Peter Robinson Archive

Description

Literary archive of Peter Robinson documenting his work as a novelist and poet.


This substantial collection forms a detailed record of Peter Robinson's writing, from earliest unpublished manuscripts up to his most recent work. The collection includes drafts for the complete DCI Banks series of novels, as well as poetry, short stories and other writing.


The collection is arranged in series, of which the principle groups are 'Early and Unpublished manuscripts', 'Published Work' and 'Notebooks'. Robinson's creative process is documented through notebooks, loose manuscript notes, drafts, and research material. The collection also includes promotional material, multimedia, and copies of Journals and Periodicals in which Robinson's earliest work has been published.

Biography or history

Peter Robinson was born in Yorkshire.


He was an alumni of the University of Leeds having studied for a BA Honours Degree in English Literature, before moving to Canada to study for an MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, followed by a PhD in English at York University.


He is best known for his book series on Inspector Banks. The first novel in this series ‘Gallows View’ was published in 1987 and the most recent novel ‘Sleeping in the Ground' the 24th novel in the series in 2017. These novels have won numerous awards and have been translated into a variety of languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. DCI Banks has also been adapted for TV with Stephen Tompkinson playing the lead role of Inspector Banks. The first series aired in Autumn 2011 and the fifth and final series in October 2016.


Robinson also published three non-series novels and many short stories. ‘Caedmon’s Song’ was published in 1990, ‘No Cure For Love’ in 1995, and ‘Before The Poison’ in 2011. His first collection of short stories, ‘Not Safe After Dark and Other Stories’, was published in 1998. An expanded version, including the Banks novella ‘Going Back’, was published in September, 2004. In 2007, Robinson edited the ‘The Penguin Book of Crime Stories’, and his most recent collection of short stories 'The Price of Love and other stories' was published in 2009.


Peter Robinson died in October 2022.

Provenance

The collection was acquired directly from the archive creator in 2017.

Access and usage

Access

Some parts of this collection are in copyright. Photocopies or digital images of the material in copyright can be supplied for private study purposes only. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain the copyright holder’s permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study. Guidance is available on tracing copyright status and ownership.