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Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Julian Samuel fonds
General material designation
- Textual record
- Moving images
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Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Based on creator of the fonds
Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
CA RBD MSG 936
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
2.1 m of textual records
1 DVD movie (1 hr., 20 min., 34 sec.)
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
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Archival description area
Name of creator
(1952-)
Biographical history
Julian Samuel is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and painter. Major works include Passage to Lahore (novel, 1995), Save and Burn, (documentary film, 2004), and Atheism (documentary film, 2006). His work features his experiences as a visible minority and immigrant in the UK and Canada. Samuel was born on May 7, 1952 in Lahore, Pakistan. After living in the United Kingdom as a teenager, he immigrated to Canada in 1966. After graduating from Trent University with a degree in literature, he established himself in Montreal from 1982 onwards. Samuel was awarded an MFA in Film Studies from Concordia University, where he subsequently taught at the graduate level, focusing on revolutionary aesthetics in documentary filmmaking.
Custodial history
The fonds was transferred in three accessions from Julian Samuel to McGill University Rare Books and Special Collections. The first three containers were donated around 1996, the fourth and fifth in approximately 2001, and the sixth and seventh approximately 2004, accepted by Richard Virr, Curator of Manuscripts at McGill.
Scope and content
The fonds consists of 7 boxes of primarily typewritten documents created between 1976 and 2004 which reflect Julian Samuel’s creative work and related endeavours. They contain drafts of screenplays and novels, correspondence, book reviews, CVs, and ideas or doodles. They also contain newspaper clippings and collected research dealing with Samuel’s areas of interest, including unrest in the Middle East, immigration, and discrimination on the basis of race or language. These records were created and consulted in Montreal, Quebec. Although the work is often Samuel’s alone, correspondence and edited drafts appear regularly.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
The fonds is arranged into the following series: 1) Drafts, 2) Research materials 3) Personal and professional records.
Most of the records are organized in folders by subject, though there are also unordered papers and groupings tied together with string.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script note
A few documents are in French or Arabic
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
No other formats available
Restrictions on access
May include personal information
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
File-level listing available
Associated materials
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Standard number area
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Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Finding aid prepared by Roxann Fournier-Hoyt, Emeline Vidal, and Nicole Wiebe as part of McGill’s School of Information Studies course GLIS 641 in November 2019. Edited by archivist Anna Dysert, January 2020.