The International Anthony Burgess Foundation has received a grant of £50,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting new project to make its extensive library and archive accessible to the public.
The award – announced on the 20th anniversary of Anthony Burgess’s death – will fund important conservation work around the rich and varied collections of rare books, manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, footage, paintings, drawings, furniture and other objects from Anthony Burgess’s life and work.
Telling the complete story of the writer’s beginnings in pre-war Manchester, through the Second World War, colonial service in Malaya and Brunei and finally to a global career, the archive is one of the most complete, extensive and unusual collections of its kind. Containing over two million pages of manuscript and eight thousand books the collection is a rich resource of one of the great writers and composers of the twentieth century.
Alongside the conservation and cataloguing work will run a two-year programme of public events and guided tours highlighting important themes in the work of Anthony Burgess and his contemporaries. The project will also enable the creation of an online catalogue allowing audiences to discover more about the collections.
Will Carr, Acting Director of the Burgess Foundation, said: ‘We’re delighted to receive this grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Anthony Burgess is one of Manchester’s greatest cultural exports, and we’re thrilled that his work is being supported in this way. This generous award will really help us in our work to bring his writing and music to new audiences.’
Sara Hilton, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund North West, said: ‘Anthony Burgess was a true literary great and his works, especially titles like A Clockwork Orange, are still hugely popular today. The HLF grant will help the Foundation conserve Burgess’s extensive and varied collections and share his story with the people of Manchester – his birth place – and people from further afield long into the future.’
The support of the Heritage Lottery Fund will allow the Foundation to continue to contribute to the cultural heritage of Manchester, fulfilling its aim to develop and support public and scholarly interest in all areas of the life and work of Anthony Burgess.
