Pasternak family papers, 1877-2013

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Summary

Creators:
Pasternak, Boris Leonidovich, 1890-1960, Pasternak family, Pasternak, Leonid Osipovich, 1862-1945, Pasternak, Zh. L. (Zhozefina Leonidovna), and Slater, Lydia Pasternak
Abstract:
Correspondence, diaries, memoirs, other writings, biographical data, printed matter, drawings, photographs, and other audiovisual material relating to Russian art and literature, culture in the Soviet Union, and Russian émigré life. Includes papers of Leonid and Rosalia Pasternak; their sons, the poet and novelist Boris Pasternak and architect and memoirist Aleksandr Pasternak; their daughters, Josephine Pasternak and Lydia Pasternak Slater; and other family members.
Extent:
160 manuscript boxes, 24 oversize boxes, 4 card file boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 motion picture reel, digital files (108.4 Linear Feet)
Language:
In Russian, English, German, French, and Italian
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Pasternak family papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Pasternak family papers consist of material formerly in the possession of Josephine Pasternak and Lydia Pasternak Slater, the sisters of the poet and Nobel Prize winner Boris Pasternak. This material has been arranged into series corresponding to each member of the Pasternak family, including the poet's parents, Leonid and Rosalia, his sisters, Josephine Pasternak and Lydia Pasternak Slater, and his younger brother, Aleksandr. All but Boris and Aleksandr emigrated to Germany and subsequently to England after the 1917 Russian revolution.

The resulting intimate correspondence, dating from the 1920s and 1930s, between Boris Pasternak, his parents, and his sisters is of primary importance. Also of interest are Josephine and Lydia's extensive correspondence with Pasternak literary scholars, family, and friends. The bulk of the collection concerns the work of Leonid Pasternak, a famous painter, and Josephine's and Lydia's efforts to preserve and publicize his legacy both in the Soviet Union and abroad. Included in this part are the artist's drawings and sketches, as well as working material and manuscripts prepared for the publication of his memoirs. Also of interst are Lydia Pasternak Slater's writings in Russian, German, and English and her translations.

Olga Freidenberg, a niece of Leonid Pasternak, kept diaries/memoirs that give a full account of her school and university years, scholarly life, and the tragic siege of Leningrad, where she and her mother were living.

The smaller archive related to Rosalia Kaufman-Pasternak, a well-known classical pianist, gives interesting insights into the world of Russian music in the years just before the revolution.

The collection also includes materials from Lydia's children and Boris's son, Evgenii Pasternak.

As a whole, the collection gives a valuable glimpse into the artistic and cultural life of Russia from the 1880s to the late 1970s as seen in the life and work of a multi-faceted and talented family.

Acquisition information:
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1996, 2004, and 2015.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Boxes 37 and 44-49 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], Pasternak family papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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