Collections : [University of Michigan Special Collections Research Center]

In the late 1950s, as a reaction to Cold War era politics, the University of Michigan Press embarked on a program to publish Russian language materials. Their first undertaking was Boris Pasternak's Dr. Zhivago.The material retained by the Press, related to the publication of Dr. Zhivago, as well as Pasternak's Poems, and Collected Works, comprises correspondence between the books’ editors and the directors of the Press. Other items, such as a first edition with marginalia, photographs of letters from Pasternak to Eugene Kayden, and assorted newspaper clippings, help document the history of this unusual endeavor. The 1.5 linear feet of material span the years 1958 to 1988, with the bulk of the papers dating between 1959 and 1962.

The material retained by the University of Michigan Press, related to the publication of Dr. Zhivago , Poems, and Collected Works , comprises correspondence between the books’ editors and the directors of the Press. Other items, such as a first edition with marginalia, photographs of letters from Pasternak to Eugene Kayden, and assorted newspaper clippings, help document the history of this unusual endeavor. The 1.5 linear feet of material span the years 1958 to 1988, with the bulk of the papers dating between 1959 and 1962. The Pasternak records of the University of Michigan Press have been divided into three series: Dr. Zhivago (0.5 linear feet), Eugene Kayden Translation -- Poems (1959) (0.5 linear feet), Sochineniia [Collected Works] (1961) (0.5 linear feet), and Media (3 items).

The Dr. Zhivago series consists of two subseries: Pre-publication and Publication. Pre-publication includes newspaper clippings related to the Nobel Prize awarded to Pasternak in 1958, correspondence pertaining to the copyright negotiations with Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore, and promotional materials for the book's release. Most of the correspondence to Feltrinelli is carbon copies. Permissions Granted is correspondence between the Press and other authors regarding use of the novel in other publications. These letters date between 1960 and 1988. Additional material includes a limited amount of University of Michigan Press business records, galleys of the text, and other miscellaneous documents.

In the Eugene Kayden Translation -- Poems (1959) series much of the material is correspondence from Press directors Glenn Gosling, Ed Watkins, and Robert Erwin. Photographs of letters written to Eugene Kayden from Pasternak are included as well. The photographs are quite legible, and the text is in Russian. Related material, particularly the agreement signed between the Press and Eugene Kayden, is also in this series. Some of the folder dates will overlap in an attempt to maintain the original order of the materials.

Sochineniia [Collected Works] (1961), the Russian publication of Pasternak's poetry by scholars Gleb Struve and Boris Filippov, is the final series in the collection. Correspondence in this series, dated between 1959 and 1984, is arranged chronologically. A smaller amount of topical correspondence is arranged alphabetically by topic. As is the case with the previous series, some of the folder dates will overlap in an attempt to maintain the collections' original order.

The Media series contains two microfilms of the Collected Works , and an audiotape copy of the 45rpm vinyl recording of Pasternak Speaks . The tape documents a reading at Pasternak's home in 1958. Included are the poems "Night," "At the Hospital," "Literature Today," "To a French Musician," and an excerpt from "An Essay in Autobiography."