Papers of Geoff Page
MSS 258

Collection Description

Correspondence, 1973-1989, drafts, newspaper clippings, notes, page proofs, audio cassettes for Page's poetry and prose works, including Winter vision (1989), Benton's conviction (1985), Invisible histories (1990), Small town memorials (1975) and Century of clouds/selected poems from the French of Guillaume Apollinaire [by] Geoff Page and Wendy Coutts(1985).

Administrative / Biographical history

Geoff Page was born on the 7 July 1940 in Grafton, NSW. Page is the son of Donald and Helen Page; the family's connection with the Clarence River district goes back to the mid nineteenth century. Page's grandfather, Sir Earle Page (q.v), founded the conservative Country Party (renamed the National Party). Page has been an active Labor Party supporter. He was educated at the Armidale School and the University of New England 1958-1962. In 1959 he spent a year in National Service. Page moved to Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, in 1964, and taught English and History in Canberra schools. He was in charge of the English Department at Narrabundah College from 1974 until his retirement in 2001. Page has been writer-in-residence at a number of academic institutions, including Edith Cowan University, Curtin University, the Australian Defence Force Academy, and the University of Wollongong.

Active in the literary community, Page participated in poetry readings, seminars and conferences in Australia, China, Europe, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States. As well as editing a number of anthologies and collections, he wrote a musical biography, Bernie McGann : a life in jazz (1997) and interviewed a wide range of jazz musicians for the National Film and Sound Archive. Page is an amateur jazz drummer. He has reviewed poetry for major Australian journals and newspapers and has been a regular contributor to the ABC Radio Books and Writing program. Page's poetry has regularly appeared in a wide range of journals, newspapers and anthologies. His verse continually reaffirms the personal significance of the Clarence River area, and underlines its pivotal role in creating a sense of place in Page's work and life. Old age and death recur as themes through much of his poetry, as does the clash between Aboriginal and English culture during the settlement period, and an exploration of the poet's family history and relationships.

Page has published in the areas of poetry, fiction, non-fiction and criticism, and has written literary criticism and drama for radio, television and the stage. His unpublished plays include The life and death of James Lionel Michael : solicitor and poet [n.d.], 'Sally Rivers' All Girl Band' (1990) and 'Drumming on Water' (2006).

Page has been awarded:
Patrick White Award, 2001: winner
Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships, Literature Board Fellowship, 2000
Festival Awards for Literature (SA), John Bray Award for Poetry, 2006: shortlisted for Freehold : verse novel
Australian Capital Territory Book of the Year Award, 2006: shortlisted for Freehold : verse novel
Australian Capital Territory Poetry Award, Rosemary Dobson Award for an Unpublished Poem by an Australian Poet, 2005: commended for 'Quattrocento'
Australian Capital Territory Poetry Award, David Campbell Award for an Unpublished Poem by an ACT Poet, 2005: commended for 'Quattrocento'
Festival Awards for Literature (SA), John Bray Award for Poetry, 2004: shortlisted for Darker and lighter
Australian Capital Territory Poetry Award, 2004: winner for 'The Stalinists, the Taliban '
Grace Leven Poetry Prize, 2001: winner for Darker and lighter
Great Sonnet Competition, 2000: shortlisted for 'The recipe'
The Robert Harris Poetry Prize, 1996: winner for 'The secret : 1954 ' The Robert Harris Poetry Prize, 1994: winner for 'The heirs'
Warana Writers' Awards, Premier's Poetry Award, 1990: winner for 'Five Australian maps'
National Book Council Award for Australian Literature, 1985: shortlisted for Benton's conviction.

References:
AustLit : The Resource for Australian Literature, March 2007.

Acquisition Details

Scope and Content

In addition to documenting Geoff Page's writing career from the early 1970's to 1997, the collection provides a rich source of material for researchers of the Australian literary scene over this period. The extensive correspondence provides a picture of the Australian literary community of the time and gives a strong sense of a network of writers. The correspondence (1973-1997) includes dealings with publishers, journals and newspapers, literary news and events and an extensive personal correspondence with a range of Australian authors, including Geoffrey Dutton, Rodney Hall, A.D. Hope, Robert Gray, Les Murray, John Tranter, Judith Wright, Kevin Hart, Paul Hetherington and Thomas Shapcott. The collection also includes drafts, newspaper clippings, notes, page proofs, and audio cassettes of Page's poetry and prose works. Works represented include Winter vision (1989), Benton's conviction (1985), Invisible histories (1990), Small town memorials (1975), Century of clouds/selected poems from the French of Guillaume Apollinaire (with Wendy Coutts, 1985), Smiling in English, smoking in French (1987), On the move : Australian poets in Europe (1992), Human interest (1994), A reader's guide to contemporary Australian poetry (1995), Mrs Schnell arrives in heaven (1996), The great forgetting (1996), Bernie McGann: a life in jazz (1997) and final edited manuscripts of his poetry volumes Cassandra Paddocks(1980), Clairvoyant in autumn (1983), Collected lives (1986), Footwork (1988), Invisible histories (1990), Gravel corners (1992) and The secret (1996). The collection also contains manuscripts of scripts for radio features, TV and stage plays and a film script for Benton's conviction with related correspondence.

Appraisal & Processing Information

Awaiting processing: 0

System of arrangement

This collection has been arranged into box then folder order.

Access Restrictions

Reproduction Restrictions

Existence and Location of Orginals

Disclaimer