Subject: Humanities

  • Voprosy Literatury Digital Archive

    Voprosy Literatury Digital Archive

    Influential Russian journal of literary criticism and literary studies.

    Since its inception in 1957, Voprosy Literatury (Вопросы литературы, Issues of Literature) has stood as one of the most prestigious and authoritative academic journals in the fields of philology and literary criticism in the Russian language. Founded soon after the 20th Congress of the Communist party of the Soviet Union and the beginning of the era known as the “thaw” in USSR cultural life, it soon evolved into a major discussion platform for literary critics and scholars on the history of world and Russian literature, the theory of literature, and current literary and cultural issues in the country.

    Recent years have seen the journal engage in rigorous debates about the future of philological science and, more broadly, the state of the humanities, attracting significant attention within Russia. Among the major themes explored by the journal are: methods and techniques in modern philological science, comparative study of cultures and the history of classical and contemporary Russian literature.

    Voprosy Literatury boasts an illustrious list of past and present contributors, including leading Russian and international scholars such as M.M. Bakhtin, V.B. Shklovsky, D.S. Likhachev, L.E. Pinsky, S.S. Averintsev, Caryl Emerson, and J.S. Smith, among others. It is also known for publishing selections from Russian writers prohibited during the Soviet period.

    The journal is included in the official Russian list of peer-reviewed publications where the main scientific results of dissertations must be published. It is also indexed in the Scopus database, making it a widely acknowledged and cited publication in academic circles.

    The Voprosy Literatury Digital Archive serves as an indispensable resource for scholarly research in the fields of philology and literary criticism. With access to decades of seminal articles, debates, and academic discussions, this comprehensive archive represents a cornerstone in the landscape of humanities scholarship.

    The archive contains the most complete set of the journal, comprising more than 16,000 articles, with an additional year’s worth of content available for purchase on an annual basis. It features searchable full-text articles with PDF format available starting in 2018. All content in the Voprosy Literatury Digital Archive is cross-searchable with numerous other Infoteka digital resources.

    • Product Code: DA-VL
    • Year First Published: 1957
    • Archive: 1957–2025
    • Language: Russian
    • Country: Russia
    • City: Moscow
    • Frequency: Monthly
    • Format: Full text; article-based PDFs starting in 2018
    • Producer: Infoteka
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  • Vestnik Evropy Digital Archive

    Vestnik Evropy Digital Archive

    A major influence on the outlook of 19th century Russian intellectuals.

    Vestnik Evropy (Вестник Европы, Herald of Europe) was one of the first literary and political journals published in the time of the Russian Empire. Published in Moscow from 1802–1830, it was founded by Nikolay Karamzin, a well-known author and historian. The aim of Vestnik Evropy was to provide Russian intellectuals – those that considered themselves “European Russians” – with cultural, historical, political, and literary thought from Europe. Vestnik Evropy soon became a major influence in the development of a European outlook in Russia. The journal included works of fiction and poems from Russian authors, and articles on politics and social life in Russia as well as in other countries. In 1814 Vestnik Evropy published the first poems of Aleksandr Pushkin, just one of many well-known contributors, including the talented poets Zhukovsky, Derzhavin, Vyazemsky and Batyushkov.

    The Vestnik Evropy Digital Archive comprises the entire collection of the journal, with more than 8,500 articles and over 57,000 pages. The archive offers scholars the most comprehensive collection available for this title, and features full-text articles, with full page-level digitization and complete original graphics. The archive has searchable text, and is cross-searchable with numerous other Infoteka digital resources.

    Note: Vestnik Evropy was published before the Russian Revolution and was written using the pre-reform Russian orthography. To enable searching functionality, Infoteka worked closely with consultants from the Institute of Russian Language in Moscow to adapt the Old Russian script into modern Russian orthography. The archive has been designed so researchers may work simultaneously with texts in Old (pre-revolutionary) Russian and normalized contemporary orthography with easy-to-use cross search functionality.

    • Product Code: DA-VE
    • Year First Published: 1802
    • Archive: 1802–1830
    • Language: Russian
    • Country: Russia
    • City: Moscow
    • Frequency: Bi-weekly (24 issues per year)
    • Format: Full text and full image
    • Producer: Infoteka
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  • Voprosy Istorii Digital Archive

    Voprosy Istorii Digital Archive

    Landmark publication documenting Russian and world history since 1926.

    Voprosy Istorii (Вопросы истории, Issues of History) is Russia’s most authoritative historical journal, documenting the evolution of historical scholarship in Russia and the Soviet Union from 1926 to the present. The journal has long served as a central platform for academic discourse on Russian and world history. Recognized for its scholarly rigor and objectivity, Voprosy Istorii has featured contributions from leading historians across Russia and around the world. The journal’s scope is notably broad, encompassing Russian, Soviet, and global history, while maintaining a high theoretical standard and an unbiased approach to complex historical processes.

