The Russkaya molva daily on Fururism

The article raises the question of whether there is a connection between the political position of a press organ and its attitude toward art. This issue is being examined drawing on the example of a nonparty, independent, and moderately liberal daily newspaper Russkaya Molva (1912-1913). When describing the artistic program of the newspaper, the author of the article focuses on notes on Russian and Italian Futurism. Little known and hard to access materials are introduced into academic circulation. It seems that editors of the Russkaya Molva took an independent stance where art was concerned. Despite Alexander Blok’s conflict with the editorial team, one can say that his article “Art and the Newspaper”, published in the first issue, was pivotal in terms of the level, style, and tone of materials devoted to art, ensuring the overall high quality of the newspaper. The newspaper succeeded in achieving what Blok had proposed, which was creating professional literary criticism independent of the newspaper’s other sections. The authors of four articles on Futurism over the Russkaya Molva’s eight month existence were V.F. Khodasevich (signed as “V.Kh.”), P.K. Guber (pen name “P. Arzub’ev”), M.O. Gershenzon (pen name “Junior”), and S.P. Yaremich. Hodasevich and Gershenzon were interested in the poetry of Igor’ Severyanin, but Futurism as literary and aesthetic phenomenon was not accepted by the authors of the Russkaya Molva, despite its wide aesthetical position and its sympathy towards modernism.