Subseries 2.4
Prose, 1985-2009
Boxes 21-28, 57-59; OP 3-5
Scope and Content Note
This subseries contains Carson's prose works from 1985-2009. Materials in this series include research notes, drafts, various corrected typescripts, and proof copies of Carson's fiction and autobiographical writings, creative non-fiction, essays, and reviews. Much of this series is comprised of book-length writings, which document the progression of Carson's blurring of the distinction between a long-lined narrative poetry and lyrical prose. Of particular interest are Carson's non-fiction work about traditional music, Last Night's Fun, and the memoir-like (as well as cinematic) evocation of Belfast, The Star Factory, which influenced Carson's genre-bending books Fishing for Amber and Shamrock Tea. This series contains some unpublished works, which are arranged chronologically with other published works, as well as uncollected essays and reviews, many of which were published in major journals.
Arrangement Note
Arranged in chronological order.
| Diarmuid Delargy: Thirteen Etchings (1985) [TS for Diarmuid Delargy, words by Ciaran Carson; conversation with Jamshhid Mirfenderesky] | ||
| Box | Folder | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "On Our Shores I," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "On Our Shores II," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "Down on Dunseverick Strand," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "The Stone in the Field," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "The Tree in the Field," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "Home," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "Linnegan's Kitchen I," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "Linnegan's Kitchen II," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "Northern Horses," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "Breda I," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "Breda II," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "The Grey," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "The Dark," TS |
| 21 | 1 | "Diarmuid Delargy: Thirteen Etchings," |
| Last Night's Fun (1996) | ||
| 21 | 2 | Last Night's Fun, research materials, loose drafts, manuscripts [See also Subseries 2.1: Notebooks] |
| 21 | 3 | Last Night's Fun, "Storyteller 1 or 2" [variant chapter title: "Pigtown"] |
| 21 | 4 | Last Night's Fun, corrected typescript, pp. 1-122 |
| 21 | 5 | Last Night's Fun, corrected typescript, pp.123-256 |
| 21 | 6 | Last Night's Fun, corrected typescript, pp. 2-129 |
| 21 | 7 | Last Night's Fun, corrected typescript, pp. 130-256 |
| 21 | 8 | Last Night's Fun, typescript, pp. 1-29 with comments by Tess Gallagher and two ALS from Gallagher, 14 August and 15 August, 1995 |
| 21 | 9 | Last Night's Fun, typescript, pp. 38-48 with comments by Tess Gallagher |
| 21 | 10 | Last Night's Fun, typescript, pp. 53-141 with comments by Tess Gallagher and ALS from Gallagher, 25 August 1995 |
| 21 | 11 | Last Night's Fun, typescript, pp. 145-213 with comments by Tess Gallagher and ALS from Gallagher, 13 September 1995 |
| 21 | 12 | Last Night's Fun, typescript, pp. 220-256 with comments by Tess Gallagher and TLS from Gallagher, 26 September 1995 |
| OP3 | - | "Last Night's Fun," corrected proof piece for Southern Review, Summer 1995 |
| 21 | 13 | Last Night's Fun, corrected proofs |
| OP4 | - | Last Night's Fun, book jacket proofs |
| 21 | 14 | Last Night's Fun, book jacket |
| The Star Factory (1997) | ||
| 22 | 1 | The Star Factory, miscellaneous typescript pages, research materials, notes |
| The Star Factory manuscript notes [See Series 6: Photograph of Tess Gallagher with Carson's daughter, MS on the envelop] | ||
| 22 | 2 | The Star Factory, corrected typescript, pp. 1-111 |
| 22 | 3 | The Star Factory, corrected typescript, pp. 112-226 |
| 22 | 4 | The Star Factory, corrected typescript, pp. 227-328 |
