Fonds RC0196 - Edward Lacey fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Edward Lacey fonds

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Fonds

Reference code

RC0196

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1937-2003 (Creation)

Physical description area

Physical description

1.92 m of textual records

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1938-1995)

Biographical history

Edward Lacey was born in Lindsay, Ontario of French-Canadian and Irish descent. After attending separate and public schools in Lindsay, he went to the University of Toronto, winning the Edward Blake scholarship in Modern Languages and Literature and majoring in French and German. He graduated with a B.A. in the fall of 1959 and then moved to Texas to pursue his M.A. in Linguistics and Languages. There he met Randy Wicker (formerly Charlie Hayden), student politician and gay activist, and Byron Black, who remained lifelong friends. He received his M.A. degree in 1961.

Between 1961 and 1983 he worked as a translator or taught English as a second language and literature in Mexico, Trinidad, Brazil, Greece and Thailand. He also worked as a proofreader and editor in Thailand from 1984 to1987. In 1991 he taught English or worked as an editor in Indonesia and Thailand, until an accident in Bangkok permanently disabled him. He died of a heart attack in 1995.

Lacey’s publications include: The Forms of Life (1965), the first gay-identified book of poetry published in Canada; Path of Snow: Poems 1951-73 (1974); and Third World: Travel Poems (1994). His collection of letters entitled A Magic Prison: Letters from Edward Lacey (1995) was edited by David Helwig. Lacey has also translated books from French, Spanish and Portuguese. His own work has appeared in anthologies such as Gay Roots: Twenty Years of Gay Sunshine, An Anthology of Gay History: Sex, Politics & Culture (1991).

Custodial history

Scope and content

The fonds consists of Lacey's writing material, as well as correspondence, documents and research files.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

The fonds (16-2005) and 2nd accrual (2013-035) were received as part of the Fraser Sutherland fonds. As executor of Lacey’s estate, Sutherland acquired Lacey’s archives. He wrote a biography of Lacey entitled The Lost Passport. The third accrual (2021-010, 2022-003) was donated by Susan Shattuck Benson in 2022.

Arrangement

The fonds is arranged into the following series: manuscripts; biographical files; and correspondence, documents and research files.

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Script of material

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There are no access restrictions.

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Further accruals are not expected.

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Description record identifier

RC0196

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