January 1802 was marked by an event that was very important for the spiritual life of Russia - the social and literary magazine Vestnik Evropy began to be published. It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this event: Vestnik Evropy became the first "thick" magazine in Russia (it was published twice a month). It was also the first private publication to contain a politics section. And the editor of the publication was N. M. Karamzin, whose activities were associated with the reform of the Russian literary language.

The magazine was conceived by the Moscow bookseller I. V. Popov. He also invited N. M. Karamzin, who by that time already had some publishing experience, to the post of editor. Karamzin led the publication of the magazine for two years (from January 1802 to December 1803), receiving three thousand rubles a year for his work, which in itself was remarkable, since this was the first case of payment for editorial work in Russia.

In the journalistic practice of N. M. Karamzin, there were already the "Moscow Magazine "and the almanac" Aglaya", published in the 90s. At that time, Karamzin was sharply negative about politics and claimed a purely private ideal of the individual. A person, according to the writer's ideas, should be far from the life of the state, he must necessarily be a civilized, refined, sensitive person. Such a person inherits all the best from the stock of world culture. In public life, he prefers a circle of friends and the world of home. Of all human feelings, he values friendship, love, and the ability to understand nature the most. Such a hero could be found on the pages of works published in the "Moscow Magazine" and the almanac "Aglaya". Both publications were purely literary in nature and were intended for an educated public that followed the development of modern literature and sympathized with the sentimental school, the head of which in Russia, in fact, was N. M. Karamzin. The works that appeared on the pages of Karamzin publications were distinguished by a light, elegant style, which was immediately noted by an educated reader with a fine taste.

The problem of literary language was raised by Karamzin already in the 90s. The writer's attitude to linguistic issues is left out-

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The moose remained the same by the early 1800s, but its social position had changed.

At the very beginning of the 1800s, which Pushkin described as "the Alexandrovs' days had a wonderful beginning," Karamzin stopped rejecting politics and the very interest in it. Karamzin now finds a positive beginning in both political activity and state power, from which he had previously pointedly withdrawn. Thus, he sees state power as a protective, stabilizing function. In the magazine, Karamzin will reflect his concept of the political regime of Russia: it is necessary to promote by all means the transformation of Russia from a despotism to an enlightened monarchy. Karamzin considered this type of state structure to be the most appropriate to the foundations of Russian life. Russian politics, in his opinion, should become enlightened, and the Western experience in this regard can be not only interesting, but also useful. Karamzin believed that Russia should follow the same path as other peoples of Europe, that Russian society should join European cultural values.

In the age of Enlightenment and at its end, the idea of progress played a very important role in philosophy and in theories of art development. Karamzin of the 90s and the period of Vestnik Evropy was characterized by an unshakeable belief in progress. Here he was at odds with the great French philosopher, moralist and writer J.-J. Rousseau, whose views on many other issues, including in relation to society, nature and man, were very close to him. Karamzin believed that progress is spread by educating people through art, which is a means of re-educating "evil hearts". In his opinion, literature plays a special role in improving the soul, and the language of fiction is very important, since it gives an elegant and accessible form to a noble idea. Russian literature still needs to be improved, for which it should be closer to reality.

Karamzin considered the development of the literary language to be an extremely important problem. In his articles, he argued that Russian people should "write as they say" and " speak as they write." From Karamzin's point of view, written speech should reflect real language practice (See Uspensky B. A. Disputes about language at the beginning of the XIX century as a fact of Russian culture // Uspensky B. A. Izbrannye trudy. In 2 volumes, Vol. 2. Moscow, 1984, p. 340). This position of the writer was embodied on the pages of the magazine: in the articles of Karamzin-editor, in the published works of other authors. It can be said that the question of attitude to language was the main part of Karamzin's cultural and educational program.

Vestnik Evropy consisted of the sections "Literature and Culture"and " Politics". The latter contained articles and notes covering the following topics:-

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political life not only in Europe, but also in Russia. In the political department, Karamzin tried to publish translated materials, but they were chosen in such a way that they also served as an expression of his own position. Thanks to Karamzin's efforts, the articles and reports of the political department were distinguished not only by the freshness and completeness of the material, but also by the vividness of the presentation.

Not surprisingly, Vestnik Evropy was an extraordinary success. V. G. Belinsky attributed the magazine's extraordinary popularity to Karamzin's ability as an editor and journalist to "follow contemporary political events and convey them in a fascinating way" (V. G. Belinsky, Poln. sobr. soch. In 13 volumes. Moscow, 1953-1959. Vol. 7. Moscow, 1955. p. 135). Karamzin compiled the books of Vestnik Evropy "smartly, deftly and talentedly", so they were " read out to shreds "(Ibid., vol. 6, p. 459).