| 22 | 5 | The Star Factory, corrected typescript, "Raglan Street" - "O'Neill Street," pp. 1-161 |
| 22 | 6 | The Star Factory, corrected typescript, "White Star Street" - "McWatter's Bakery," pp. 162-330 |
| 22 | 7 | The Star Factory, typescript with comments by Tess Gallagher, pp. 1-111 [This version has a different ending than the published version] |
| 22 | 8 | The Star Factory, typescript with comments by Tess Gallagher, pp. 112-226 |
| 23 | 1 | The Star Factory, typescript with comments by Tess Gallagher, pp. 227-328 |
| 23 | 2 | The Star Factory, typescript bibliography / acknowledgements |
| 23 | 3 | The Star Factory, corrected proofs, pp. 1-98 |
| 23 | 4 | The Star Factory, corrected proofs, pp. 99-203 |
| 23 | 5 | The Star Factory, corrected proofs, pp. 204-297 |
| 23 | 6 | The Star Factory, cover image with TLS from Neil Belton, 13 June 1997 |
| 23 | 7 | The Star Factory, proof sample for paper trade edition, ALS 9 September 1998 |
| Fishing for Amber (2000) | ||
| 24 | 1 | Fishing for Amber, research materials |
| 24 | 2 | Fishing for Amber, TS "Aborted Version" |
| 24 | 3 | Fishing for Amber, TS "K" |
| 24 | 4 | Unidentified fragments, TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 5 | "Antipodes," MS and TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder" |
| 24 | 6 | "Berenice," MS and TS from "First Drafts" from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 7 | "Clepsydra," MS and TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 8 | "Delphinium," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 9 | "Ergot," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 10 | "Foxglove,"TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 11 | "Ganymede," MS and TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 12 | "Helicon" [variant title: "Holland"], MS and TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 13 | "Io," MS and TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 14 | "Jacinth," MS and TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 15 | "Kipper," MS and TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 16 | "Leyden" [variant title: "Leiden"], TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 17 | "Marigold," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 18 | "Nemesis," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 19 | "Opium," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 20 | "Pegasus," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 21 | "Quince," MS and TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 22 | "Ramification," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 23 | "Submarine," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 24 | "Tachygraphy," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 25 | "Whereabouts," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 26 | "Yarn," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 27 | "Zoetrope," TS from Carson's "First Drafts" folder |
| 24 | 28 | Fishing for Amber, "Fair Copy" TS |
| 24 | 29 | Fishing for Amber, "Second Draft" TS, "Antipodes" to "Io" |
| 24 | 30 | Fishing for Amber, "Second Draft" TS, "Kipper" to "Xerox" |
| 24 | 31 | Fishing for Amber, TS, "Berenice" to "Zoetrope" [incomplete] |
| 25 | 1 | Fishing for Amber, copy editor's queries with TLS from Granta editor 10 May 1999 |
| 25 | 2 | Fishing for Amber, photocopies of images for chapter title pages |
| 25 | 3 | Fishing for Amber, proofs of images for chapter title pages |
| 25 | 4 | Fishing for Amber, proofs from "Antipodes" to "Marigold" [incomplete] |
| 25 | 5 | Fishing for Amber, proofs from "Nemesis" to "Zoetrope" [incomplete] |
| 25 | 6 | Fishing for Amber, proofs from "Sources" page |
| 25 | 7 | Fishing for Amber, jacket sample |
| Shamrock Tea (2001) | ||
| 25 | 8 | Shamrock Tea, research materials |
| 25 | 9 | Shamrock Tea, assorted MS and TS unidentified fragments |
