Financial aspects of publishing the Sovremennik magazine by Alexander Pushkin in 1836
Abstract
Subject. In 1836, Alexander Pushkin launched the literary and socio-political magazine Sovremennik, where he published his own works and works by representatives of the “golden age” of Russian literature. There is still no consensus among Pushkin scholars about the financial result of this enterprise: some authors believe it operated at a loss, while others, on the contrary, think it was profitable. These disputes are caused by the lack of systematic records on the costs of publishing and sales of the magazine. Since Alexander Pushkin himself noted that Sovremennik was launched mostly for financial reasons, the reconstruction of his economic calculations regarding this publishing project is of scientific interest.
Objectives. The purpose of this study is to determine the financial model of the publishing the Sovremennik magazine in 1836 and to assess the estimated volume of sales of the magazine taking into account the absence of documentary evidence.
Methods. To achieve these goals, we used historical and logical approaches, modelling, analysis, synthesis, analogy, and a number of other methods. The database of the study consisted of letters from Alexander Pushkin and his contemporaries, accounts, receipts, estimated calculations, and other documents related to the publication of the magazine in 1836, as well as later years.
Results. We presented the author’s reconstruction of the financial plan for the publication of the Sovremennik magazine in 1836, including the costs of remuneration for the publisher and authors, paper, printing, and bookbinding costs, commission payments to booksellers, and planned revenue. Based on archived documents, an assessment of the estimated sales volume of the magazine for 1836 was presented.
Conclusions. To preserve Pushkin’s heritage, it is important to apply an integrated approach to the study of the poet’s work and biography. In modern science, there is a shortage of research on the economic aspects of Pushkin’s publishing activities. The calculations, conclusions, and documents presented in the article are proposed by the author in order to continue the scientific discussion about the financial results of Pushkin’s Sovremennik magazine.
Metrics
References
Белых, А. А. (2021). А. С. Пушкин: доходы и долги. Пушкин и финансы, 16-80. [Belykh, A. A. (2021). A. S. Pushkin: incomes and debts. Pushkin and Finance, 16-80. (In Russian).]
Балухатый, С.Д., Пиксанова, Н.К., & Цехновицера, О.В. (1938a). Литературный архив : Материалы по истории литературы и общественного движения. М.; Л. : Издательство Академии наук СССР. [Balukhaty, S. D., Pixanov, N. K., & Tsekhnovitzer, O.V. (1938a). Literary Archive : Materials on the history of literature and the literary movement. M.; L.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences. (In Russian).]
Кошелев, В. А., & Новиков, А. Е. (1989). «…Закусившая удила насмешка…». Сенковский О. И. Сочинения Барона Брамбеуса, 3-22. [Koshelev, V. A., & Novikov, A. E. (1989). "... A mockery that bites the bit..." In: Senkovsky O. I. The Works of Baron Brambeus, 3-22. (In Russian).]
Макеев, М. С. (2018). Конторские книги журнала «Современник» 1860-1865 годов. Карабиха: историко-литературный сборник, 10(10), 119-254. [Makeev, M. S. (2018). Office books of the Sovremennik magazine of 1860-1865. Karabikha: a historical and literary collection, 10(10), 119-254. (In Russian).]
Кунин, В. В. (1988a). Письмо А. Х. Бенкендорфа С. С. Уварову № 154 от 14 января 1836 года. Последний год жизни Пушкина, 56. [Kunin, V. V. (1988a). Letter by Benckendorf, A. H. to Uvarov, S. S. No. 154 dated January 14, 1836. The last year of Pushkin's life, 56. (In Russian).]
Кунин, В. В. (1988b). Письмо Б. А. Враского В. Ф. Одоевскому от 30 октября – 2 ноября 1836 года. Последний год жизни Пушкина, 283-284. [Kunin, V. V. (1988b). Letter by Vrasky, B. A. to Odoevsky, V. F. dated October 30 – November 2, 1836. The last year of Pushkin's life, 283-284. (In Russian).]
