About the Collection
Malcolm Lowry (1909-1957) was born in New Brighton, England, and went to school and university in Cambridge. He traveled widely in Europe and the US, settling in Mexico. He was a chronic alcoholic, as are many of the characters in his writings. He is most famous for the novel Under the Volcano (London, 1947), but he also wrote many poems.
The collection includes works by Malcolm Lowry (1909-1957) in various editions and translations; all first editions are present. Also included are critical and biographical works with some Lowry content. Books from Lowry's own library form part of the collection. The chronological emphasis is from the 1930s to the present. This collection is an adjunct to the library's extensive Lowry manuscript collection.
Image source: [Portrait of Malcolm Lowry], 1959. Photograph of a sketch of Malcolm Lowry by Remo Ferragamo. UBC Library Framed Works Collection.
Featured
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In Ballast to the White Sea by Call Number: PR9296.O95 I5 2014ISBN: 9780776622088Publication Date: 2014A recently-rediscovered novel based in part on Lowry's life, recounts the story of a Cambridge undergraduate who aspires to be a writer but has come to believe that both his book and, in a sense, his life have already been "written." -
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Malcolm Lowry by Call Number: PR9296.O95 Z7165 2009ISBN: 1846312280Publication Date: 2010-02-15Malcolm Lowry described Liverpool as "that terrible city whose main street is the ocean". Born on the Wirral side of the river Mersey, Lowry's relationship to the Merseyside of his youth informs all of his writing and Liverpool itself continued to hold tremendous significance for him, eventhough he never returned. Published in conjunction with a festival and exhibition at Liverpool's Bluecoat arts centre celebrating Lowry's centenary, this beautifully produced book showcases a variety of creative and critical approaches to Lowry and his work, and includes twelve speciallycommissioned pieces of new writing. There is a particular focus on place and on journeys; contributors write from the UK, Europe, Canada and Mexico, and reflect both on Lowry's "voyage that never ends" and on their own journeys with and through Lowry's work. The book also demonstrates the richness of Lowry's influence on contemporaryvisual artists and includes full colour illustrations throughout. It will be an indispensable companion for anyone interested in the creative legacy of Malcolm Lowry's life and work. -
Strange Comfort by Call Number: PR9296.O95 Z6677 2009ISBN: 9780889226180Publication Date: 2009-12-01Strange Comfort collects the best of Sherrill Grace's many published essays on the novelist and writer Malcolm Lowry, along with new pieces that incorporate her contemporary approach to his work. There are essays on Under the Volcano, on some of the stories in Hear us O Lord from heaven thy dwelling place, and on Lowry's most important themes: endless voyaging, the creative role and identity of the artist, the nightmare of history, the pressures of memory and the urgent need to protect the garden of our world. -
Featured Archival Holdings
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Malcolm Lowry collectionThe collection consists of material created by Lowry and others, including Margerie Bonner Lowry, Earle Birney, Dorothy Templeton, and Carol Betty Atwater pertaining to his life and work. It includes correspondence, signed autograph letters and postcards, multiple drafts of manuscripts, poems, phonograph records, clippings, reviews, articles, essays, typescripts, unpublished material and photographs.
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Muriel Bradbrook fondsThe fonds consists of sixty-six letters (1962-1975) between Bradbrook and several individuals pertaining to the life of Malcolm Lowry.
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Victor Doyen fondsThe fonds consists of correspondence and photocopied material relating to his research on Malcolm Lowry.
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Lowry Family fondsThe fonds consists of family papers relevant to the life and work of Malcolm Lowry, collected by Russell Lowry and including early autograph letters of Malcolm, other relevant correspondence with his parents, Arthur and Evelyn Lowry, records relevant to the family and Malcolm's estate, personal memoire of family relationship by Russell Lowry, extensive correspondence of Russell with most scholars, including Gordon Bowker, Muriel Bradbrook, Ann Smith, and Sherrill Grace, who have studied Malcolm's life and work since the early 1970s.
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David Markson fondsThe fonds consists of letters to Markson from Margerie Lowry (131), Douglas Day (20), Conrad Knickerbocker (13), and Peter Churchill (1). The letters relate to Malcolm Lowry and his writing.
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William McConnell fondsThe fonds consists of correspondence between Margerie and Malcolm Lowry and William and Alice McConnell (1957-1983) relating to their mutual interests, as well as clippings and articles about Malcolm Lowry collected by the McConnells.
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Einar Nielson papersSee p. 98 of the Malcolm Lowry PDF finding aid for details.
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William Templeton CollectionThe collection consists of material relating to Malcolm Lowry. Included are six letters, typed manuscripts pertaining to "Under the Volcano" and "Lunar Caustic", pencil sketches, newspaper clippings of articles about Lowry (1960-1963), photographs of Lowry and his wife, Margerie Bonner and memorabilia.
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J. Howard Woolmer fondsThe fonds consists of correspondence, drafts and research material arising from the publication of his two publications, "A Malcolm Lowry Catalogue" and "Malcolm Lowry: A Bibliography".
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Brian O'Kill fondsThe fonds contains photocopied index cards of a bibliography of articles, reviews, etc. about Malcolm Lowry. Items that were not included in William New's bibliography on Lowry were copied. The collection also includes O'Kill's notes to the index cards.
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Paul Tiessen fondsThe collection consists of letters created or received by Paul Tiessen regarding the movie-going practices and environments of Malcolm Lowry.
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Margerie Bonner Lowry documentsPhotocopies of correspondence between Margerie Bonner Lowry and the Unitarian Church of Vancouver and copies of Malcolm and Margerie Lowry's marriage license and certificate of registration of marriage.
Colocating this Collection
Want to explore this collection but don't know where to start? We've created some links that can help you discover the material in this collection.
Subject Headings
Lowry, Malcolm, 1909-1957--Bibliography
Lowry, Malcolm, 1909-1957--Correspondence
Lowry, Malcolm, 1909-1957--Criticism and Interpretation
Lowry, Malcolm, 1909-1957. Under the volcano
Books from Malcolm Lowry's Personal Collection
Malcolm Lowry's Personal Library Collection
- UBC Library holds a number of works from Malcolm Lowry's own collection. They can be found by searching "Malcolm Lowry's Personal Library Collection" in the UBC Library Catalogue.
Digital Collections
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Malcolm Lowry in UBC Library's Framed Works CollectionView digitized copies of RBSC's framed photographs and art belonging to the Malcolm Lowry Collection.
Related Resources
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ABC BookWorld entry for Malcolm LowryBackground information on Malcolm Lowry.
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A Hypertextual & Illustrated Companion to Malcolm Lowry's Under the VolcanoThis website, intended to be a widely available non-profit venture, complements Chris Ackerley's earlier A Companion to 'Under the Volcano' (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1984), co-authored with Lawrence J. Clipper, and his later "Plenty of Obscure Points": A Supplement to A Companion to 'Under the Volcano' (Malcolm Lowry Review 49 & 50 (Fall 2001 & Spring 2002)).