| 25 | 10 | Shamrock Tea, TS "First (aborted) Version" [21 April 1999] |
| 25 | 11 | Shamrock Tea, early TS ["Bede," "Caedmon," "Donard"] |
| 25 | 12 | Shamrock Tea, early TS [title page] |
| 25 | 13 | Shamrock Tea, early TS, chapters 17, 94 [incomplete] |
| 25 | 14 | Shamrock Tea, early TS, chapters 1-31 [incomplete] |
| 25 | 15 | Shamrock Tea, early TS chapters 1-30 [incomplete] |
| 25 | 16 | Shamrock Tea, early TS chapters 1-39 [incomplete] |
| 25 | 17 | Shamrock Tea, early TS chapters 28-94 [incomplete] |
| 26 | 1 | Shamrock Tea, corrected TS [chapters 1-34], with TLS from Carson to Neil Belton, 1 May 2000 |
| 26 | 2 | Shamrock Tea, corrected TS [chapters 35-68] |
| 26 | 3 | Shamrock Tea, corrected TS [chapters 69-101] |
| 26 | 4 | Shamrock Tea, TS with commentaries by Tess Gallagher [chapters 1-24] |
| 26 | 5 | Shamrock Tea, TS with commentaries by Tess Gallagher [chapters 25-33, 52-75], includes TLS from TG, 21 August 2000 |
| 26 | 6 | Shamrock Tea, TS with commentaries by Tess Gallagher [chapters 34-49], includes TLS from TG, 19 August 2000 |
| 26 | 7 | Shamrock Tea, TS with commentaries by Tess Gallagher [chapters 76-89], includes TLS from TG, 22 August 2000 |
| 26 | 8 | Shamrock Tea, TS with commentaries by Tess Gallagher [chapters 90-101], includes TLS from TG (23 August 2000), CC to TG, CC to Neil Belton |
| 26 | 9 | Shamrock Tea, corrected TS ["Penultimate Draft"] |
| 26 | 10 | Shamrock Tea, corrected galley proofs [chapters 1-34] |
| 26 | 11 | Shamrock Tea, corrected galley proofs [chapters 35-58, 62, 67, 71-74] |
| 26 | 12 | Shamrock Tea, corrected galley proofs [chapters 76-101] |
| 26 | 13 | Shamrock Tea, uncorrected galley [bound] |
| 26 | 14 | Shamrock Tea, blurb by Alberto Manguel |
| 26 | 15 | Shamrock Tea, sample cover |
| Y and K (circa 2002-2003) [unpublished] | ||
| 57 | 20 | Y and K, TS, "New Book (Part One)," 18 May 2002-25 September 2002 |
| 57 | 21 | Y and K, TS and notes, "Notes/Drafts New Book," September 2002 |
| 57 | 22 | Y and K, TS and notes, 3 October 2002 |
| 57 | 23 | Y and K, TS fragments, notes, and research material, 2003 |
| The Pen Friend (2009) [earlier title Under the Green Star] | ||
| 57 | 24 | The Pen Friend, research notes, 2003-2005 |
| 57 | 25 | The Pen Friend, "Under the Green Star," TS with corrections, circa 2004 |
| 58 | 1 | The Pen Friend, TS with commentary, pages 1-84, June-5 July 2005 |
| 58 | 2 | The Pen Friend, TS with commentary, pages 85-177, 9 July 2005 |
| 58 | 3 | The Pen Friend, TS with commentary, pages 179-242, 20 August 2005-2 September 2005 |
| 58 | 4 | The Pen Friend, "First Fair Copy," TS |
| 58 | 5 | The Pen Friend, TS, complete draft, circa September 2005 [contains photographs for book] [1 of 2] |
| 58 | 6 | The Pen Friend, TS, complete draft, circa September 2005 [contains photographs for book] [2 of 2] |
| 58 | 7 | The Pen Friend, TS, complete draft with copy editor's queries, circa 2005 [1 of 2] |
| 58 | 8 | The Pen Friend, TS, complete draft with copy editor's queries, circa 2005 [2 of 2] |
| 59 | 1 | The Pen Friend, TS, complete draft, circa April 2006 |
| 59 | 2 | The Pen Friend, TS fragments |
| Assorted Prose | ||
| 27 | 1 | "The 1940's," TS proof of essay for Watching the River Flow: a Century in Irish Poetry (1999); includes selected poems |
| 59 | 3 | "Afterword," TS for The Blackbird's Nest, ed. by Frank Ormsby, 2007 |
| 27 | 2 | "Alter Ego," TS essay for Belfast Frescos (1995) by John Kindness [includes images] |
| 27 | 3 | "Anonymous," TS essay for Waterstone's Guide to Irish Books [Includes correspondence from editor, 10 April 1998] |
| 27 | 4 | "Architecture and Music," TS |
| 59 | 4 | "At the Tomb of Dante Alighieri," TS of performance in Ravenna, Italy, 28 September 2007 [includes Italian translation] |
| 59 | 5 | "The Bag of Spuds" and "The Telephone Reel," TS of columns in Journal of Music, 2008 |
| 27 | 5 | "Belfast," TS introduction to reprint of 1923 Ordnance Survey map of Belfast, 5 February 1996 |
