I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 81 Modern Man

Regarding the establishment of a magazine, to some extent, it is actually occupying the high ground of public opinion. So no matter when any wave comes, there will always be some opportunities to speak out and to have the opportunity to fight for some rights and interests for this era, for this society, and for individuals.

If the opportunity to speak out is gradually lost, and the weak voices of individuals are gradually drowned out by other stronger and louder voices, then the so-called media and magazines have actually gradually lost their meaning.

In today's era, intellectuals often spread their ideas and enlighten the people by founding magazines, thus creating opportunities for the arrival of a new era.

In normal history, it was thanks to the efforts of Nekrasov, Belinsky, Panaev and others that "The Contemporary Man" became the cradle of promoting materialism and peasant revolutionary ideas after they took over.

Later in history, the founding of a magazine called "New Youth" will also provide ideological support for the arrival of a new era.

So the question is, if the intellectuals can understand it, how could the great Tsar not understand it?

So after 1848, His Majesty the Tsar, who was deeply wary of the revolutionary fervor, waved his hand, which was between the invisible and the visible. Magazines and newspapers became the Tsar's mouthpieces, and the so-called progressive magazines and media were banned. No discordant voices were allowed throughout the empire. The scene of vibrant vitality and development is still before our eyes!

However, at present, since the major revolutionary bases in Europe have not yet begun to exert their strength, although Russia has strict control, His Majesty the Tsar’s big hand has not continued to wave after all.

But occasionally, a policy was implemented that prohibited the establishment of new magazines.

In other words, if Mikhail and his team wanted to create a new magazine, they could only take over an existing magazine and then transform it into a magazine that belonged to them.

After deciding to publish a magazine, Nekrasov and his colleagues actually discussed for a long time which magazine to take over, because most magazines at that time were not doing well, and they could only choose from a small number of magazines such as "Lighthouse", "Finland Herald", and "Son of the Motherland".

However, this problem did not bother them for too long. With the appearance of Mikhail, he said directly: "What about "Contemporary Man"? I think it is the most suitable." This solved the problem that troubled everyone and pushed the matter of publishing the magazine one step forward.

By the way, the matter of launching a new magazine was actually kept semi-secret. Mikhail certainly mentioned it, but he did not say much about the specific details in front of everyone. After all, it would be bad if it was affected by any additional factors.

Let’s not talk about anything else for now, just talk about Turgenev, that big mouth. If you talk a little more in front of him, he will probably drink some horse urine and start bragging, and then clear the whole thing up in no time.

Therefore, although Mikhail said that to Belinsky right at the beginning, they didn't discuss the details until the party was over and everyone had left.

The people present were basically Panaev and his wife, Nekrasov, Belinsky and Mikhail.

All in all, Mikhail and Nekrasov certainly made a lot of money, but if they wanted to run the magazine well, this amount of money was still a bit tight, so it was better to bring in Panaev, who had some money, connections, and was also an excellent publisher.

However, even at this point, Panaev still had some doubts, because the money to run a magazine was indeed not a small amount, and once the magazine fell into a quagmire, even a noble like Panaev would likely be deeply in debt and unable to extricate himself.

After all, although Panaev is a nobleman, he is not a great nobleman after all, and he will have more or less financial pressure.

Then there's his take on running a magazine in Russia today: "With Mikhail joining us, money seems to be less of a problem, but I think it's going to be hard to compete with Fatherland Chronicle, which has already established a solid position for itself."

"Who laid the foundation? Vissarion and most of the writers in his circle. And it's ridiculous that they're afraid of competition."

After a long talk with Mikhail, Nekrasov, who had already made up his mind to do this, reminded him: "The Fatherland Chronicle has its own subscribers, and the new magazine has its own subscribers. Kraevsky was not afraid of competition from the Reading Library. He founded the Fatherland Chronicle with his bare hands."

"It was easy for him then," Panaev retorted. "In the first few years, most of the articles published in his magazine were free, and even if he paid for them, it was very little. Don't expect to get free articles now, especially since we are a new magazine.