    Voprosy Istorii is especially valued for publishing materials that were long inaccessible, including archival documents previously held under strict embargo. These materials appear in the journal’s long-running section “Political Archive of the 20th Century,” alongside in-depth interpretive essays in “Historical Commentary,” profiles of major figures in “Historical Portraits,” and autobiographical reflections from renowned scholars in “Historians Reflecting on Their Times.”

    The Voprosy Istorii Digital Archive includes over 950 issues and more than 28,000 articles, beginning with Istorik-Marksist (1926–1941), continuing through the overlapping publications Bor’ba Klassov (1931–1936) and Istoricheskii Zhurnal (1937–1945), and extending into the postwar and contemporary eras under the title Voprosy Istorii (since 1945). The result is a vast and uninterrupted historical record, reflecting nearly a century of intellectual thought, political transition, and methodological change.

    The archive offers scholars the complete, digitized run of Voprosy Istorii and its predecessor titles, with an additional year’s worth of content available for purchase on an annual basis. The archive features full-text articles, with full page-level digitization and complete original graphics. The archive has searchable text, and is cross-searchable with numerous other Infoteka digital resources.

    Now available with Infoteka’s English Reader!

    Enhance access to the archive with this optional add-on service. With Infoteka’s English Reader you can now search the archive and retrieve articles in English language. Leveraging advanced AI technology, Infoteka’s English Reader provides high-quality, accurate, and fluent English translations of all articles in the Voprosy Istorii Digital Archive, making this valuable research content accessible to a wider academic audience. Contact us to learn more.

    Note: Translations provided by Infoteka’s English Reader are intended for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for certified translation. No warranty is made regarding the accuracy or reliability of the translations. For citation and scholarly use, please refer to the original language text.

    • Product Code: DA-VI
    • Year First Published: 1926
    • Archive: 1926–2025
    • Language: Russian
    • Country: Russia
    • City: Moscow
    • Frequency: Monthly
    • Format: Full text and full image
    • Producer: Infoteka
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  • St. Petersburg University Press

    St. Petersburg University Press

    Scholarly journals from St. Petersburg University on a wide range of topics.

    St. Petersburg University Press offers online access to scholarly and scientific works published in the renowned Vestnik SpbU (Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета), a journal of science and theory that features educational and scientific literature on social and natural sciences, engineering and technology. Established in 1946, St. Petersburg University Press publishes innovative theoretical, experimental, and practical research, as well as reports on the achievements of the University’s research institutes and schools. The publications reflect high-quality and objective viewpoints from various schools of research, along with collaboration with foreign authors, research centers, and other publishers. The editorial board of Vestnik SpbU is drawn from prominent academic researchers with leading works in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences.

    • Product Code: UDB-SPU
    • Archive: 2013–present
    • Language: Russian; English abstracts
    • Country: Russia
    • City: St. Petersburg
    • Frequency: Quarterly
    • Updates: Continuous
    • Format: PDF, article-based
    • Producer: Infoteka
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    St. Petersburg University Press Titles

    St. Petersburg University Press includes 17 series (listed below) with an archive going back to 2013. All articles are presented in the original PDF format in Russian, with abstracts in English.

    • Mathematics. Mechanics. Astronomy
    • History
    • Biology
    • Physics. Chemistry
    • Economy
    • Political Science. International Relations
    • Geology. Geography
    • Management
    • Language and Literature
    • Applied Mathematics. Information Science. Management Processes
    • Medicine
    • Sociology
    • Oriental and African Studies
    • Law
    • Art Studies
    • Psychology. Pedagogy
    • Philosophy. Conflict Studies. Cultural Studies. Religion Studies
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  • Starye Gody Digital Archive

    Starye Gody Digital Archive

    Early 20th century Russian art journal.

    Starye gody (Старые годы, The Bygone Years) was a monthly journal published in St. Petersburg from 1907 to 1916 for readers interested in art and antiquities. The journal published material on art history and architecture, presented private and public collections, covered domestic and international cultural events, and provided information on auctions and private art sales in Russia and abroad with catalogues, prices, and museum guides. Starye gody was noted for its handsome design and high-quality illustrations. Contributing artists included Benois, Vereshchagin, Vrangel and Rerikh. Much of the journal’s attention was devoted to the preservation of the artistic and antique legacy of St. Petersburg and Russia, and it played an important role in art preservation by printing reproductions of art from earlier periods, primarily Russian art of the 18th and early 19th centuries.

    The Starye Gody Digital Archive includes all obtainable issues of the journal from 1907–1916 and offers scholars the most comprehensive collection available for this title. The archive features full page-level digitization, complete original graphics, fully-searchable text, and is cross-searchable with numerous other Infoteka digital resources.

