The Papers are organized as follows:

  1. CORRESPONDENCE, FIRST SERIES, 1929-1986
  2. CORRESPONDENCE, SECOND SERIES, 1935-1985
  3. PROFESSIONAL AND RESEARCH MATERIALS, 1885-1985
  4. WRITINGS, 1930-1986
  5. DIARIES, SKETCHBOOKS AND ARTWORK, 1923-1982
  6. PERSONAL MATERIALS, 1907-1986
  7. PHOTOGRAPHS, 1867-1983
  8. FILMS AND TAPES, 1967-1976

Series 1, CORRESPONDENCE, FIRST SERIES,1929-1986 [1949-1985], 7 linear feet, contains correspondence which arrived prior to the bulk of the Papers. CORRESPONDENCE, SECOND SERIES contains letters to or from the same correspondents. Series 3, PROFESSIONAL AND RESEARCH MATERIALS, also contains correspondence connected with materials there, particularly with publishers.

Series 2, CORRESPONDENCE, SECOND SERIES, 1935-1956 [1951-1983], 2 linear feet, contains Ivask's family correspondence as well as general correspondence, as in Series 1. Series 3, PROFESSIONAL AND RESEARCH MATERIALS, which contains copies of Ivask's correspondence donated in 1964 to Yale University, should also be consulted. Box 7 contains unidentified correspondence from Series 2 sorted later and arranged in chronological order.

The correspondence of the Series 1 and 2 reflects Ivask's professional, literary, and personal life and activities. Ivask corresponded with numerous literary and academic figures, and cultivated correspondences with several outstanding poets and philosophers. See the Scope and Content Note for a selected list of the most voluminous or significant correspondences.

Ivask donated much of his most valued correspondence to the Yale University Archives in 1964; hence these letters (from Adamovich, Berdyaev, Bunin, Merezhkovskii, Tsvetaeva, Zaitsev, et al.) are presented only in the form of copies. (See Series 6, Personal Materials, box 34, folders 34-36.)

Series 3, PROFESSIONAL AND RESEARCH MATERIALS, 1885-1985 [1935-1985], 15 linear feet contains drafts of Ivask's books Pokhvala rossijskoy poezii and K. Leontiev, drafts of his anthology of Russian emigre poetry, his dissertation on Vjazemskii and of his various works on Rozanov. It also contains extensive teaching materials, essays, and articles including notes and drafts; interviews (with Ivask); correspondence with publishing houses, journals, and newspapers (and occasional other correspondence); reviews by and of Ivask associated with particular authors or works; research materials and clippings and literary topics and figures, religion, etc.; miscellaneous notes and clippings. Box 23,a later addendum is arranged in alphabetical order and may contain research and professional material related to people listed in the beginning of this series; note cards with bibliographical notes and comments. Also contained here are M. Tsvetaeva's letters to Ivask, hand-copied by Ivask along with his commentary for publication.

Materials sent to Ivask from Russia by Aleksandr Bogoslovskii are usually signed in Russian with A. N.

Series 4, WRITINGS, 1930-1986 [1955-1985], 5 linear feet, is divided into several subseries: Poems (both in alphabetical and chronological order), Translations by and of Ivask (in chronological order by the earliest date in the folder), Poems by Others or Uknown Authors (in chronological order), Stories (in alphabetical order), Samizdat Articles and Reflections (in alphabetical order); Reviews by Ivask (in chronological order); Journal and Newspaper Publications ( in chronological order); Reviews of Ivask's Work (in chronological order); Articles by Others (in chronological order). The Poems are grouped as follows: poems organized alphabetically by name of collection; poems loosely grouped by date of origin; miscellaneous poems by Ivask; and miscellaneous poems by others. The Stories are divided into short stories (and drama) by Ivask and stories by unidentified authors. Samizdat Articles and Reflections contains articles and philosophical or religious reflections, many of which were sent to be distributed by Samizdat in Russia. The Journal and Newspaper Publications contain a collection of Ivask's articles, essays and reviews in the form of photocopied clippings or journal reprints. The subseries Articles by Others contains articles by others, collected by Ivask.

Series 5, DIARIES, SKETCHBOOKS AND ARTWORK, 1923-1982 [1925-1980], 2.25 linear feet, is divided into two subseries: Diaries and Sketchbooks and Artwork. Ivask's personal Diaries were kept fairly systematically in the earlier years, and more loosely later. His Sketchbooks and Artwork, done in colored pencil or ink, form a personal pictorial record of his trips to Mexico and Europe.

Series 6, PERSONAL MATERIALS, 1907-1986 [1933-1980], 2.5 linear feet, is divided into Personal Materials and Student Materials. The Personal Materials contain biographical materials, employment papers and curriculum vitae; immigration materials for Evgenia Ivask (his mother); materials relating to Ivask's family and ancestors; religious and other mementos. It also contains Ivask's transactions with the Yale University Archives in regard to his sale of a portion of his correspondence to them, and photocopies of this correspondence, including Z. Hippius (Gippius). The Student Materials contain notes and essays by Ivask from his student days, mostly from Hamburg and Harvard.

Series 7, PHOTOGRAPHS, 1867-1983 [1910-1978], 3.00 linear feet, contains photographs from Russia of Ivask's family, ancestral house, relatives and friends. It also contains photographs from his personal and professional life in America (e.g. group pictures of the faculty at Middlebury) and trips abroad.

Series 8, FILMS AND TAPES, 1967-1976, 0.5 linear feet, contains an unidentified film; filmstrips on Leontiev and Rozanov; and tape-recordings -- Yesenin reading his poetry; Yarmolinskii, On the Road (1976); Mamleev, The Last Trace of Spinoza, Village Life, Talk on Dissident literature (1975) arranged in chronological order.