MS 9982 comprises papers covering Patrick White's career and literary work from the early 1930s through to his death in 1990. The collection includes: correspondence received and drafts of correspondence sent by White, 1939-1990; literary notebooks, 1930-1970; papers relating to White's autobiography Flaws in the glass; novels and novellas, 1965-1986; dramatic works, 1962-1996; short stories, 1976-1988; miscellaneous poetry and prose, 1970-1988; speeches, 1972-1989; dramatised extracts, scripts and artwork adapted from or based on White's work, 1960-1987; address books and diaries, 1960-1990s; personal documents and certificates, 1940-1988; awards received by White, 1974-1987; files relating to the Patrick White Literary Award and Patrick White's Choice, 1975-1990; theses and draft publications, 1969-1986; scripts, 1980-1990; photographs, 1930-1984, ephemera, 1960-1993; and, printed material, 1934-1990. Also included are papers of his lifelong partner, Manoly Lascaris, which contain condolence letters on the occasion of White's death, photographs and correspondence, 1962-2002 (32 boxes, 1 fol. box, 1 elephant folio).
Born in England in 1912, Patrick White became Australia's first Nobel Laureate in literature. White published 12 novels and nearly 30 short stories during his lifetime, together with a modest number of poems. His great novels, from The aunt's story (1948) to Memoirs of many in one (1986), were written steadily over a period of almost 40 years. His dozen produced dramatic works were written in two distinct periods of activity: from The ham funeral in 1947 to A cheery soul in 1962, and then again from Big toys in 1977 to Shepherd on the rocks in 1987. He published a number of essays, especially in his later years when he became a reluctant activist for the preservation of Centennial Park and other green spaces, for indigenous rights, for an Australian republic and against nuclear arms. He also published a 1981 autobiography, Flaws in the glass. He was a prolific correspondent, with a selection of his thousands of known letters appearing in David Marr's 1994 publication, Patrick White: letters. White died in 1990. His lifelong partner, Manoly Lascaris, survived him for 13 years, dying in 2003.
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