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''Sovremennik'' ( rus, «Современник», p=səvrʲɪˈmʲenʲːɪk, a=Ru-современник.ogg, "The Contemporary") was a Russian literary, social and political magazine, published in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in 1836–1866. It came out four times a year in 1836–1843 and once a month after that. The magazine published poetry, prose, critical, historical, ethnographic and other material. ''Sovremennik'' originated as a private enterprise of
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
who was running out of money to support his growing family. To assist him with the magazine, the poet asked
Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
,
Pyotr Vyazemsky Prince Pyotr Andreyevich Vyazemsky ( rus, Пëтр Андре́евич Вя́земский, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐnˈdrʲejɪvʲɪt͡ɕ ˈvʲæzʲɪmskʲɪj; 23 July 1792 – 22 November 1878) was a Russian Imperial poet, a leading personality of t ...
and
Vladimir Odoyevsky Prince Vladimir Fyodorovich Odoyevsky (russian: Влади́мир Фёдорович Одо́евский, p=ɐˈdojɪfskʲɪj; Владимир Федорович Одоевский. Библиографический указатель. Энц ...
to contribute their works to the journal. It was there that the first substantial assortment of
Fyodor Tyutchev Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev ( rus, Фёдор Ива́нович Тю́тчев, r=Fyódor Ivánovič Tyútčev, links=1, p=ˈfʲɵdər ɪˈvanəvʲɪt͡ɕ ˈtʲʉt͡ɕːɪf; Pre-Reform orthography: ; – ) was a Russian poet and diplomat. ...
's poems was published. Soon it became clear that Pushkin's establishment could not compete with
Faddey Bulgarin Thaddeus Venediktovich Bulgarin (russian: Фаддей Венедиктович Булгарин; Polish Jan Tadeusz Krzysztof Bułharyn, – ), was a Russian writer, journalist and publisher of Polish ancestry. In addition to his newspaper ...
's journal, which published more popular and less demanding literature. ''Sovremennik'' was out of date and could not command a paying audience. When Pushkin died, his friend
Pyotr Pletnyov Pyotr Alexandrovich Pletnyov (russian: Пётр Александрович Плетнёв; , Tebleshi, Tver Governorate — ) was a minor Russian poet and literary critic, who rose to become the dean of the Saint Petersburg University (1840 ...
took over the editorship in 1838. A few years later the magazine fell into decline, and Pletnyov handed it over to
Nikolay Nekrasov Nikolay Alexeyevich Nekrasov ( rus, Никола́й Алексе́евич Некра́сов, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj ɐlʲɪkˈsʲejɪvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈkrasəf, a=Ru-Nikolay_Alexeyevich_Nekrasov.ogg, – ) was a Russian poet, writer, critic and publi ...
and
Ivan Panaev Ivan Ivanovich Panaev (russian: link=no, Ива́н Ива́нович Пана́ев; March 27, 1812 – March 2, 1862) was a Russian writer, literary critic, journalist and magazine publisher. Early life Panaev was born into a gentry family ...
in 1847. It was Nekrasov who really made the magazine profitable. He enlisted the services of
Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...
,
Ivan Goncharov Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov (, also ; rus, Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Гончаро́в, r=Iván Aleksándrovich Goncharóv, p=ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪdʑ ɡənʲtɕɪˈrof; – ) was a Russian novelist best known for his ...
,
Alexander Herzen Alexander Ivanovich Herzen (russian: Алекса́ндр Ива́нович Ге́рцен, translit=Alexándr Ivánovich Gértsen; ) was a Russian writer and thinker known as the "father of Russian socialism" and one of the main fathers of agra ...
and
Nikolai Ogaryov Nikolay Platonovich Ogarev (Ogaryov; ; – ) was a Russian poet, historian and activism, political activist. He was deeply critical of the limitations of the Emancipation reform of 1861 claiming that the serfs were not free but had simply exchan ...
. ''Sovremennik'' was the first to publish translated works by
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
,
George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, bein ...
and other best-selling foreign writers. Although the magazine was owned and run by Nekrasov, its official
editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
was Alexander Nikitenko. The virulent realist critic
Vissarion Belinsky Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky ( rus, Виссарион Григорьевич БелинскийIn Belinsky's day, his name was written ., Vissarión Grigórʹjevič Belínskij, vʲɪsərʲɪˈon ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲjɪvʲɪdʑ bʲɪˈlʲinskʲ ...
was responsible for its ideology. His criticism of present-day reality and propaganda of democratic ideas made the journal very popular among the Russian
intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the in ...
. ''Sovremenniks circulation was 3,100 copies in 1848. During the reactionary reign of Nicholas I, the journal had to struggle against censorship and complaints of disgruntled aristocracy. Its position grew more complicated after Herzen's emigration (1847) and Belinsky's death (1848). Despite these hardships, ''Sovremennik'' published works by best Russian authors of the day:
Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
, Turgenev and Nekrasov.