Vestnik Evropy evoked a clear revival of public thought in Russia, arousing interest in socio-political, cultural and other issues not only among the educated class. "He has created a large class of readers in Russia compared to the previous one. He created, one might say, something like an audience, " wrote V. G. Belinsky (Ibid., vol. 9, p. 678). Karamzin even tried to study the interests and preferences of the reading public, and this attention was also attracted by the public's reaction to the publishing activities of journalists-predecessors, for example, Novikov. Karamzin pointed out that under this well-known educator, the circulation of Moskovskiye Vedomosti increased from 600 to 4,000 copies. From his analysis, Karamzin drew a conclusion that reflects the tastes and requests of the readership. As it turned out, the nobles prefer to read magazines and are not yet used to newspapers: "It is true that many other nobles, even in good condition, do not take newspapers, but merchants and philistines already like to read them. The poorest people subscribe, and the most illiterate want to know what they are writing from foreign lands "(Vestnik Evropy. 1802, N 9). Karamzin noted a noticeable interest in the press among the common people. By the beginning of the 19th century, this interest had increased even more. Vestnik Evropy undoubtedly played an important role in this expansion of the readership.

Nevertheless, Karamzin was alarmed by the fact that the general public in Russia is alien to interest in science and literature, and secular people are mostly alien to these pursuits (Karamzin N. M. Why there are few authors ' talents in Russia / / Vestnik Evropy. 1802. N 14). For the development of science and art, it is necessary to educate society, in which journalism can also play an important role. But in order for the word of a writer and journalist to find its way to the reader, you need an easy, lively and beautiful language. Similar qualities distinguished the language of publications of Vestnik Evropy.

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As V. G. Belinsky wrote, "Karamzin, having transformed Lomonosov's prose, approaches the natural Russian speech and instills elements of elegant French journalism in Russian literature" (V. G. Belinsky Decree, op. 5, p. 650).

In his publication, Karamzin put his own linguistic ideas into practice. We can say that the accessible, bright and elegant language attracted readers to the magazine as well as the fascinating content of the materials.

When selecting literary works for the Literature and Culture department, Karamzin also tried to keep up with the times: in the magazine's issues, he placed translations of novelties of foreign literature and works of his compatriots. Among them were G. R. Derzhavin, M. M. Kheraskov, Yu. A. Neledinsky-Meletsky, I. I. Dmitriev, V. L. Pushkin, V. A. Zhukovsky. Often on the pages of the magazine appeared the works of Karamzin himself: "Marfa Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novgorod", "Knight of our time", "My Confession", "Sensitive and cold, Two characters".

Many of the authors of the magazine's literary department were close to sentimentalism. In general, the works of Yu. A. Neledinsky-Meletsky and I. I. Dmitriev developed in this direction, and the young Zhukovsky was also close to sentimentalism in many ways. Karamzin himself was a recognized head of the sentimental school, although in some of his works romantic motifs are clearly beginning to appear, for example, in the novels "Bornholm Island", "Sierra Morena". In "Marfa Posadnitsa" he addresses historical issues, which also partly connects him with romantic writers.

The authors of the literature department will later come up with different theoretical views on the problem of literary language. But all of them (and the future "besedchik" Derzhavin, and the future "Arzamas" V. L. Pushkin and Zhukovsky) have in common the simplicity and naturalness of the syllable. None of them tends to artificially archaize speech.

Vestnik Evropy experienced its best period under Karamzin. This was the time when the magazine responded most sensitively and vividly to events at home and abroad, and responded to the interests and demands of the public. Undoubtedly, this was the period of its greatest popularity, and in Russia of the XIX century it was difficult to find a publication that had such success. Karamzin played an outstanding role in the history of Russian journalism, becoming the founder of the "real magazine", which had a whole set of characteristics: a certain firm direction; a strict selection of works that took into account the general direction of publication; a variety of materials, their cognitive nature; a sense of modernity; permanent departments and headings; a clear literary language; the ability to speak to readers-

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lem "fascinating, entertaining and lively" (See about it: Berezina V. G. Karamzin - zhurnalistist [Karamzin as a journalist]. Issue 4. L., 1973. p. 99).

It should be noted that Vestnik Evropy did not have a criticism department, since Karamzin at that time believed that strict criticism could frighten authors who chose their path, and this would damage the formation of still fragile Russian literature. The criticism department was in Karamzin's earlier Moskovsky Zhurnal. In the early 1800s, a well-established department of criticism was published in the Karamzinist P. I. Makarov's magazine "Moscow Mercury".

