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Nikolay Ivanovich Novikov (; ,
(in Russian) His attacks on the existing social customs prompted jocund retorts from
(in Russian) 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
Nikolay Ivanovich Novikov (; , Moscow Governorate
The Moscow Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, and the Russian Empire. It was bordered by Tver Governorate to the north, Vladimir Governorate to the northeast, Ryazan Governorate to the southeast, Tula Gove ...
– 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 a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
, 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
Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, and six branches. Al ...
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'', patterned after '' The Tatler'' and ''The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
''. Николай Иванович Новиков. Краткая литературная энциклопедия(in Russian) His attacks on the existing social customs prompted jocund retorts from
Catherine the Great
Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...
, who even set her own journal called '' Vsyakaya vsyachina'' 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 materialistic state of being, deprived of his own, divine source, and the process of his eventual (if not inevitable) return, call ...
and rosicrucianism
Rosicrucianism () is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in early modern Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new esoteric order. Rosicrucianism is symbolized by the Rose ...
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 (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
, Николай Иванович Новиков. Краткая литературная энциклопедия(in Russian) 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 ( 23 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 natio ...
to the Russian public.
When the French Revolution 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 Oreshek Fortress (; Schlüsselburg Fortress, ) is one of a series of fortifications built in Oreshek (now known as Shlisselburg) on Orekhovy Island in Lake Ladoga, near the modern city of Saint Petersburg in Russia. The first fortress was bui ...
for 15 years. Much of his printed material was pulped, including 1,000 copies of Edward Young's ''The Last Day'' (1713). Emperor Paul
Paul I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination in 1801.
Paul remained overshadowed by his mother, Catherine the Great, for most of his life. He adopted the laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules that lasted ...
set Novikov free, but the latter was too scared and broken-hearted to resume his journalistic activities.
References