Балухатый, С.Д., Писканов, Н.К., & Цехновицер, О.В. (1938b). Письмо Б. А. Враского А. С. Пушкину от 29 октября 1836 года. Литературный архив: Материалы по истории литературы и литературного движения, 23-25. [Balukhaty, S. D., Pixanov, N. K., & Tsekhnovitzer, O. V. (1938b). Letter by Vrasky, B. A. to Pushkin, A. S. dated October 29, 1836. Literary Archive : Materials on the history of literature and the literary movement, 23-25. (In Russian).]
Кунин, В.В. (1988c). Письмо Д. В. Давыдова А. С. Пушкину от 2 марта 1836 года. Последний год жизни Пушкина, 62. [Kunin, V. V. (1988c). Letter by Davydov, D. V. to Pushkin, A. S. dated March 2, 1836. The last year of Pushkin's life, 62. (In Russian).]
Кунин, В.В. (1988d). Письмо Ал. Н. Карамзина А. Н. Карамзину от 1 октября 1836 года. Последний год жизни Пушкина, 273. [Kunin, V. V. (1988d). Letter by Karamzin, Al. N. to Karamzin, A. N. dated October 1, 1836. The last year of Pushkin's life, 273. (In Russian).]
Кунин, В. В. (1988e). Письмо А. А. Краевского и В. Ф. Одоевского А. С. Пушкину, середина августа – первая половина (до 16) сентября 1836 года . Последний год жизни Пушкина, 272-273. [Kunin, V. V. (1988e). Letter by Krayevsky, A. A. and Odoevsky, V. F. to Pushkin, A. S., mid–August - the first half (until September 16), 1836. The last year of Pushkin's life, 272-273. (In Russian).]
Кунин, В. В. (1988f). Письмо А. С. Пушкина В. А. Дурову от 17, 27 марта 1836 года. Последний год жизни Пушкина, 64. [Kunin, V. V. (1988f). Letter by Pushkin, A. S. to Durov, V. A. dated March 17, 27, 1836. The last year of Pushkin's life, 64. (In Russian).]
Кунин, В. В. (1988g). Письмо А. С. Пушкина П. В. Нащокину от 10 января 1836 года. Последний год жизни Пушкин, 54. [Kunin, V. V. (1988g). Letter by Pushkin, A. S. to Nashchokin, P. V. dated January 10, 1836. The last year of Pushkin's life, 54. (In Russian).]
Кунин, В. В. (1988h). Расписка Н. Н. Пушкиной А. Ф. Смирдину от 11 апреля 1836 года. Последний год жизни Пушкина, 123. [Kunin, V. V. (1988h). Receipt by Pushkina, N. N. to Smirdin, A. F. dated April 11, 1836. The last year of Pushkin's life, 123. (In Russian).]
Рыскин, Е. И. (1967). Журнал А. С. Пушкина «Современник». 1836-1837. Указатель содержания. М. : Издательство «Книга».[Ryskin, E. I. (1967). A. S. Pushkin's journal Sovremennik. 1836-1837. Index of contents. Moscow, Publishing house "Kniga". (In Russian).]
Смирнов-Сокольский, Н. П. (1962). Рассказы о прижизненных изданиях Пушкина. М. : Издательство Всесоюзной книжной палаты. [Smirnov-Sokolsky, N. P. (1962). Stories about Pushkin's lifetime publications. Moscow, Publishing House of the All-Union Book Chamber. (In Russian).]
Щеголев, П. Е. (2021). Бюджет А. С. Пушкина в последний год жизни (по оригинальному изданию 1929 года). Белых, А. А. (ред.). Пушкин и финансы. М. : Издательский дом «Дело» РАНХиГС, 488-499. [Shchegolev, P. E. (2021). A. S. Pushkin's budget in the last year of his life (according to the original edition of 1929). In: Belykh, A. A. (ed.). Pushkin and Finance. Moscow, Publishing house "Delo" RANEPA, 488-499. (In Russian).]
Щеголев, П. Е. (1929). Материальный быт Пушкина. По неизданным материалам. Искусство, (3-4), 39-49. [Shchegolev, P. E. (1929). The material life of Pushkin. Based on unreleased materials, Art, (3-4), 39-49. (In Russian).]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