Since the beginning of 1804, Karamzin has been moving away from editing Vestnik Evropy. But he gave such a powerful impetus to the development of the magazine that it kept the same direction for some time.

After Karamzin, the magazine's editors changed frequently. In 1804, the "Bulletin of Europe" was headed by the sentimentalist writer P. P. Sumarokov. He did not intend to change anything dramatically in the publication, but, nevertheless, the politics department disappeared, the magazine only periodically published political materials of a purely informational nature, serious journalistic and analytical articles were no longer published. The selection of writers remained the same, and the attitude to the problem of literary style did not change.

In 1805-1807, the journal was edited by M. T. Kachenovsky, a historian and professor at Moscow University. At first, he maintained the direction adopted by Karamzin, restored the department of politics. Kachenovsky engaged in a fierce polemic with opponents of Karamzin as a writer and journalist. But Vestnik Evropy began to change even against the wishes of the new editor, who filled the issues mainly with his own materials and did not have the ability to respond vividly and in a timely manner to events abroad and within the country. Kachenovsky was a conscientious historian, but not as talented a journalist as Karamzin. And Kachenovsky's political views were not progressive.

Kachenovsky's publications were not characterized by brightness and grace. The undoubted advantages that the magazine possessed under Karamzin were lost. In addition, the editor quickly broke up with the authors who were published in Vestnik Evropy under Karamzin (a quarrel with I. I. Dmitriev even caused a skirmish in the press. - I. A. ). After Kachenovsky spoke sharply negatively about Karamzin's "History of the Russian State," the Karamzinist writers withdrew from the magazine. The literary department of Vestnik Evropy also lost its former appeal. The magazine began to lose its former wide audience.

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In 1808-1810, Vestnik Evropy was edited by V. A. Zhukovsky, and in 1810 - jointly with Kachenovsky.

Under Zhukovsky, the literary department is flourishing again, with novelties of Russian literature appearing in it. Zhukovsky attracts romantic writers to collaborate, publishes many of his own poems and ballads (Zhukovsky's ballads were clearly romantic in nature, and his translations of Buerger's "Lenora" are associated with one of the most interesting pages in the history of Russian Romanticism. - I. A.). "Vestnik Evropy" generally contributed to the establishment of a new direction in Russian literature.

In 1811, Kachenovsky again became the editor of the magazine. For Zhukovsky, the time of working together with him turned out to be very difficult: the views of the co-editors did not coincide, and Kachenovsky's character was very quarrelsome and harsh, and in the end Zhukovsky left the magazine. Kachenovsky gradually moved further and further away from the direction that the magazine had under Karamzin.

A bright episode in the life of the literary department of the magazine was 1814, when, due to Kachenovsky's illness, the translator and fiction writer V. V. Izmailov temporarily took over the post of editor. Under him, the lyceum student Pushkin made his debut in print with his poem "To a Friend of the poet", and the works of other lyceum students were published, for example, Pushchin and Delvig. Under Izmailov, Griboyedov also made his literary debut. Two of his correspondences were published in the magazine - "Letter from Brest-Litovsk to the publisher" and " On cavalry reserves "(NN15 and 22 for 1814).

Returning to the post of editor, Kachenovsky became increasingly hostile to modern literature, actively opposed romantic writers, for example, criticized Zhukovsky's "mysticism". Kachenovsky absolutely did not accept writers of the younger generation. In the "Bulletin of Europe" there was an extremely unpleasant review about "Ruslan and Lyudmila". The poem was likened to " a guest with a beard, in an Armenian coat, in bast shoes, who invaded the Moscow noble assembly "(Vestnik Evropy. 1820. N 11). The magazine also published negative reviews of Pushkin's "southern" poems. Kachenovsky himself, in the early 1920s, called for "listening to the ancient classics" and "not wasting time imitating fashionable verses whose merit has not yet been proven by criticism" (Vestnik Evropy. 1821. N 6. P. 119). According to his tastes, Kachenovsky gravitated to the literature of the XVIII century. At the same time, we must pay tribute to him as an editor:

It was he who began to acquaint the Russian reader with the work of Walter Scott, even translated the Poem of the Last Bard himself, published his prose translations of Byron's poems in the magazine, and regularly published notes on the poet's work.

In 1816-1830, Vestnik Evropy became a completely conservative publication in both socio-political and aesthetic aspects-

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in our plan. Novelties of Russian literature not only did not appear there, but were subjected to aggressive criticism (for example, the works of Griboyedov, Pushkin, Decembrist poets, writers committed to the romantic direction). The very language of the magazine has become dry, completely devoid of the liveliness and brightness that shone under Karamzin and Zhukovsky. By 1830, the magazine had almost lost its readers and ceased to exist.

