“Novgorod Leaflet” (1881–1882): In search of relevant regional identity

The article is devoted to the history of the first private universal newspaper “Novgorod Leaflet” (1881–1882), which was the only edition of this kind in the 19th century Novgorod province. Several petitions for the publication of a private newspaper in Novgorod in the second half of the 19th century were rejected by the Main Directorate for Press Affairs. Yakov Eliashevich, a teacher at the Novgorod gymnasium, was the only one of the petitioners who received the right to publish this popular type of newspaper. The article analyzes the activity of this edition as a way of expressing an actual regional identity, which was especially important for a territory with a vivid medieval history, but with an ordinary provincial way of life in modern times. The identified personalities of the authors of the publications of the “Novgorod Leaflet” show that it involved representatives of the Novgorod intelligentsia not only from the provincial center, but also from the districts of the province. The topics of the newspaper reflected the professional interests of its employees, and the rubrication was characteristic of a universal newspaper. The authors study the documents from the funds of the Russian State Historical Archive, disclosing the conditions of the appearance and functioning of the first private newspaper of Novgorod, the peculiarities connected with its censorship, and the reasons for its closure. The history of this newspaper is an example of the opposition of the local intelligentsia and the government. The former needed the newspaper as a means of forming a modern Novgorod identity and discussing topical issues and problems, while the latter were interested in preserving the most positive image of the province in the eyes of the capital.