Description:

Boris Pasternak
Moscow, Russia, ca. 1958
Boris Pasternak Signed Book of Poems, Only 1 of 15-25 Printed, with 1st Appearance of Poems from Doctor Zhivago!
Signed Book
A signed book of poetry by Boris Pasternak entitled, "V Pereryve" or "In The Interlude: Poems 1945–1957." [Moscow: B. Pasternak, 1958]. Quarto, [2]. 1-51, [2], 52-100, [6]pp. An inscribed sheet has been tipped into the front of the book, with a dedication signed to Zoya Afanasyevna Maslennikova in Cyrillic. Pasternak also made a few penciled notes on p. 61 and p. [106]. Red leather covered boards with a green vinyl dustjacket. The tipped in signed sheet has light creasing and is starting to separate from the binding. Toned throughout with some areas of foxing, but boldly signed. The book is lightly toned throughout. Soundly bound. The green dustjacket is worn, with some small tears and soiling.

In full (translated):

"To dear Zoya Afanasyevna Maslennikova, intelligent, courageous, talented, in memory of our meetings and conversations and of how her sculptural work progressed in the autumn of 1958. B. Pasternak. Peredelkino, 30 September 1958."

The recipient of the autograph was Zoya Afanasyevna Maslenikova (1923-2008), a sculptor, artist, poet, writer and translator. An associate of Alexander Men, Maslenikova made sculptural portraits of Anna Akhmatova and other luminaries at the time. In the last years of Boris Pasternak's life, she created several of his sculptural portraits which were published in the book "Portrait of Boris Pasternak."

Pasternak, in the face of pressure against the arts by Stalin's regime, stopped writing poetry altogether for nine years, beginning in 1934. He had no poems published publicly during this time in Russia but issued a number of self-published, hand-printed pamphlets of his poetry which he shared with friends. These never exceeded 15 to 25 copies in number. The work sold here is the largest of these, and features poems that would be found in Doctor Zhivago, making this the first appearance in any form to be released by the author in Russian to fellow Russians. In addition to some of the poems that appear in Doctor Zhivago, there are many other poems in this volume that were unpublished in the poet's lifetime.

This volume was also issued in the same year that Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, which drew the ire of the Communist Party. Pasternak was ousted from the Writer's Union in 1958 and not allowed to publish his work aside from translations. As such, the circulation of these poems had to be done discreetly. The entirety of his work would not appear in Russia until many years after his death. Pasternak would be posthumously reinstated to the Union of Soviet Writers in 1967, and Doctor Zhivago was published for the first time in the USSR in 1968.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: 6" x 8.25"
  • Medium: Signed Book

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000