V. G. Belinsky described the fate of the publication very accurately: "Vestnik Evropy", having left the editorial office of Karamzin, only under the short-term supervision of Zhukovsky reminded of its former dignity. Then it became drier, more boring and empty, finally, it became just a collection of articles, without direction, without thought, and completely lost its journalistic character.... In the early twenties, Vestnik Evropy was the ideal of deadness, dryness, boredom and some senile moldyness "(Belinsky V. G. Decree op. t.9. p. 683).

In the history of the magazine, it is worth noting one very interesting conflict that reflects the cultural situation in Russia at that time. Back in 1803, Vestnik Evropy and its first editor found themselves at the center of a literary and linguistic controversy that unfolded in connection with the open speech of opponents of Karamzin's reform. In 1803, A. S. Shishkov's treatise "Arguments about the old and new syllables" was published. Later, when N. M. Karamzin had already left the post of editor, A. A. Shakhovsky's comedy "New Stern" (1805) was staged. Both the treatise and the comedy contained frank attacks on Karamzin as a sentimentalist writer. The writer's language and literary style, as well as his ongoing reform of the literary language, were even more attacked. A struggle ensued between the "Karamzinists"and the "Shishkovists". However, Karamzin himself did not take part in it: having received the post of court historiographer, he completely immersed himself in work on the "History of the Russian State".

In 1804, under the editorship of P. P. Sumarokov, Vestnik Evropy remained true to its previous direction. In 1805-1807, during his first period of work at the magazine, Kachenovsky perceived himself as Karamzin's successor and engaged in fierce polemics with his opponents. Then, considering that the magazine should objectively reflect the situation, Kachenovsky gives the floor to A. S. Shishkov. In the article " The Answer "(Vestnik Evropy. 1807. N 24) Shishkov objected to his opponents, mainly Karamzinist P. I. Makarov, editor of the Moscow Mercury. Even earlier (in No. 8), the magazine published a "Letter from the city NN to the capital" signed by Luka Govorov, which expressed full support for the views of A. S. Shishkov. In the discussion about the "old" and "new" syllables, Kachenovsky was clearly closer to the position of the "archaists".

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The further he went, the more Kachenovsky expressed his sympathies for the "old" syllable and, in fact, moved to anti-Karamzin positions. In 1811, during a period of heightened controversy, he appeared in the Bulletin of Europe (NN 12, 13) with a detailed analysis of A. S. Shishkov's "Conversations about Literature". Kachenovsky generally supported the concept of the "Conversations" chapter. The differences between them were reduced to questions of a purely linguistic nature.

Kachenovsky argued that Russian is an independent language, while Shishkov believed that Russian is a stylistic version of the Old Slavonic language. Kachenovsky wrote that the Church Slavonic language and the language of secular and business writing, which was used in Russia , are related, but, nevertheless, different, and "our current church language is an old Serbian dialect" (Vestnik Evropy. 1816. N 19/20. P. 957). From Kachenovsky's point of view, "the ancient indigenous Slavic language is unknown to us" (Ibid.). By the way, the opinions of Kachenovsky and Karamzin coincided on this issue.

But, with the exception of certain linguistic issues, the positions of Kachenovsky and Shishkov were very close. According to Shishkov, modern culture reflected the degradation of the original Slavic mentality, and modern language-the degradation of the ancient original language. From his point of view, borrowings from other languages clog up the Russian language and need to be resisted, while for new realities it is necessary to construct words from Slavic lexemes. Despite all the artificiality and unrealizability of Shishkov's concept, there were also quite natural concerns of the members of the "Conversation" related to the abuse of foreign words that pollute the language, and concern for preserving the independence of the Russian language and Russian culture. It is not without reason that the idea of the originality of Russian culture attracted to Shishkov such talented writers as Derzhavin, Krylov, Griboyedov, Katenin, and some Decembrist poets.

In general, the concept of Shishkov was turned to the past and was characterized by absolute utopianism (See: Uspensky B. A. Decree, op. p. 339). Kachenovsky's focus on the culture and language of the past, his rejection of modern culture in general and modern literature in particular, resulted in extreme conservatism and narrow-mindedness for the magazine.

The attitude to the problem of the literary language turned out to be very revealing, because different language concepts had fundamentally different understanding of the cultural development of the country. Under Karamzin, who in the early 1800s was committed to the idea of social progress, the need for the development of literature and language, Vestnik Evropy experienced a flourishing period. Under Kachenovsky, who moved away from the Karamzin testaments and came, in fact, to the opposite principles, the magazine lost its relevance and gradually faded away.

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