DH Lawrence letters made public

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Rare private papers once owned by DH Lawrence have been donated to the University of Nottingham.

The collection was handed over by his great niece to coincide with the unveiling of a bust of the writer at Nottingham Castle.

The papers, including draft poems and family letters, as well as notebooks and paintings, will be available to the public to see for the first time.

The University said it was delighted to add the papers to its collection.

'Rich source'

Dorothy Johnston, keeper of manuscripts and special collections at the University of Nottingham, said: "The role of Ada Clarke in Lawrence's life gives an interest to anything surviving from their correspondence.

"But this Lawrence-Clarke family archive is much more than that - it contains literary manuscripts of major importance and a rich source for further biographical and critical research."

The documents were originally kept by Ada Clarke, Lawrence's younger sister. Her son Bert Clarke went on to look after the collection after his mother's death.

Mr Clarke felt because of the nature of some of the documents and their connection to living persons, it was not appropriate to publish them.

But after his death in 2003, Mr Clarke's family felt the material should be made available to Lawrence scholars and offered them to the University of Nottingham.