The 'archival imagination' of Frank Moorhouse
Frank Moorhouse developed what he called an ‘archival imagination’ through his use of libraries and archives. He submitted his own papers to various collections and created a note-taking system based on index cards. From this method, he created many of his stories, books and essays. He ultimately came to see himself as an archive personified.
Frank Moorhouse was a legendary writer in Australian literary and cultural life. He was known for a diverse body of work including essays, short stories, journalism, scripts, the iconic Edith Trilogy.
We are born to become archives… (although as I think about it – I am already an archive).
Dr Matthew Lamb is a 2026 National Library of Australia Fellow, supported by the Ray Mathew and Eva Kollsman Trust for Research in Australian Literature.
Dr Matthew Lamb
Dr Matthew Lamb
About Dr Matthew Lamb
Dr Matthew Lamb is the author of Frank Moorhouse: Strange Paths, the first in a projected two volume cultural biography of Frank Moorhouse. He is a former editor of Review of Australian Fiction and Island magazines.
Dr Lamb has two PhDs in Literature and Philosophy and currently writes the Public Things Newsletter on the relationship between literary culture and democracy.
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