December 3, 2011, by Fraser

3 December: A Winter’s Tale

This copy of DH Lawrence’s ‘A Winter’s Tale’ is from a notebook belonging to the famous writer while at University College Nottingham. Lawrence was at the College between 1906 and 1908, and the notebook was originally used for his Latin studies before he decided to use the space to draft his wintry poem.

We recruited Ruvimbo Chidviza from the University’s Poetry Society to breathe life into ‘A Winter’s Tale’:
A Winter’s Tale by uniofnottingham. If you can’t see the audio player try this alternative location or view on iTunes U.

DH Lawrence, who attended University College Nottingham between 1906 and 1908.

Lawrence’s manuscript legacy

We also asked Dorothy Johnston, Keeper of the Manuscripts, about the significance of Lawrence’s manuscript legacy at the University:

‘The ability to compare versions of text and thus see the creative process in action is one of the great strengths of a literary archive. The University’s Lawrence collections are particularly rich in short stories and early poetry, often providing variant texts and supported by other contextual evidence, such as correspondence.

The potential is shown in the digital version of his story Odour of Chrysanthemums which was developed by the curators and colleagues in the School of English Studies.’

This handwritten and signed copy of ‘A Winter’s Tale’ is just one of the fantastic pieces in the University’s extensive DH Lawrence collection. The Collections’ range and depth is recognised in their Designation status, awarded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

All of the items featured in our e-Advent calendar are from the University’s historic library holdings, held in Manuscripts and Special Collections. For more information on the wide range of materials available, take a look at their website and blog or contact the curators on mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk.

Find out more about our Manuscripts development plans and how you can support us via the Impact Campaign website.

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