Timofey Granovsky Timofey Nikolayevich Granovsky (russian: link=no, Тимофей Николаевич Грановский; 9 March 1813 – 4 October 1855) was a founder of mediaeval studies in the Russian Empire. Granovsky was born in Oryol, Russia. He studied ...
, Sergey Solovyov and other leading historians were published as well. The period between 1852 and 1862 is considered to be the most brilliant in the history of the journal. Nekrasov managed to strike a deal with its leading contributors, whereby their new works were to be published exclusively by him. As regards ideology, ''Sovremennik'' grew more radical together with its audience. Belinsky was succeeded by
Nikolai Chernyshevsky Nikolay Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky ( – ) was a Russian literary and social critic, journalist, novelist, democrat, and socialist philosopher, often identified as a utopian socialist and leading theoretician of Russian nihilism. He was t ...
in 1853 and by
Nikolai Dobrolyubov Nikolay Alexandrovich Dobrolyubov ( rus, Никола́й Алекса́ндрович Добролю́бов, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj ɐlʲɪˈksandrəvʲɪtɕ dəbrɐˈlʲubəf, a=Nikolay Alyeksandrovich Dobrolyubov.ru.vorb.oga; 5 February Old_Style_a ...
. All their principal articles were published in ''Sovremennik''. In late 1858, the magazine entered into polemics with the liberal and conservative press and became a platform for and ideological center of the revolutionary democracy, turning into a political magazine. In 1861, it published materials, dedicated to the
emancipation of the serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
and advocated the interests of serfs in the strongest terms possible. In 1859-1861, ''Sovremennik'' argued with Herzen's ''
Kolokol Kolokol is Russian word which means bell. It may refer to: * ''Kolokol'' (newspaper), a newspaper edited by Alexander Herzen and Nikolay Ogarev *Kolokol Group, a group of somma volcanoes located in the Kuril Islands, Russia *Tsar Bell, also referre ...
'' about the aims of the Russian democracy. Such a radical stance alienated those writers who were indifferent to politics or personally disliked revolutionary intelligentsia. Although Tolstoy, Turgenev, and
Dmitry Grigorovich Dmitry Vasilyevich Grigorovich (russian: Дми́трий Васи́льевич Григоро́вич) ( – ) was a Russian writer, best known for his first two novels, '' The Village'' and '' Anton Goremyka'', and lauded as the first author ...
eventually left the magazine, ''Sovremenniks circulation reached 7,126 copies in 1861. The death of Dobrolyubov in 1861, an 8-month suspension of publishing activities (in June 1862), and Chernyshevsky's arrest caused irreparable damage to the magazine. Its ideological stance became less clear and consistent. In 1863, Nekrasov managed to resume publishing ''Sovremennik''. He invited
Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin Mikhail Yevgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin ( rus, Михаи́л Евгра́фович Салтыко́в-Щедри́н, p=mʲɪxɐˈil jɪvˈɡrafəvʲɪtɕ səltɨˈkof ɕːɪˈdrʲin; – ), born Mikhail Yevgrafovich Saltykov and known during ...
(stayed until 1864),
Maxim Antonovich Maxim Alexeyevich Antonovich (russian: Макси́м Алексе́евич Антоно́вич; 9 May 1835, – 14 November 1918) was a Russian literary critic, essayist, memoirist, translator and philosopher. Biography Maxim Antonovich was bo ...
,
Grigory Yeliseyev Grigory Zakharovich Eliseev (russian: Григо́рий Заха́рович Елисе́ев, 6 February (25 January) 1821, village Spasskoe, Kainsk district, Tomsk Governorate, Russian Empire – 30 (18) January 1891, Saint Petersburg, Russia ...
and
Alexander Pypin Alexander Nikolayevich Pypin (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Пы́пин; 6 April 1833, in Saratov, Russian Empire – 9 December 1904, in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire) was a Russian literary historian, ethnographer, jour ...
to join its editorial staff. Controversy among the members of the editorial staff soon resulted in adoption of a more temperate policy. In 1863-1866, ''Sovremennik'' published Chernyshevsky's ''
What Is to Be Done? ''What Is to Be Done? Burning Questions of Our Movement'' is a political pamphlet written by Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin (credited as N. Lenin) in 1901 and published in 1902. Lenin said that the article represented "a skeleton plan t ...
'' (written in the
Peter and Paul Fortress The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early 1920s i ...
), satires by Saltykov-Shchedrin, and works by the so-called plebeian authors (
Vasily Sleptsov Vasily Alekseyevich Sleptsov (russian: Васи́лий Алексе́евич Слепцо́в, July 31, 1836 – April 4, 1878), was a Russian writer, playwright, journalist and social reformer. Biography Sleptsov was born in Voronezh into a nob ...
, Fyodor Reshetnikov,
Gleb Uspensky Gleb Ivanovich Uspensky ( rus, Глеб Иванович Успенский; October 25, 1843 April 6, 1902), was a Russian Empire writer, and a prominent figure of the Narodnik movement. Biography Early life Gleb Uspensky was born in Tula, t ...
