Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Holtzman, Irwin T. and Holtzman, Shirley
- Abstract:
- Printed matter, writings, letters, photographs, and miscellany, relating to the Russian writers Isaak Babel', Boris Pasternak and Joseph Brodsky. Consists primarily of printed matter by and about Pasternak, Brodsky and Babel'.
- Extent:
- 157 manuscript boxes, 9 oversize boxes, 1 card file box, 32 cubic foot boxes, 1 phonorecord (111.4 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Irwin T. and Shirley Holtzman collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Irwin T. and Shirley Holtzman Collection consists mainly of material related to the life and work of the Russian authors Isaac Babel, Joseph Brodsky and Boris Pasternak. It also includes material related to the publication of their writings and the process of collecting these publications by I. T. Holtzman. The collection includes biographical material about the writers; their correspondence and writings; material related to conferences and exhibits about their work; photographs; phonotape cassettes and videotapes; as well as drawings, posters, memorabilia, and clippings. The bulk of the collection was acquired in 1998, with subsequent increments received through 2002.
The majority of the collection consists of printed copies of writings by the authors, as well as writings about or related to their work. Of special interest is material illustrating the process of publishing books by these authors, including the evolution of works through the stages of galley proofs, page proofs, printed wrappers, and sample pages. Also of interest are books signed or dedicated by the authors, as well as rare, early, and limited editions of their works. In the description, transliterations are supplied for non-Roman alphabets.
The Isaac Babel materials in the collection are noteworthy for their comprehensiveness. Irwin T. Holtzman has endeavored to collect all known materials published by or about Babel, including foreign translations. There are art works, video and sound recordings, conference materials, and marginalia, all related to Babel's life and work. Some of these materials are rare, and their being grouped as a whole makes them of interest to Babel scholars.
The Babel materials are organized by headings established by Mr. Holtzman, and they illustrate the art of collecting itself, with the various strands connecting Babel's life and work, as well as links among his contemporaries and interpreters, being made visible through the criteria used by the collector in selecting and organizing the Babel materials.
The Holtzman collection also contains a number of books by and about Leonid Pasternak, with illustrations of his paintings and drawings.
Please note that some original Pasternak correspondence and writings may not be used without permission of the Archivist; photocopies are available in Box 20.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Irwin T. Holtzman is a prominent and enthusiastic bibliophile, who has spent a lifetime collecting books on a wide variety of subjects. He is especially interested in modern writers and the publication of their works since 1927, the year of his birth. He has made generous donations of several collections to academic and cultural institutions, both in the United States and abroad.
Of particular interest are his collections of modern American and American Indian authors, donated to the University of Michigan; an American literature collection in the Russian State Library; a collection of modern Israeli writers, housed in the Holtzman-Harman Room at the University of Jerusalem; and the present collection of Boris Pasternak, Leonid Pasternak, Isaac Babel, and Joseph Brodsky materials in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Acquisition information:
- Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1998, with subsequent increments received through 2004. Additional increments are expected. An increment was added in 2011.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged into series by author, with additional author series for each additional increment of materials.
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Boxes 8 and 22 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
- Terms of access:
-
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Irwin T. and Shirley Holtzman collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563