We may be able to borrow some money at the beginning, but if the number of subscribers is never enough, how will we repay our debts? " "If we run the magazine seriously and if all Belinsky's friends in the literary world are willing to contribute, why can't we expect the magazine to achieve success? It's good to take risks. In recent years, people's demand for reading has greatly increased.

Someone had always predicted to me that the Petersburg Anthology would lose money, and if Mikhail had not always had confidence in it, I would never have dared to print so many copies.

Glancing at Mikhail and thinking about what he had said, Nekrasov continued:

"If the new magazine is in line with modern thought, it will have readers. New social issues are clearly brewing and maturing day by day. These issues should not be studied with a dry academic tone, but with a fiery passion, so as to infect readers and arouse their desire for action. Everything is difficult at the beginning, but it is easy to keep going."

After hearing Nekrasov's words, Panayev, who had a very good relationship with Belinsky, did not hesitate for too long. Panayeva, who was behind him, had always sympathized with Belinsky's situation and mentioned Belinsky's predicament in front of his noble friends more than once, but always received the following response:

"Belinsky is worse than anyone at managing the magazine's finances. Could he refuse a single contributor's request? ... He would pay the manuscript fees in advance and end up penniless. Besides, he would hardly be willing to take responsibility for other people's money."

But now
Before making a real decision, everyone present looked at Mikhail, who had been silent, and at the young man who seemed to be hidden in the darkness.

As their eyes looked over, Mikhail, who had been leaning back in his chair and calculating things in his mind, finally reacted. He sat up straight again, and his face reappeared in the candlelight.

Looking at everyone's gazes, Mikhail simply smiled and said something he seemed to have said many times before:

"We will succeed."

With just these words, Panaev immediately slapped his thigh and said, "Okay, I, Panaev, will do this!"

Panaev had always admired Mikhail's literary talent, and with the success of this gamble, Panaev's trust in Mikhail reached a new level, so he immediately said:

"I know Pletnyov, the current publisher of The Contemporary Man. I can talk to him tomorrow at the latest. However, he will most likely ask us to pay a fee for transferring the publishing rights, so we should be mentally prepared."

"Then I'll trouble you, Panaev."

Mikhail nodded solemnly and said, "Money shouldn't be a problem. If that doesn't work, I have other options."

These methods can be simply summarized in one sentence: Who is the peak at the end of the road?!
Alternatively, it is not impossible to switch to soft rice.
As for the magazine "Contemporary Man", as mentioned before, it was founded by Pushkin, the great figure in the Russian literary circle, and has always maintained a good reputation and influence in the Russian literary world.

The reason why it was passed to Pletnyov was that it was said that when Pushkin was in prison and was forced to do such a cruel thing as a duel, he handed the magazine to Pletnyov before leaving.

While "The Contemporary" was considered the most progressive magazine by Pushkin, its ideological tendency became increasingly moderate and conservative and went from bad to worse when it came into the hands of Pletnyov, the president of St. Petersburg University and professor of the Faculty of Literature.

In fact, if you insist, Mikhail is related to the principal and is also an alumnus of Turgenev.

In addition, when Turgenev was studying at St. Petersburg University, Gogol happened to get a backdoor ticket to become a professor of history there, and Turgenev also took his classes.

As for Gogol's academic level, just as Turgenev once said to Mikhail in a boast:
"Hey! Mikhail, you know Gogol, right? I once took his classes! He writes really well, but he has absolutely no knowledge of history! He even mumbles and can't express himself clearly. If you ask me, he's definitely not as good as me in this respect!"

Although this may be a bit of a boast, it does seem to be true. After teaching for a while and earning a salary, Gogol soon resigned, perhaps because he felt that continuing to teach might ruin his reputation.
So, getting back to the point, as Panaev made up his mind, one thing after another was quickly finalized. Belinsky, who had been listening to everyone's conversation with wide eyes, stood up excitedly when he heard the final result and enthusiastically joined the conversation.

For Belinsky, the things he had imagined seemed to be coming true.
(End of this chapter)