Autobiographical fragments

This material is held atNational Library of Wales / Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru

Scope and Content

Typescript copies, [c. 1950], [?1959], of various autobiographical and other writings by Augustus John, mostly for use during the writing of his Chiaroscuro: Fragments of Autobiography (London: Jonathan Cape, 1952).
The typescripts comprise copies of his piece on Ronald Firbank, published in Ifan Kyrle Fletcher, Ronald Firbank: A Memoir (London, 1930), pp. 113-115 (ff. 1-3), his foreword to Cecil Gray, Peter Warlock: A Memoir of Philip Heseltine (London: Jonathan Cape, 1934) (ff. 4-10), and his 'Fragments of an Autobiography' XVI, XVII and XVIII (incomplete), as published in Horizon, October 1946, June 1948 and April 1949 respectively (ff. 11-43), most of which were adapted and incorporated by him into Chiaroscuro; drafts of several further fragments of Chiaroscuro (ff. 44-68); a piece on Sir Winston Churchill, coinciding with an exhibition of Churchill's paintings, [?1959] (ff. 69-72); and supporting material, comprising typescript copies of letters to John from O[liver St John] G[ogarty], 2 October 1918, concerning Horace de Vere Cole's wedding (ff. 73-74), Henry Tonks, 14 January 1934, concerning [Wilson] Steer and [Joseph Maunsel] Hone (f. 75), and T. E. Shaw [i.e. T. E. Lawrence], 18 February 1934 and 26 January 1935 (ff. 76-78), a letter, [?1935], from 'H.J.' [?Henry John], Crantock, Cornwall, to 'Bayart' (ff. 79-82), and a translation into English of Gerard de Nerval's poem 'El Desdichado' (f. 83). There are occasional minor corrections in ink (ff. 41-74 passim), with only a very few in the hand of Augustus John (ff. 70-72).

Arrangement

Arranged at NLW as follows: articles and other published works; Chiaroscuro drafts; later writings (Churchill); supporting material.

Access Information

Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to abide by the conditions set out in information provided when applying for their Readers' Tickets, whereby the reader shall become responsible for compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 in relation to any processing by them of personal data obtained from modern records held at the Library.

Note

Title based on contents.

Related Material

A carbon copy of f. 73 is NLW MS 22781D, f. 11. See also NLW MSS 22795C, 24104i-iiD and NLW ex 2954.

Additional Information

Published