AN ‘ANONYMOUS’ REVIEW IN LITERATURNAYA GAZETA

Abstract

The article renders the contents of the review by the bibliographer Ferapont Vityazev published in Literaturnaya Gazeta in 1934. In his review, the author lashed out at the first volume of Selected works by P. Lavrov, printed by The Publishing House of Political Prisoners [Izdatelstvo politkatorzhan]. The biographical essay, introduction, comments and biography for this publication were written by I. Knizhnik-Vetrov, whose view of P. Lavrov’s output and method of work stood in stark contrast with Vityazev’s own concept, the main point of dispute being Lavrov’s growing ties with the Sovremennik’s editorial board as early as the early 1860s. Having dwelt on Knizhnik’s several errors in text interpretation, Vityazev takes issue with him on the authorship of the article entitled On the popularizer type of journalists and natural sciences [O publitsistakh-populyarizatorakh i o estestvoznanii]. While Knizhnik names Lavrov as the author, Vityazev argues that it was penned by A. Zhuk, and cites payment records of the journal Sovremennik, kept in the Pushkin House archives, as proof. As for the book’s bibliography, Vityazev points out a number of omissions and debatable mentions stemming from the complexity of attribution of articles to Lavrov, who chose to publish his work either anonymously or under a pseudonym.