    Note: Starye gody was written in the Old Russian orthography used at the time, which included the letters І, Ѣ, Ѳ and Ѵ. These letters were later eliminated from the Russian alphabet during the orthographic reform of 1918. To facilitate full-text searching of this journal, the database includes a special keyboard containing the old Russian characters. This virtual keyboard allows users to enter words containing pre-reform Russian letters (e.g. “сѵнодъ,” “дѣтство”).

    • Product Code: DA-SG
    • Year First Published: 1907
    • Archive: 1907–1916
    • Language: Russian
    • Country: Russia
    • City: St. Petersburg
    • Frequency: Monthly
    • Format: PDF, page-based
    • Producer: Infoteka
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  • Soviet Woman Digital Archive

    Soviet Woman Digital Archive

    Illustrated magazine spotlighting the life of women in the USSR.

    Established in the aftermath of WWII in 1945, the magazine Soviet Woman proclaimed on the cover of its first issue its fundamental mission: “A magazine devoted to social and political problems, literature and art…” Published initially under the aegis of the of Soviet Women’s Anti-Fascist Committee and the Central Council of Trade Unions of the USSR, it began as a bimonthly illustrated magazine tasked with countering anti-Soviet propaganda by introducing Western audiences to the lifestyle of Soviet women, including their role in the post-WWII rebuilding of the Soviet economy, and their achievements in the arts and the sciences. Originally published simultaneously in Russian, English, German and French, the magazine went on to add more foreign language editions aimed at reaching an even wider audience both in the West and elsewhere to balance the Western narrative about the Soviet Union in these countries with a pro-Soviet ideological counterweight.

    Over the years the magazine developed regular sections covering issues dealing with economics, politics, life abroad, life in the Soviet republics, women’s fashion, as well as broader issues in culture and the arts. One of its most popular features was the translations of Soviet literary works, allowing readers across the globe a peek inside the hitherto insular Soviet literary world. An important communist propaganda outlet, the magazine continued its run until the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

    The Soviet Woman Digital Archive contains all obtainable published issues from the very first issue, comprising more than 500 issues and over 7,500 articles. The archive offers scholars the most comprehensive collection available for this title, and features full page-level digitization, complete original graphics, and searchable text, and is cross-searchable with numerous other Infoteka digital resources.

    • Product Code: DA-SW
    • Year First Published: 1945
    • Archive: 1945–1991
    • Language: English
    • Country: Russia
    • City: Moscow
    • Frequency: Monthly
    • Format: PDF, article-based
    • Producer: Infoteka
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  • Soviet Anti-Religious Propaganda

    Soviet Anti-Religious Propaganda

    Some of the earliest casualties of revolutions are the ideological and institutional foundations of the political order that legitimized the ancien régime, the old form of government with its established political and socio-economic power relations. Religion and religious institutions, identified by Bolshevik revolutionaries as enablers of centuries-long Tsarist malfeasance, were additionally considered to be obstructionists of scientific progress, veritable peddlers of ancient superstitions. Thus, the eradication of religion would be elevated into policy shortly after the 1917 Revolution.

    Russian Orthodox Church property was nationalized, plundered, and desecrated. Clergy were dispatched to gulags or even murdered. Religious beliefs and believers were ridiculed. Although the destruction of churches, mosques, and synagogues would in practical terms curtail public religiosity, it did not guarantee neither radical nor wholesale change in people’s perceptions of the world in which they lived.

    The matter of changing people’s worldviews, therefore, was left to propagandists and the radically rethought educational system. The result of these policy and educational changes was the launching of the fervid anti-religious propaganda campaigns of the early 1920s and 1930s, which saw the publication of hundreds of books, newspapers, and popular magazines designed to stoke hostility against Christianity and Christians.

    Comprised of 280 books, the Soviet Anti-Religious Propaganda e-book collection is a treasure trove of these early propaganda efforts, containing some of the most important and influential works of anti-religious literature. Full-text searchable and cross-searchable with other Infoteka digital resources, the collection is a valuable resource for historians of the Soviet Union, religious studies, and secularization.

    • Product Code: EB-SARP
    • Number of Titles: 280
    • Years of Publication: 1906–1961
    • Language: Russian
    • Country: Russia
    • Cities: Multiple
    • Format: PDF, chapter-based
    • Producer: Infoteka
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  • Sovetskii Ekran Digital Archive

    Sovetskii Ekran Digital Archive

    Popular and influential journal on film studies and Soviet cinema.

    Sovetskii Ekran (Советский экран, Soviet Screen) was the most prominent film journal in Soviet history. Much more than just a film journal, Sovetskii Ekran was a cultural barometer of its times, chronicling the evolution of Soviet film against the backdrop of significant societal and political changes. Its pages, filled with film critiques, interviews, and reader polls, offer a comprehensive view of the cinematic landscape and its influence on Soviet culture.

