Collection SC063 - Denis Johnston collection

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Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Denis Johnston collection

General material designation

  • Textual record

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Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title is based on the content of the collection.

Level of description

Collection

Reference code

CA UVICARCH SC063

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

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Statement of scale (cartographic)

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1926 - 1992 (Creation)

Physical description area

Physical description

12 cm of textual records

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1901-1984)

Biographical history

Denis Johnston was an Irish playwright and writer. He was born in Dublin and educated at Dublin, Edinburgh, Cambridge and Harvard Law School, receiving an M.A. and LL.M. from Cambridge in 1926. He became interested in playwriting while he was at Harvard. Upon his return to Dublin, he wrote "Shadowdance" (later called "The Old Lady Says No!") in 1926. After practising law, both in Ireland and England, he joined the Dublin Gate Theatre and became its Director from 1931-1936. Next, he worked in various capacities for the BBC. After moving to America, he became head of the Department of Theatre at Smith College, Massachusetts in 1961 and subsequently held many academic posts in the United States until 1973. He authored numerous plays including "The Old Lady Says 'No'", "The Moon in the Yellow River", "The Golden Cuckoo", and "The Scythe and the Sunset". His autobiography, "Nine Rivers from Jordan", was published in 1953. This formed the basis for his later work "The Brazen Horn". He died in Dublin.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The collection consists of Johnston's second typescript draft (as finally rejected) of "Shadowdance", later called "The Old Lady Says No!", with holograph corrections by W.B. Yeats and others. Also included are photocopies of several early drafts of this play, including the aforementioned. In addition, there is the author's proof copy, with corrections, of "The Brazen Horn, Lenaea 5" (1968) [probably for 2nd ed. 1969, amended to Lenaea 6]. The collection also consists of correspondence from Denis and Betty Johnston to Bill and Mary Harbold from 1973-1982; a signed photograph of Johnston; photocopies of book reviews and book chapters re Johnston; a copy of Nine Rivers from Jordan with final corrections; and a copy of the libretto of Nine Rivers from Jordan.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

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Script of material

Location of originals

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Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

Box list available.

Generated finding aid

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Alternative identifier(s)

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Control area

Description record identifier

denis-johnston-collection

Institution identifier

Rules or conventions

Status

Final

Level of detail

Full

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Revised by JF, June 25, 2013.

Language of description

  • English

Script of description

Sources

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