Add MS 88967/1

The file comprises:

A commentary (2011) by Butterworth on the letters. Typescript, 2 sheets.

Letter 1: Ballard to Butterworth, dated by Butterworth as 'late 1965'. Returning material submitted: 'Full of brilliant things, but perhaps they lack something in overall organization.' Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 2: Ballard to Butterworth, dated by Butterworth as 'late 1965'. 'Sorry this isn't right for Ambit - many good things in it, though. However Martin Bax does not like anything that resembles WSB [William Burroughs] or the beat school of writing.' Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 3: Ballard to Butterworth, dated by Butterworth as 'late 1965'. Brief note: 'Are you sure you're on the right lines?' Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 4: Ballard to Butterworth, 2 January 1966. Refers again to the influence of Burroughs on Butterworth's writing: 'Why not invent your own mythology of time & space, vocabulary of images and the technique necessary to express them?' Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 5: Ballard to Butterworth, 29 December 1966. 'I'll certainly do an article for you, more or less a long the lines you suggest' (Butterworth's commentary records that the article 'did not materialise'). Ballard has 'enjoyed [Butterworth's] pieces in New Worlds very much'. Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 6: Ballard to Butterworth, 16 January 1967. Ballard refers to his article 'Notes from Nowhere' recently published in New Worlds and re-states his views on narrative structure: 'Linear sequences belong above all to the recapitualtion of long chains of past events. These are out. Non-linear structures, quantified events, are needed. In my recent stories I've made a small step in this direction.' Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 7: Ballard to Butterworth, 21 January 1967. Long letter including detailed comments about Butterworth's writing, warning again about the influence of Burroughs: 'Burroughs is a tremendously liberating writer, but he's built his world out of his own blood cells & frayed nerves. He is also extremely American.' At the end of the letter, Ballard offers to edit Butterworth's material: 'You could (or, rather, I could) sub this whole lot down to about 6 great pages - short items, each with a heading - Junk the rest. If you have carbons I might be able to do it for you.' Autograph, 3 sheets.

Letter 8: Ballard to Butterworth, [29 January 1967 - dated added to letter by Butterworth]. Continuing advice: 'What I have done is to underline the things I think you should keep, typing straight out as if everything else didn't exist. The headings, where underlined, should be retained as paragraph headings (rather as in my own new stories) [...] If it's any consolation or encouragement, I know that Burroughs uses a similar method, condensing out his images and narrative from a much greater body of original material.' Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 9: Ballard to Butterworth, 31 January 1967. Ballard likes 'the new version very much' and thinks 'we should definitely publish it in Ambit.' He has sent the material to Martin Bax with his 'strong recommendation'. Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 10: Ballard to Butterworth, 3 March 1967 (Ambit letterhead, from Shepperton). Formal rejection: 'I'm sorry to report that Bax didn't feel quite the way I did over "Stick"'. Signed typescript, 1 sheet.

Letter 11: Ballard to Butterworth, 11 October 1967. Thanks Butterworth for new material submitted: 'Have sent the ones I feel are best to Martin Bax for his opinion.' Alerts Butterworth to Ambit competition: 'Drugs and the writer'. Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 12: Ballard to Butterworth, 21 May 1968. Unable to provide financial support for a new magazine (Concentrate) proposed by Butterworth. Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 13: Ballard to Butterworth, 24 June [probably 1968]. Glad to hear that 'the magazine problem is solving itself so well'. Advises that his contribution to Ambit will shortly appear (identified by Butterworth as 'Sergeant Pepper's Postatomic Skull'). Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 14: Butterworth to Ballard, no date [1968 or 1969]. Refers to meeting Ballard (again) 'at the party given by Diane'. Encloses 'Concentrate Three' (not present with letter - see below) for Ambit: 'It is a bit like an "advert" but in words only, is my own personsal extension of yours and Burroughs' writings styles, and completes, for the time being at any rate, the series of CONCENTRATES run in NEW WORLDS'. The letter is annotated by Ballard in reply: 'not quite right for Ambit'. Signed typescript, 1 sheet.

Letter 15: Butterworth to Ballard, 2 August 1971. Covering letter enclosing a submission ('The Narrator') for Ambit - submission not present. Butterworth asks Ballard if he has any comments on a sample copy of the magazine (Corridor, edited by Butterworth) he has supplied. Ballard has annotated the letter in reply: submission 'not quite right for Ambit' and Corridor 'looks promising': 'Afraid I haven't written anything short for a long while now, as I work on a novel.' Signed typescript, 1 sheet.

Letter 16: Ballard to Butterworth, Friday (dated by Butterworth as 'probably late 1975'). Thanks Butterworth for sending 'Christmas Story' but 'not quite right for Ambit'. He comments that he has not seen Burroughs for some time: 'I think he's still living in London - to be honest I've rather moved out of underground circles'. Autograph, 1 sheet.

Letter 17: Ballard to Butterworth, 10 April [mid 1960s]. Ballard refers to publishers not liking experimental writing: 'I myself am having enough difficulty getting my new stories out.' An indication of the year in which the letter was written is broadly suggested by Ballard's remark that The Soft Machine and The Ticket That Exploded are not yet published (both books by Burroughs would be published by Calder & Boyars in 1968). Typed, 1 sheet.

Letter 18: Ballard to Butterworth, 24 August 1970. Wishes Butterworth 'all the best for the new magazine'. He would like to write something for it, but: 'the only problem is that I am a totally inspirational writer & I haven't anything in mind right now'. Autograph, 1 sheet.

The file also includes the following supplementary material, supplied by Butterworth in the form of colour photocopies:

• Butterworth, 'Concentrate 1', as published in New Worlds (August 1967), including copy of front cover with images from Moonstrips Empire News by Eduardo Paolozzi (4 x A4 sheets);
• Butterworth, 'Concentrate 2', as published in New Worlds (April 1968), including front cover (6 x A4 sheets);
• Butterworth, 'Concentrate 3', as published in New Worlds (January 1970), including front cover (3 x A4 sheets);
• First issue of the magazine Concentrate (1968) referred to above, in letter 15 (4 sheets).