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Nikolay Ivanovich Novikov (russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Новико́в) (,
Nikolay Ivanovich Novikov (russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Новико́в) (, Moscow Governorate
Moscow Governorate (russian: Московская губерния; pre-reform Russian: ), or the Government of Moscow, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR, whic ...
– . Moscow Governorate) was a Russian writer and philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
most representative of his country's Enlightenment. Frequently considered to be the first Russian journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
, he aimed at advancing the cultural and educational level of the Russian public.
Novikov belonged to the first generation of Russians that benefited from the creation of Moscow University
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
in 1755. He took an active part in the Legislative Assembly of 1767, which sought to produce a new code of laws. Inspired by this kind of freethinking activity, he took over editing the '' Moscow Gazette'' and launched satirical journals, including ''Zhivopisets
''Zhivopisets'' (, which may be translated as ''Painter'') was a Russian weekly magazine, published by Nikolay Novikov in Saint Petersburg from April 1772 to June 1773.
''Zhivopisets'' was notable for its political sharpness and variety of satir ...
'', patterned after '' The Tatler'' and ''The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world.
It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...
''. His attacks on the existing social customs prompted jocund retorts from Catherine the Great
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...
, who even set her own journal called ''Vsyakaya vsyachina
''Vsyakaya vsyachina'' (, which may be translated as '' Tutti-Frutti'' or All Sorts and Sundries) was a Russian weekly magazine, established in 1769. It was based in Saint Petersburg.
In 1770, there were 18 issues of the magazine entitled ''Ба ...
'' to comment on Novikov's articles.
Together with Johann Georg Schwarz, Ivan Lopukhin, and Semyon Gamaleya he brought martinism
Martinism is a form of Christian mysticism and esoteric Christianity concerned with the fall of the first man, his state of material privation from his divine source, and the process of his return, called 'Reintegration'.
As a mystical traditio ...
and rosicrucianism
Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking it ...
to Russia.Raffaella Faggionato ''A Rosicrucian Utopia in Eighteenth-Century Russia'' Springer, the Netherlands 1997 By the 1780s, Novikov rose to the highest positions in Russian Freemasonry
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
, which liberally funded his ambitious book-publishing ventures. Novikov's press produced a third part of contemporary Russian books and several newspapers. Novikov used his influence for various noble purposes, such as a large-scale project of promoting Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
to the Russian public.
When the French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
started, Catherine changed her attitude towards the likes of Novikov. His printing house was confiscated. Three years later, without a formal trial, he was incarcerated in the Shlisselburg Fortress The fortress at Shlisselburg is one of a series of fortifications built in Shlisselburg on Orekhovy Island in Lake Ladoga, near the present-day city of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The first fortress was built in 1323. It was the scene of many confli ...
for 15 years. Much of his printed material was pulped, including 1,000 copies of Edward Young
Edward Young (c. 3 July 1683 – 5 April 1765) was an English poet, best remembered for ''Night-Thoughts'', a series of philosophical writings in blank verse, reflecting his state of mind following several bereavements. It was one of the mo ...
's ''The Last Day'' (1713). Emperor Paul set Novikov free, but the latter was too scared and broken-hearted to resume his journalistic activities.
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