Collected Words: From the Literary Collections at the University of Nottingham

This exhibition ran between the 8th September and 3rd December 2017.

In 2015 Nottingham became one of only 20 cities around the world to be recognised by UNESCO as a City of Literature – a reflection of the city’s unique literary heritage and creativity. This exhibition of material from the literary archives and collections of printed books held by the University of Nottingham, highlighted the work of Nottinghamshire writers and the treasures to be found in the historic collections of local literature lovers. It also looked at the University’s role in shaping the reputations and inspiring the early careers of local poets and authors.

This exhibition, curated by staff from Manuscripts and Special Collections, offered the opportunity to see a range of literary material including a masterpiece of medieval poetry and the recently acquired previously unknown typescript of Pansies (a late collection of poems by DH Lawrence which attracted the attention of the Home Office on grounds of indecency).

 'Collected Words' looked at how authors down the centuries have been inspired by different aspects of Nottinghamshire, ranging from the beauty of the countryside to the often harsh realities of industrial working life. The importance of local aristocratic families as early book collectors and authors was also examined, drawing on the literary papers from the Library of the Dukes of Portland at Welbeck Abbey, which contains gatherings of the manuscripts of poets including the Duchess of Newcastle, known to some as Mad Madge but celebrated by others as the earliest writer of science fiction. Visitors also saw a curious manuscript describing the antics of ‘Restoration rock star’ poet, the Earl of Rochester.