Below is a list of writers’ archives held at the British Archive for Contemporary Writing (BACW).
We also hold significant material from other writers who have corresponded with these authors, or who have appeared at our year round literary festival.
Use our archive catalogue to search and browse collections in more depth and email archives@uea.ac.uk for additional information.
Contact us for guidance or to plan a visit
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Naomi Alderman
Critically acclaimed and prize-winning author and graduate of UEA's MA in Creative Writing. Alderman’s archive features notebooks, manuscript drafts for her novels, Disobedience and The Power, as well as annotated creative writing workshop submissions, early short stories and more. -
Tash Aw
Prize-winning author and graduate of the MA in Creative Writing, Tash Aw has published critically-acclaimed novels and memoirs as well as short stories and essays. His archive contains annotated drafts of manuscripts and editorial correspondence with his publisher, and the writer, Yiyun Li. -
Richard Beard
Richard Beard is an acclaimed novelist and non-fiction writer and Creative Writing Fellow and MA graduate. His archive includes typescripts, notebooks, notes, drafts, correspondence, press-cuttings and more. The archive holds insights into the structuring and redrafting of his Goldsmiths' Prize shortlisted novel, Acts of the Assassins, and shows the editorial comments of both his literary agent and editor. -
David Bellos
This archive contains drafts, working documents, and corrected copies of David Bellos' translations of the works of French writer Georges Perec. -
more...Malcolm Bradbury
Co-founder of the Creative Writing MA here at UEA, (with Sir Angus Wilson), Sir Malcolm Bradbury was a prolific writer of novels, short stories, literary criticism and television plays and series. Included in his personal papers are film, radio and television scripts including popular British crime series 'A Touch of Frost', 'Dalziel and Pascoe', and 'Kavanagh QC'. Also see the MA Creative Writing collections, in our Collections A-Z, for material relating to his Professorship of the MA in Creative Writing at UEA. -
Amit Chaudhuri
Professor of Contemporary Literature here at UEA, Chaudhuri is a distinguished literary critic and prize-winning author of six novels. His archive contains early notebooks capturing short story ideas written during his PhD. -
more...Lee Child
Lee Child is an award-winning author who has written over 20 novels and numerous short stories. His archive contains early drafts, manuscripts and correspondence relating to the creation of one of English literature's most enduring characters, Jack Reacher. The archive was opened to the public in 2022. -
Mark Cocker
Graduate of UEA, Mark Cocker is an acclaimed author, naturalist and environmental activist. Featuring notebooks, correspondence, draft manuscripts and more, this collection provides fascinating insight into Cocker's nature writing. -
Andrew Cowan
Convenor and graduate of the MA Creative Writing programme at UEA, Andrew Cowan has won several awards for his novels. Included in this collection are novel manuscripts, correspondence and research papers. -
Patricia Crampton
Prize-winning literary translator, Patricia Crampton, translated over 200 children’s books and over 50 adult novels. Crampton worked as a translator on the Nuremberg trials and her archive also contains correspondence from that period. The material is currently being catalogued. Contact us for further information. -
Roger Deakin
Explore the archive of nature writer and independent film-maker, Roger Deakin, a pioneer of the 'wild swimming' movement. Contains working papers, book drafts and manuscripts, radio programme recordings and more. -
Robert Edric
Take a look at the unique creative writing processes, scribbles and revisions of award-winning novelist Robert Edric. His archive contains manuscripts, typescripts, and proofs of his work. -
Anthony Grey
Personal and literary papers relating to the novelist, foreign journalist and BBC presenter Anthony Grey. The archive holds original manuscripts, research papers, photographs, publicity material and correspondence relating to his publications, magazine journalism, television and radio productions. -
Charlie Higson
Charlie Higson graduated from UEA in English and Film studies. He is an award-winning comedy writer, actor and best-selling novelist. His writing and performing partnership with fellow UEA student, Paul Whitehouse, led to the creation of the highly successful cult TV comedy sketch show, 'The Fast Show'. Explore his rich and diverse collection featuring correspondence, photographs, production notes and manuscripts. The archive also contains other successful TV scriptwriting material and novel drafts and editorial comments relating to his 'Young Bond' novels and his other books for children and young adults. -
Alan Hunter
Author of the 'Chief Inspector George Gently' series, Hunter wrote forty-six novels. His archive contains manuscripts and typescripts for each of his novels, as well as some plays, poetry and short stories. -
more...Doris Lessing
A vast collection of personal papers, correspondence, notebooks and diaries from the Nobel Laureate, Doris Lessing, who wrote over 50 books as well as plays, short stories, poems and non-fiction. Lessing enjoyed a decades' long association with UEA where she held the title of Distinguished Fellow of Literature. Lessing's authorised biographer, Patrick French, describes the archive as an extraordinary and unique record of her life and work. Some of Lessing's archive is embargoed during the writing of her biography. -
Richard Mabey
Richard Mabey is an honorary graduate of UEA and a highly acclaimed nature writer and broadcaster, focusing on the relations between nature and culture. He has also worked as a journalist, conservationist and a government adviser. -
Sarah Maguire
Sarah Maguire (1957-2017) was a poet, translator and broadcaster. She published four collections of poetry to wide acclaim. Having left school early to train as a gardener, Maguire's poetry was deeply influenced by horticulture, and she later edited an anthology of botanical verse, Flora Poetica (2001). In 1987, Maguire graduated from UEA as a mature student with a First in English and American Studies. During her time as a student, she had poems published in journals and was later nominated as one of the 1994 New Generation Poets. Maguire was the first writer to be sent by the British Council to Palestine and Yemen. She was a passionate advocate for poetry in translation and founded the Poetry Translation Centre in 2004. -
more...Lorna Sage
Lorna Sage was a journalist, critic, and Professor of English Literature at UEA from 1994. She became best known for her award-winning autobiographical memoir 'Bad Blood.' Her archive includes papers relating to all aspects of her teaching and writing career, with an emphasis on female authors, including Doris Lessing and Angela Carter. A digital exhibition to celebrate twenty years of Bad Blood is also available, revealing some of the personal diaries and papers Sage used in its writing. -
JD Salinger - Hartog
This collection contains over fifty letters and postcards sent by J.D Salinger - author of bestselling novel 'Catcher in the Rye' - to his long time friend, Donald Hartog. Click 'more' to browse the collection via our catalogue. -
WG Sebald
A small collection of audiovisual recordings from founding director of the British Centre for Literary Translation and previous chair of German Literature at UEA. -
Sara Taylor
Graduate of UEA’s MA in Creative Writing with a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing, Sara Taylor has published two acclaimed novels. Her archive contains novel manuscripts, correspondence, notebooks and detailed research papers. -
more...Snoo Wilson
Snoo read American Studies at UEA and began his writing career the year he graduated. He was one of the handful of playwrights who reinvented British theatre in the 1970’s and 80’s. The archive contains extensive notebooks, diaries, manuscripts and working papers.