Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov
Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov was a notable Russian figure born in 1744 in Avdot'ino. Initially entering the military, he later transitioned to civil service, where he contributed to drafting a new legal code under Czarina Catherine the Great. Novikov became an influential journalist, inspired by English satirical publications like The Tatler and The Spectator, gaining a reputation for his incisive commentary that often drew the ire of authorities. He was a pioneer in Russian literature, publishing the first essay on Russian writers in 1772, which included extensive information about over three hundred authors.
In 1779, Novikov moved to Moscow and became actively involved in the Russian Freemason movement, while also establishing himself as a philanthropist and publisher. He translated and published important Western literary works, including those of Shakespeare and Rousseau, and his newspaper, Moskovskie vedomosti, was innovative in catering to young readers. However, his critical stance towards the government led to increasing scrutiny, and in 1789, he was forced to cease his literary activities. Arrested in 1792 under suspicions of being a political threat, he was released in 1796 but was never allowed to return to publishing, spending his final years in seclusion until his death in 1818.
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Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov
Writer
- Born: April 27, 1744
- Birthplace: Avdot'ino, Russia
- Died: July 31, 1818
Biography
Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov was born in 1744 in Avdot’ino, Russia. He entered the military while a young man but later shifted to the civil service, working as a secretary on a commission that drafted a new code of law established by Czarina Catherine the Great. After the commission was dissolved, Novikov became a journalist, modeling his work on such satirical English journals as The Tatler and The Spectator. His work was sharply incisive and often angered the powers that be.
Novikov wrote the first essay on Russian writers. In 1772 he published Opyt istoricheskogo slovaria o rossiiskikh pisateliakh, a collection of printed and archival materials and information about more than three hundred Russian writers. Novikov moved to Moscow in 1779, becoming active in the growing Russian Freemason movement. He also became a noted philanthropist as well as a publisher. Novikov printed a large number of translations of Western literature, including Russian-language editions of works by William Shakespeare and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His newspaper, Moskovskie vedomosti, was the first to include materials of interest to children, publishing a weekly supplement for young readers.
The change in the Russian political climate following the Pugachev Rebellion made Novikov’s criticism of the government increasingly unwelcome, and in 1789 his literary and journalistic activities were halted by order of the government. In 1792, Catherine the Great ordered him arrested and held indefinitely as a possible threat to the stability of her reign. Her son, Czar Paul I, released Novikov in 1796, but he was never permitted to resume his publishing activities. Instead he was required to retire to his country estate, where he died in 1818.