John Barnie Papers

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

  • Reference
    • GB 210 JOHNBIE
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1970-2017
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • Danish Dutch English French German Hungarian Icelandic Lithuanian Spanish Swahili Swedish Turkish Welsh Mainly English, Welsh, and Danish; with some Swedish, Spanish, Turkish, Lithuanian, German, Dutch, French, Hungarian, Swahili, and Icelandic
  • Physical Description
    • 15 small boxes (0.135 cubic metres)

Scope and Content

The collection consists of personal, literary, and editorial correspondence, including correspondence from various poets and literary figures from Wales and other countries, and related papers, 1970-2017; literary contracts, agreements, and statements, 1971-2016; typescripts for published works, 1986-[c.1998]; papers relating to poetry readings, conferences, and events, 1995-2007; press cuttings and reviews, 1974-[c.2012]; papers relating to various music and poetry groups, 1999-2015; and diary notes, 1978-1985.

Administrative / Biographical History

John Barnie (1941- ), poet and writer, was born in Abergavenny, Gwent. He attended King Henry VIII’s Grammar School, Abergavenny, before studying at the University of Birmingham where he graduated with a PhD in 1969. Following this, he taught English Literature at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, where he lived from 1969-1982, and in 1979 spent some time in Memphis, Tennessee as an Honorary Fellow for the Centre for Southern Folklore. After returning to Wales, Barnie became the editor of the magazine Planet: The Welsh Internationalist from 1990-2006. Barnie is a prolific poet and writer and has published several collections of poetry, works of fiction, and collections of essays, one of which, The King of Ashes, won a Welsh Arts Council Prize for Literature in 1990. His collection Trouble in Heaven was long listed for Wales Book of the Year 2008. He has also performed in a number of bilingual blues and poetry groups.

Arrangement

Arranged in three groups, in keeping with the order in which the papers were originally organised by John Barnie: Correspondence and related papers; Literary works; and Press, performances, and events.

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.

Acquisition Information

John Barnie, Aberystwyth, February 2017

Note

John Barnie (1941- ), poet and writer, was born in Abergavenny, Gwent. He attended King Henry VIII’s Grammar School, Abergavenny, before studying at the University of Birmingham where he graduated with a PhD in 1969. Following this, he taught English Literature at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, where he lived from 1969-1982, and in 1979 spent some time in Memphis, Tennessee as an Honorary Fellow for the Centre for Southern Folklore. After returning to Wales, Barnie became the editor of the magazine Planet: The Welsh Internationalist from 1990-2006. Barnie is a prolific poet and writer and has published several collections of poetry, works of fiction, and collections of essays, one of which, The King of Ashes, won a Welsh Arts Council Prize for Literature in 1990. His collection Trouble in Heaven was long listed for Wales Book of the Year 2008. He has also performed in a number of bilingual blues and poetry groups.

Title based on contents of fonds.

A CD sent with a letter by Tony Stringfellow (2010); a CD sent with a letter by Anders Bune, ([c.2000] x [c.2010]); and a CD titled 'Fotos Poesie International' (2005), are currently uncatalogued.

Some papers containing sensitive personal information have been removed. Documents that have been redacted are represented by purple pages.

Archivist's Note

August 2018

Description compiled by Lucie Hobson. The following sources were used in the compilation of this record: contents of fonds; Barnie, John, Footfalls in the Silence: a memoir (Blaenau Ffestiniog, 2014).

Conditions Governing Use

Usual copyright laws apply.

Appraisal Information

All records have been retained.

Accruals

Accruals are expected.

Related Material

See also NLW, Planet Archive; NLW, Emyr Humphreys Papers, A1/44-9; NLW, New Welsh Review Archive, 1/2; NLW, Gillian Clarke Papers, 6/3; NLW, Gwynfor Evans Papers, G1/171; NLW, Kyffin Williams Archive, A1/23; NLW, Sam Adams Papers, 1/4 and 2/12; NLW, Papurau’r Academi Gymreig, EER22/5; NLW, Papurau Menna Elfyn, 2/2; NLW, Gwyn Jones Papers, 13/36-8 'Reflections. John Barnie interviews Gwyn Jones', Planet, no. 63 (June/July 1987), pp.23-28.

Additional Information

Published

Corporate Names