Stewart. Papers relating to Keneally's involvement with the Australian Republican Movement include correspondence, administrative papers, cuttings, publicity material, newsletters and journals (16 boxes, 1 fol. box).

The Acc05.198 instalment comprises correspondence, 1960-2004, including personal and with publishers and institutions, literary manuscripts, drafts, proofs, research material, reviews and related correspondence of books including The great shame, An angel in Australia. A river town, The cut-rate kingdom, Bettany's book, Essington, Sickles (American scoundrel), Flying hero class, Halloran's little boat and Towards Asmara. There are also screenplays, playscripts and scripts for television series. The tapes of interviews, plays and music include Sculthorpe's Child of Australia, with text by Keneally. Other material includes articles, notes and speeches, About town articles, "Memorabilia" relating to Australia and the United States, Australia-China Council papers, Children's summit papers and the manuscripts of other writers (approximately 329 boxes, 1 fol. box).

The Acc10.139 instalment comprises papers documenting Thomas Keneally's career as a writer. They include correspondence, research material, notes and notebooks, draft manuscripts, proofs, speech texts, legal papers, and film and play scripts. Titles of works by or about Keneally which are represented in the papers include: Searching for Schindler; Rimau (a South Australian Film Corp film proposal which Keneally subsequently published as The widow and her hero); Thomas Keneally's Ireland (a documentary); Our republic; The great shame : a story of the Irish in the Old World and the New; Australians. Volume 1, Origins to Eureka; The people's train; Olympic glory (an IMAX film for which Keneally wrote the script); Three famines; To Asmara; The utility player : the Des Hasler story; Childermas; American scoundrel; Transport (a musical play written with American-Irish musician, Larry Kirwan); 'Either or'; 'Ha-Nosri'; Bettany's book; Roos in shoes; and The Commonwealth of thieves. Other records relate to Keneally's interests in refugees and an Australian republic, and a legal case against J.K. Rowling for plagiarism from a book by Adrian Jacobs, The adventures of Willie the wizard (published in 1987) (30 boxes).

The Acc10.214 instalment includes correspondence, research material and notes reflecting Thomas Keneally's career as a writer. The correspondence includes a list of editorial questions relating to a new publication by Keneally, 'People's history of Australia' (1 packet).

The Acc12.112 instalment comprises correspondence; academic essays; drafts and outlines for both published and unpublished works, including plays, essays, talks and novels; research notes; ephemera; 'Shindlers list' screenplay (17 boxes).

The Acc16.158 instalment comprises letters, speeches and research material, largely relating to literary and political activities and interests throughout 2000s-2010s. Some of the material relates to drafts and edits of Keneally's published works (8 boxes, 3 digital carriers).

The Acc23.003 instalment comprises manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, slides, screenplay drafts, speeches, book chapter revisions, notebooks, ephemera, programs and passes. It also includes a significant amount of recordings of Keneally dictating his thoughts, ideas and drafts (13 boxes, 1 map fol., 1 binder, 552 audiovisual carriers, 33 digital carriers).