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Entries / World of Literature, publishing house, 1918-1924

World of Literature, publishing house, 1918-1924


Categories / Literature. Book Publishing/Publishing Houses

WORLD OF LITERATURE, a publishing house established in 1918 by M. Gorky, A.N. Tikhonov and I.P. Ladyzhnikov attached to the People's Comissariat for Education of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The publishing house was aimed at the translation and publishing of foreign literature in Russian. The editing of books was carried out at editorial boards (a Western Department, an Oriental Department and a Poetic Department); their staff included Gorky, A.A. Blok, N.S. Gumilev, I.Y. Krachkovsky, K.I. Chukovsky et al. World of Literature represented one the major cultural centres of Petrograd of the early 1920s, with over 80 writers and scientists working there. World of Literature was the first publishing house to introduce a workshop for literary translation (headed by Blok, Chukovsky and M.L. Lozinsky). The publishing house issued nearly 200 titles in 7 series (Master Series, Popular Series, News of Foreign Literature Series etc.), along with Sovremenny Zapad journal and Sovremenny Vostok journal. From September 1918 the editorial office of World of Literature was situated at 64 Nevsky Prospect, in the beginning of 1919 it moved to 36 Mokhovaya Street. The same building housed a vast library of foreign fiction which numbered 69,900 volumes; in 1922 it was granted to the Public Library. The printing-office of the publishing house was situated at 34 Ligovsky Avenue. In 1919, World of Literature issued a prospective booklet catalogue of its editions which comprised 1,500 titles (contemporaries called it the Utopia of the 20th century). After it lost Gorky's support, the publishing house eventually was affiliated to Lengiz (Leningrad Department of the State Publishing House) by the end of 1924. Many of its unfulfilled projects were carried out by Academia publishing house.

References: Шомракова И. А. Книгоиздательство "Всемирная литература" (1918-1924) // Книга: Исслед. и материалы. М., 1967. Сб. 14. С. 175-193; Баренбаум И. Е. Книжный Петербург: Три века истории: Очерки изд. дела и кн. торговли. СПб., 2003. С. 331-336.

T. M. Dvinyatina.

Persons
Blok G.P.
Chukovsky Korney Ivanovich
Gorky Maxim (Alexey Maximovich Peshkov)
Gumilev Nikolay Stepanovich
Krachkovsky Ignaty Yulianovich
Ladyzhnikov Ivan Pavlovich
Lozinsky Mikhail Leonidovich
Tikhonov Alexander Nikolaevich

Addresses
Ligovsky Ave/Saint Petersburg, city, house 34
Mokhovaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 36
Nevsky prospect/Saint Petersburg, city, house 64

Bibliographies
Шомракова И. А. Книгоиздательство «Всемирная литература» (1918–1924) // Книга: Исслед. и материалы. М., 1967

The subject Index
Academia, publishing house, 1921-1937

Chronograph
1918


Academia, publishing house, 1921-1937

ACADEMIA, a publishing house established on 31 December 1921 as the Publishing House for the Philosophic Society attached to the Petrograd University. The newly-established publishing house assumed the name of the Academy founded by Greek

Blok A.A. (1880-1921), poet

BLOK Alexander Alexanderovich (1880, St. Petersburg - 1921, Petrograd), poet. He was born in the house of his grandfather A.N. Beketov (9 Universitetskaya Embankment, the Rector's Building; memorial plaque)

Chukovsky K.I. (1882-1969), writer

CHUKOVSKY Korney Ivanovich (real name Nikolay Vasilievich Korneychukov) (1882, St. Petersburg - 1969), a children's poet, critic, literary expert and translator. He was the father of L.K. Chukovskaya. Chukovsky came to St. Petersburg in 1904

Gorky Maxim (1868-1936), writer

GORKY Maxim (real name Maxim Peshkov) (1868-1936), writer, playwright, publicist, public figure. First visited St. Petersburg in September–October 1899. In 1900 joined the Znanie Publishing Company; and headed it for over ten years

