Ivy and Tatiana Litvinov papers, 1890-2008

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Summary

Creators:
Litvinov, Ivy and Litvinov, Tatiana
Abstract:
The Ivy and Tatiana Litvinov papers contain autobiographical, fictional, and other writings; interview transcripts; diaries; correspondence; and sound recordings relating to the life of Ivy Litvinov in Great Britain and the Soviet Union, her marriage to the Soviet foreign minister Maksim Litvinov, and British and Russian literature. The papers also include correspondence, speeches and writings, and art works by Ivy Litvinov's daughter, Tatiana Litvinov, who was an artist and translator.
Extent:
53 manuscript boxes, 1 card file box, 1 oversize box (23.8 Linear Feet)
Language:
In English and Russian
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Ivy and Tatiana Litvinov papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Ivy and Tatiana Litvinov papers include correspondence; diaries; annotations; literary reviews; autobiographical, fictional, and other writings; photographs; sound recordings; and art works of Ivy and Tatiana Litvinov and other family members. The materials relate to the life of Ivy Litvinov in Great Britain and the Soviet Union, her marriage to the Soviet foreign minister Maksim Maksimovich Litvinov, and British and Russian literature. Of particular interest is correspondence by Maksim Litvinov to Ivy and Tatiana.

The collection consists of two parts acquired at different times; each part is organized into files by the individual's name.

Biographical / historical:

Ivy Litvinov (1889-1977) was a British-Russian writer and translator, and the wife of prominent Soviet diplomat Maxim Litvinov, who served as People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs and as ambassador to the United States. The couple survived political turmoil and Stalin's purges. Ivy accompanied her husband on some of his diplomatic postings but lived mainly in the USSR for most of her adult life.

Ivy wrote His Master's Voice, a detective story (1930) later published in the USA as A Moscow Mystery, and worked on short stories she contributed to The New Yorker and other magazines beginning in the 1960s. A collection of her short stories was published in 1971 in book form as She Knew She Was Right. Ivy was also the author of numerous translations of Russian literature into English. Additionally, she wrote or edited reference books for Russian-speakers learning English.

Ivy's daughter, Tatiana Litvinov (1918-1997), was a bilingual translator from Russian into English and from English into Russian, and a remarkable graphic artist.

Acquisition information:
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1987, with an increment received in 2016.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

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], Ivy and Tatiana Litvinov 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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