| 59 | 6 | "Belfast: Betwixt, Between, Behind the Name," TS of Chapter Two in Betwixt and Between: Place and Cultural Translation, ed. by Stephen Kelly and David Johnston, 2007 |
| 27 | 6 | "Belfast Notes," TS of article, for TLS, 18 March 1988 [See also Subseries 4.1: "Belfast Notes," for TLS, 18 March 1988] |
| 27 | 7 | "Belfast Notes," TS of article, for TLS 24-30 June 1988 [See also Subseries 4.1: "Belfast Notes," 24-30 June 1988] |
| OP5 | "Belfast Notes," proof of article for TLS, 24-30 June 1988 [See also Subseries 4.1: "Belfast Notes," in TLS, 24-30 June 1988] | |
| - | - | "Blurb for a Stor's a Stoirin," TS introduction for Padraigin Ni Uallachain, A Stor's A Stoirin [See Subseries 3.1: Ni Uallachain's A Stor's A Stoirin] |
| 59 | 7 | "Brian Ballard Catalogue," TS, 9 March 2005 |
| 27 | 8 | "Calling It to Mind, Getting It by Heart," TS liner notes for CD of Liam O'Flynn and Seamus Heaney performing together; includes MS notes and TLS from CC [circa 2000-2001] |
| 27 | 9 | "Clocks Ticking, Tractors Passing," TS |
| 27 | 10 | "The Dialects of Silence," [review of Ted Mcarthy, Bernard O'Donoghue, Carol Rumens, Aiden Matthews] in Poetry London, summer 1999 |
| 27 | 11 | "The Drumshanbo Lock-In: Some Reflections on the Rebel Song," TS for The Guardian, 13 August 2002 |
| 59 | 8 | "Editorial: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," TS |
| 27 | 12 | "The Floating Crowbar," TS |
| 59 | 9 | "For All We Know," TS blurb for PBS Choice, Spring 2008 |
| 59 | 10 | Foreword to Knights of God by Patricia Lynch, TS |
| 59 | 11 | "From Both Sides of the Track," TS, piece for Calvino anthology edited by Roberto Bertoni, 30 January 2007 |
| 27 | 13 | Getting Lost, MS notes for essay with ALS from Don Bloch [circa early 2000] |
| 59 | 12 | "The Horse's Mouth: Some thoughts on translation," TS |
| 27 | 14 | "House Rules O.K.?" TS |
| - | - | "I am coming apart," TS [See Subseries 2.2: Uncollected Poems, "Raftery;" also The New Estate: "The Holiday"] |
| 59 | 13 | "IASIL Questionnaire," TS |
| 27 | 15 | "In the Ear of the Beholder," TS and proof of essay for The Dublin Review |
| 59 | 14 | "In Praise of the Ceili Band," TS |
| 59 | 15 | "Inaugural Lecture," TS, for Queen's University Belfast, 5 May 2005 |
| 27 | 16 | "Introduction" [for Seamus Tansey], TS [circa 1998] |
| 27 | 17 | "It seems to me that Scotland is not one place, but many," TS for Scotland edition of Sunday Times [1999] |
| 27 | 18 | "Laces and Eyelets: Reactions to Paul Seawright's Police Force," TS [for Source (Autumn/Winter 1997)] |
| 27 | 19 | "Living in Troubled Times," TS [variant title: "When Memory Goes Blank"] essay on "September 11, 2001" for Newsday, 7 October 2001 [See also Subseries 4.1: "When Memory Goes Blank"] |
| 27 | 20 | "Lost and Found," TS of essay for Source, includes photo series responded to |
| 27 | 21 | "Mick Hoy: An Appreciation," TS, June 2000 |
| 27 | 22 | "Mountains and Skies," TS for Belfast Review |
| 27 | 23 | "Mud, Sweat and Beers," TS for A Cultural History of Sport and Alcohol; includes TLS from publisher, 16 May 2002 |
| 27 | 24 | "On the Road," TS |
| 27 | 25 | "The Other," TS contribution to Strong Words (2000) |
| 27 | 26 | "Our Master's Voices," TS for Belfast Review [See also Subseries 4.1: "Our Master's Voices"] |
| 59 | 16 | "Pamphlet Series," TS |
| 27 | 27 | "Peg McGrath: A Tribute," TS with faxed note from CC 2 February 1995 |
| 27 | 28 | "The Perfect Sound and the Dead Man's Breeches," TS |
| 27 | 29 | "Piece for Harry Bradley," TS |
| 27 | 30 | "Piece for the Poetry Book Society," TS |
| 27 | 31 | "Piece for the Poetry Book Society," TS with ALS from Carson to Clare Brown |
| 27 | 32 | "Recent Irish Architecture," TS [July 2000], with ALS from CC and photocopy of Colm Tóibín's essay "New Irish Architecture" |
| 59 | 17 | "The Red Hand of Ulster," TS, research material, and proofs, for The Dublin Review, February 2002 |
