An original manuscript from the iconic Kevin and Sadie book series is to be put on display at the Linen Hall Library in Belfast as part of its extraORDINARYwomen project.
Written by Scottish author Joan Lingard, Across the Barricades was the second book in the series, which told the story of Protestant Sadie Jackson and Catholic Kevin McCoy, who find love against the backdrop of the Troubles.
Published in 1972, it followed Ms Lingard’s first novel for young people, The Twelfth Day of July and was succeeded in 1973 by Into Exile, A Proper Place in 1975 and Hostages to Fortune in 1976.
The novels sold more than a million copies and were reprinted many times.
The original manuscript for Across the Barricades, which was donated to the library by the author, is to be put on display as part of the extraORDINARYwomen project.
Two years in the making, the project tells the experience of Northern Ireland women during the Troubles.
Across the Barricades is one of thousands of items in the project, which will see approximately 50,000 pages and images from the Linen Hall Library’s most significant collections and archives digitised, conserved and made globally accessible.
Thousands of new items will be added and made available on extraordinarywomenni.com from next Monday.
An exhibition related to the project will also go on display at the library.
Children’s author Amelia Kai, who wrote 'The Little Crayon', will be among those taking part in an extraORDINARYwomen event at the library on Monday.
Ms Kai said holding the original Joan Lingard manuscript was a "privilege".
"When I learned more about the Kevin and Sadie series, and what it meant to young people in Northern Ireland during such a difficult period in our history, I was reminded yet again why diverse literature is so important," she said.
"Seeing Joan’s thought process on the page, through her annotations and the flow of her words, was utterly beautiful".
The event can be viewed online from 6.30pm at https://vimeo.com/event/1409353
