A major figure in the British Poetry Revival of the 1960s and 1970s, Barry MacSweeney (1948-2000) was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. A regular at the Morden Tower poetry readings organised by Tom Pickard in the late 1960s, MacSweeney would also forge links with ‘Cambridge School’ poets including J.H. Prynne and John James. His first collection was published in 1968 and several subsequent volumes would be published by his own Blacksuede Boot press, established in 1973. Later collections include Ranter (1985), Pearl (1995), and – posthumously – Wolf Tongue: Selected Poems, 1965-2000 (2003) and Desire Lines: Unselected Poems, 1966-2000, edited by Luke Roberts (2018).

This collection includes manuscripts and published works, correspondence, reviews, poetry publications, photographs, and newspaper articles. The correspondence includes letters from a range of MacSweeney’s friends, fellow poets, and family, including material from Maggie O’Sullivan, Eric Mottram, Elaine Randall, J.H. Prynne and Chris Torrence. A collection level description is available at Archives Hub. Readers wishing to consult the collection in person at the University Library Special Collections may complete our request form. Further information about Special Collections, including accessibility and opening hours, can be found here.