| 27 | 33 | "Somebody Up There Listening," TS for Belfast Review [See also Subseries 4.1: "Somebody Up There Listening"] |
| 27 | 34 | "This Great Estrangement," galley proofs of review of Medbh McGuckian's Shelmalier, spring 1999 |
| 27 | 35 | "This is what libraries are for," TS and proof [variant title: "The Olfactory File"] |
| 59 | 18 | "Trains," TS of short story [by Carson?] |
| 27 | 36 | "An Ulster Ceili," TS of program introduction |
| 27 | 37 | "The Well," TS introduction for The Well, a program of traditional music and poetry directed by John Comiskey for the Dublin Theatre Festival 2000 [See also Subseries 3.1: The Well] |
| 59 | 19 | Untitled, TS of chapter in Mortification: Writers' Stories of Their Public Shame, ed. By Robin Robertson, 28 April 2003 |
| 27 | 38 | Untitled, TS commentary on 1994 T. S. Eliot Prize for Literature awarded to Paul Muldoon [London Daily Telegraph, January 1994] |
| 59 | 20 | Untitled, TS for Guardian Books of the Year, 2003 |
| 27 | 39 | Untitled, TS ["I forgot exactly where I had been going"] prose piece on Irish traditional music |
| 27 | 40 | Untitled, TS ["It's marching time again"] essay on Belfast |
| 27 | 41 | Untitled, TS ["Maps are another way"] [published title: "West Belfast"] introduction to a reissue of the 1931 Ordnance Survey map of The Falls [See also Peter Fallon/The Gallery Press collection, MS 817, Carson author files, Belfast Confetti, Miscellaneous folder] |
| 27 | 42 | Untitled Essays and Fragments on Irish Music |
| 27 | 43 | Unidentified TS fragments |
| Reviews by Carson | ||
| 28 | 1 | "Basin and Range," TS and proofs of review of Peter Redgrove and Penelope Shuttle for Poetry London; includes ALS note to Scott Verner, May 2000 |
| 28 | 2 | "The Basket Weaver's Hands," TS review of All Souls by Michael Cody |
| 59 | 21 | "The Crack Goes On," TS review of The Humours of Planxty, for Journal of Music in Ireland by Leagues O'Toole, 5 December 2006 |
| 28 | 3 | "Entering the Realms of Make-Believe," TS review of The Something in Particular by John Hughes and A Story of Candles by Frank Ormsby |
| 59 | 22 | "How to Remember," TS review of The Ulster Renaissance: Poetry in Belfast 1962-1972, for Field Day Review by Heather Clark, 3 December 2006 |
| 28 | 4 | "Like a Cicada in Someone's Hand," TS review of No, I'm Not Afraid by Irina Ratushinskaya |
| 59 | 23 | "The Man who goes to Hell," TS review of Dante: The Poet, the Political Thinker, The Man by Barbara Reynolds, June 2006 [fragment] |
| 28 | 5 | "Many Mansions," TS review of Jorie Graham's Swarm and Kit Wright's Hoping It Might Be So, with ALS from CC, 15 January 2001, includes proof of review with variant title: "A Lot of Buzzing Around the Bush; and also a Poet to Enjoy" [See also Subseries 4.1: Poetry London, spring 2000] |
| 28 | 6 | "Mirror Writing," TS review of Richard Murphy's The Kick |
| 59 | 24 | "Realms of Gold," TS review of Venice: A Collection of the Poetry of Place, ed. by Hetty Meryric Hughes, circa 2006 |
| 28 | 7 | Untitled, TS review of An Duanaire by Seán O'Tuama and Thomas Kinsella |
| 28 | 8 | Untitled, TS review of Katerina Brae by Christopher Reid |
| 59 | 25 | Untitled, TS review of Mary Mary's Last Dance, September 2002 |
| 28 | 9 | Untitled, MS and TS review of Narrative Singing in Ireland by Hugh Shields |
| 28 | 10 | Untitled, TS review of The New Oxford Book of Irish Verse ed. by Thomas Kinsella |
| 28 | 11 | Untitled, TS review of O Bruadair translated by Michael Hartnett |
| 28 | 12 | Untitled, TS review of Sam Henry's Songs of the People ed. by Gale Huntington |
| 28 | 13 | Untitled, TS review of Sweeney Astray by Seamus Heaney |
| 59 | 26 | Untitled, TS review of The Truth Commissioner by David Park, circa March 2008 |
| 59 | 27 | Untitled, TS review of An tAthair Pádraug Ó Duinnin -- Bleachtaire and Oiche Bhealtaine by Biddy Jenkinson, circa 2008 |
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