Scope and Content Note
The records of Smith/Skolnik Literary Management span the years 1901-2019, with the bulk of the material dating from 1986 to 2008. The collection documents the Smith/Skolnik Literary Management agency's role representing the literary estate of author Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) on behalf of his two heirs: his widow, Vera Nabokova (1902-1991) and his son, Dmitri Nabokov (1934-2012). The papers are primarily in English, with some French and Russian.
The collection documents Smith/Skolnik's management of the worldwide distribution of Nabokov publications, the publication of previously unpublished or uncollected works, and the adaptation of select Nabokov titles for film and other performances. This material includes publishing contracts, documentation of translations and foreign editions, copyright records, and publicity and promotional files. Of particular note are typescripts and manuscript cards documenting the process of developing Nabokov's unfinished novel, The Original of Laura, and correspondence and legal documents relating to the publication of Lo's Diary, by Pia Pera.