Archivist Jo Klett says the 40 boxes of material will provide ‘a full picture of Roger’s entire working career’
“It’s a joy to be old,” wrote Roger McGough, one of Britain’s most popular, prolific and funniest poets. “The dog dead and the car sold.”
Another joy might be decluttering. After the departure of dozens of boxes of notebooks, manuscripts, drafts, project files, journals, posters, letters, personal artworks and more, McGough has admitted his house is significantly emptier. “If anyone wants to buy some old empty filing cabinets then get in touch … through you,” he joked.
The University of Liverpool has announced it has acquired McGough’s entire archive. It already had a mass of personal papers relating to his life up to 2007. Now it has taken delivery of material accumulated since then, and items such as travel journals that he had been reluctant to give up first time round.
McGough, 88, said it was an “honour to be asked”, adding: “Where else but Liverpool, really.”
