The University of Exeter looks after a rich collection of literary papers of more than thirty writers, poets and playwrights with links to the South West of England. Our collections also include several working libraries of South-West writers. The close proximity between writers in the South West often led to friendships and sometimes literary collaboration. Examples of this can be found in many of our archive collections, in particular within correspondence, which in several instances connects across archives.
This resource guide provides an overview of some of the collections of South West Writers held by the University of Exeter Special Collections. Continue reading this guide to find details about our different literary collections, where you will also find links to the archive and library catalogues, through which you can explore the collections further.
The resources highlighted in this guide have been identified using our catalogues, but are not exhaustive. You can search our archives catalogue and library catalogue with key word searches to identify further items of interest. More information on searching the catalogues can be found on the Search our Catalogues LibGuide. If you come across any other sources within our collections that you think should be included in this guide, we would be very pleased to hear about them.
Archives and rare books held by Special Collections are available to everyone. More information about accessing the collections can be found in our Visiting Heritage Collections LibGuide. Please note that there may be some restrictions on accessing and copying (including photography) material in the archives and books held by Special Collections in line with current data protection and copyright legislation. Always make sure to check the access conditions on the archive catalogue and email Special Collections before your visit for more information about specific restrictions.