George Lazarus
Before his death in 1997 George Lazarus, a City of London business man, made a gift to the University of Nottingham of the collection of D H Lawrence books and manuscripts he built up over a period of some 70 years.
The main categories of the George Lazarus collection are autograph manuscripts of the writer and his contemporaries; published works by Lawrence, including many editions of particular titles and early translations into foreign languages; periodical literature; and works about Lawrence. In terms of original manuscripts, the collection represents Lawrence's work as a novelist and short-story writer, dramatist, poet, correspondent, translator and critic. The published material includes more than 1,400 works.
Highlights of the collection include the holograph manuscript of Lawrence's first novel, The White Peacock, with 629 of the 798 pages in the author's own hand; manuscripts of short stories such as Strike Pay, Jimmy and the Desperate Woman and The Fox; manuscripts, typescripts, proofs and annotated editions of poetry collections such as Amores, Birds Beasts and Flowers and Look! We Have Come Through; a copy of The White Peacock inscribed by Lawrence to his brother, George, on publication day; and many letters from Frieda Lawrence. The author's student days are recalled by the minute book of the Society for the Study of Social Reform at University College, Nottingham, 1908-09.
There is an article by Anthony Rota on Lazarus and his Lawrence Collection in Renaissance and Modern Studies Vol XXIX, 1985.
Cataloguing of this extensive collection, as part of the Lawrence Collections has been completed with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
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