Gumilev N.S. (1886-1921), poet

GUMILEV Nikolay Stepanovich (1886, Kronstadt - 1921, near St. Petersburg), poet, translator, critic. He spent his childhood in Tsarskoe Selo, from 1896 was in St. Petersburg, and studied at the Gymnasium of Y.G. Gurevich

Ivanov G.V. (1894-1958), poet

IVANOV Georgy Vladimirovich (1894-1958), poet, author of memoirs. Studied in St. Petersburg, at the Second Cadet Corps (didn't graduate). In 1911 became acquainted with A.A

Kaverin V.A. (1902-1989), writer

KAVERIN (real surname Zilber) Veniamin Alexandrovich (1902-1989), writer. Lived in Petrograd - Leningrad in 1920-41. In 1923 graduated from the Arabic Department of the Institute of Oriental Languages

Kuprin A.I. (1870-1938), writer

KUPRIN Alexander Ivanovich (1870-1938, Leningrad), writer. In 1890 graduated from Moscow Alexandrovsky Military School. Served in the Army; in 1894 retired. From 1901 lived in St. Petersburg

Kuzmin M.A. (1872-1936), writer, composer

KUZMIN Mikhail Alexeevich (1872-1936, Leningrad), poet, prose writer, playwright, composer, critic, and arts theorist. Living in St. Petersburg from 1884, he studied at the Conservatory from 1891 but failed to graduate

Lozinsky M.L. (1886-1955), poet, translator

LOZINSKY Mikhail Leonidovich (1886, Gatchina of St. Petersburg Province - 1955, Leningrad), poet, translator. Graduated from the First Petersburg Gymnasium (1904), the Faculty of Law of Petersburg University (1909)

Mokhovaya Street

MOKHOVAYA STREET (until 1826 - Khamovaya Street or Khamovskaya Street), between Tchaikovskogo Street and Belinskogo Street. It was built up in the settlement of weavers ("khamovnik" - hence the first name)

Muruzi House

MURUZI HOUSE (27/24 Liteiny Avenue), an architectural monument, five-storied apartment house, constructed in 1874-1877 (architect A.K. Serebryakov with the assistance of P.I. Shestov and N.V. Sultanov) and belonging to Prince A.D. Muruzi (1807-1880)

Publishing houses (entry)

PUBLISHING HOUSES. Publishing in St. Petersburg dates back to 1711, when Tsar Peter the Great ordered the St. Petersburg Printing House to be established. The first printed matter issued in St. Petersburg was Vedomosti newspaper

Rozhdestvensky V.A. (1895-1977), poet

ROZHDESTVENSKY Vsevolod Alexandrovich (1895, Tsarskoe Selo of St. Petersburg province - 1977, Leningrad), a poet. He graduated from the First St. Petersburg Gymnasia and began to appear in the press in 1910

Saint Petersburg Literature and Arts Archives

SAINT PETERSBURG LITERATURE AND ARTS ARCHIVES, Central State (TsGALI SPb) (34 Shpalernaya Street), formed in 1969 on the base of the Central State Archives of the October Revolution of Leningrad

Salons, Circles and Literary Gatherings (Entry)

SALONS, CIRCLES AND LITERARY GATHERINGS. During the 18th century regular gatherings of writers were uncommon, but those that there were portrayed different stylistic and philosophic positions

Serapion's Brothers

SERAPION'S BROTHERS, a literary group from 1921 until 1926. It was named after the Tales of E. T. A. Hoffman. It separated from the Studio of Translators which existed at the publishing house World Literature. It united prose writers I. A

Slonimsky M.L. (1897-1972), writer

SLONIMSKY Mikhail Leonidovich (1897, St. Petersburg - 1972, Leningrad), writer. He graduated from the Fourth Classic (Larinskaya) Gymnasium (15 Sixth Line of Vasilievsky Island), and went to the front line as a volunteer in 1915

Zamyatin E.I. (1884-1937), writer

ZAMYATIN Evgeny Ivanovich (1884-1937) prose writer, playwright, literary critic. In 1902 entered the Ship-Building Faculty of the Polytechnical Institute; his studies were interrupted by an arrest and exile for revolutionary activities