). The magazine was closed down in June 1866, owing to the official panic that followed the first attempt on Alexander II's life. After that, Nekrasov and Saltykov-Schedrin acquired the rights to publish the ''
Otechestvennye Zapiski ''Otechestvennye Zapiski'' ( rus, Отечественные записки, p=ɐˈtʲetɕɪstvʲɪnːɨjɪ zɐˈpʲiskʲɪ, variously translated as "Annals of the Fatherland", "Patriotic Notes", "Notes of the Fatherland", etc.) was a Russian lite ...
'', a literary journal widely viewed as ''Sovremennik''s successor. ''Sovremennik'' inspired '' Al Nafais Al Asriyyah'', an Arabic literary and political magazine which was published in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
between 1908 and 1923.


Featured titles

*
Nikolai Chernyshevsky Nikolay Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky ( – ) was a Russian literary and social critic, journalist, novelist, democrat, and socialist philosopher, often identified as a utopian socialist and leading theoretician of Russian nihilism. He was t ...
** ''
What Is to Be Done? ''What Is to Be Done? Burning Questions of Our Movement'' is a political pamphlet written by Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin (credited as N. Lenin) in 1901 and published in 1902. Lenin said that the article represented "a skeleton plan t ...
'' (1863) *
Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
**" The Nose" (1836) *
Ivan Goncharov Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov (, also ; rus, Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Гончаро́в, r=Iván Aleksándrovich Goncharóv, p=ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪdʑ ɡənʲtɕɪˈrof; – ) was a Russian novelist best known for his ...
**''
The Same Old Story "The Same Old Story" is the second episode of the first season of the American science fiction drama television series ''Fringe''. The episode was written by executive producer Jeff Pinkner and co-creators J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Rober ...
'' (1847) *
Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov (; russian: Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjurʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲɛrməntəf; – ) was a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucas ...
**''
Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...
(1837) *
Nikolai Nekrasov Nikolay Alexeyevich Nekrasov ( rus, Никола́й Алексе́евич Некра́сов, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj ɐlʲɪkˈsʲejɪvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈkrasəf, a=Ru-Nikolay_Alexeyevich_Nekrasov.ogg, – ) was a Russian poet, writer, critic and publi ...
**'' Who Is Happy in Russia?'' (1863-1876) *
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
**''
The Captain's Daughter ''The Captain's Daughter'' (russian: «Капитанская дочка», Kapitanskaya dochka) is a historical novel by the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. It was first published in 1836 in the fourth issue of the literary journal '' Sovrem ...
'' (1836) ** ''
The Bronze Horseman The ''Bronze Horseman'' (russian: link=no, Медный всадник, literally "copper horseman") is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great in the Senate Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was opened to the public on 7 (18) August ...
'' (1837) *
Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
**''
Childhood A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...
'' (1852) **'' Boyhood'' (1854) ** '' Sevastopol Sketches'' (1855) ** "
The Snowstorm "The Snowstorm" (also translated as "The Snow Storm") ( rus, Метель, Metel) is a short story by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. It was first published in 1856, in the literary and political magazine ''Sovremennik''. Background The idea for ...
" (1856) **''
Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...
'' (1857) *
Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...
**''
A Sportsman's Sketches ''A Sportsman's Sketches'' (russian: Записки охотника, Zapiski ohotnika; also known as ''A Sportman's Notebook'', ''The Hunting Sketches'' and ''Sketches from a Hunter's Album'') is an 1852 cycle of short stories by Ivan Turgenev. ...
'' (1852) **" Mumu" (1854) ** ''
Rudin ''Rudin'' (russian: «Рудин», ) is the first novel by Ivan Turgenev, a famous Russian writer best known for his short stories and the novel '' Fathers and Sons''. Turgenev started to work on it in 1855, and it was first published in the lite ...
'' (1856) **''
Home of the Gentry ''Home of the Gentry'' (russian: Дворянское гнездо ''Dvoryánskoye gnezdó'' ), also translated as ''A Nest of the Gentlefolk'', ''A Nest of the Gentry'' and ''Liza'' , is a novel by Ivan Turgenev published in the January 1859 ...
'' (1859) *
Alexander Sukhovo-Kobylin Aleksandr Vasilyevich Sukhovo-Kobylin (russian: Александр Васильевич Сухово-Кобылин) (, Moscow - , Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France), was a Russian philosopher and playwright, chiefly known for his satirical plays criticizi ...
** ''
Krechinsky's Wedding ''Krechinsky's Wedding'' (russian: Свадьба Кречинского) is a three-act comedy written by Aleksandr Sukhovo-Kobylin in 1854, based on a rumor in Moscow society about a card sharp who received a large sum of money from a usurer ...
'' (1855)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sovremennik 1830s establishments in the Russian Empire 1866 disestablishments Defunct literary magazines published in Europe Defunct magazines published in Russia Magazines established in 1836 Magazines disestablished in 1866 Magazines published in Saint Petersburg Russian-language magazines Literary magazines published in Russia Political magazines published in Russia Defunct political magazines