    Published bi-monthly, Sovetskii Ekran boasted a circulation of two million copies, making it the largest film publication in the world at the time. It was incredibly popular among film enthusiasts in the USSR, vanishing from kiosks as quickly as it arrived and passing from hand to hand.

    The journal offered an unprecedented look into the production secrets and the creative lives of actors and directors—serving as a portal into the magical world of cinema. The honor of gracing its cover essentially guaranteed an instant following of adoring fans for the featured artist. People often cut out the journal covers featuring popular actors to use as posters, making it a significant cultural artifact.

    Sovetskii Ekran was not just confined to domestic cinema; it also covered international film news. These articles offered Soviet citizens glimpses into global fashion trends and popular Hollywood actors. It even published an obituary of Marilyn Monroe in 1962—a time when she was virtually unknown in the USSR. The journal annually conducted surveys among its readers to announce various awards like “Best Film of the Year,” “Best Actor of the Year,” “Best Actress of the Year,” “Best Children’s Film,” and “Best Musical Film of the Year.”

    Many critics consider the 1960s as the golden era of Sovetskii Ekran. Despite its popularity, the journal was subject to the return of censorship in the mid-1970s and, like Soviet cinema itself, it faced dramatic changes during the era of “Perestroika” before eventually ceasing publication after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

    Sovetskii Ekran is an invaluable resource for academics, researchers, and students, providing a rich primary source for exploring the socio-cultural role of cinema in the Soviet Union, the state’s role in shaping cinematic narratives, and how films were received by the general populace.

    • Product Code: DA-SOVE
    • Year First Published: 1925
    • Archive: 1925–2003
    • Language: Russian
    • Country: Russia
    • City: Moscow
    • Frequency: Bi-monthly, some years irregular
    • Format: PDF, page-based
    • Producer: Infoteka
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    About the Archive

    Sovetskii Ekran first emerged in January 1925 and continued its publication with occasional hiatuses until its final issue in 2003. Throughout its existence, it underwent several name changes:

    • 1925–1928 Sovetskii Ekran
    • 1929–1930 Kino i Zhizn
    • 1933–1938 [not published]
    • 1939–1941 Sovetskii Kinoekran
    • 1942–1957 [not published]
    • 1958–1990 Sovetskii Ekran
    • 1991–1996, 2002 Ekran
    • 1997–1998, 2003 Sovetskii Ekran

    The Sovetskii Ekran Digital Archive contains all obtainable published issues from 1925 on, including over 50 years of content and approximately 32,000 pages. The archive offers scholars the most comprehensive collection available for this title, and features full page-level digitization, complete original graphics, and searchable text, and is cross-searchable with numerous other Infoteka digital resources.

    Note: The publication of Sovetskii Ekran was completely suspended from 1931–1938, 1942–1956, and 1999–2001. The lack of content for these periods is not a gap but reflects the journal’s publication schedule during these times.

  • Sovetskaia Kul’tura Digital Archive

    Sovetskaia Kul’tura Digital Archive

    An indispensable source on Soviet and Russian arts and culture.

    Kul’tura (Культура, Culture), as it is known today, is the most important Soviet and Russian publication on culture from 1929 to the present, with reviews of major events in literature, theater, cinematography and the arts. For nearly 100 years, Kul’tura has served as a time capsule of Soviet and Russian culture, providing a unique perspective on ever-changing attitudes toward arts and culture in Soviet and Russian societies.

    Kul’tura was previously published as Rabochii i iskusstvo (Рабочий и искусство, Workers and Art, 1929–1930), Sovetskoe iskusstvo (Советское искусство, Soviet Art, 1931–1941), Literatura i iskusstvo (Литература и искусство, Literature and Art, 1942–1944), Sovetskoe iskusstvo (1944–1953), and Sovetskaia kul’tura (Советская культура, Soviet Culture, 1953–1991).

    The Sovetskaia Kul’tura Digital Archive contains all obtainable published issues from all of these titles (1929 on, over 55,000 pages), with an additional year’s worth of content available for purchase on an annual basis. The Sovetskaia Kul’tura Digital Archive offers scholars the most comprehensive collection available for this title, and features full page-level digitization, complete original graphics, and searchable text, and is cross-searchable with numerous other Infoteka digital resources.

    • Product Code: DA-SK
    • Year First Published: 1929
    • Archive: 1929–2025
    • Language: Russian
    • Country: Russia
    • City: Moscow
    • Frequency: Monthly
    • Format: PDF, page-based
    • Producer: Infoteka
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    More About Sovetskaia Kul’tura

    Rabochii i iskusstvo was established during a time when artists had relative freedom to create works for the New Soviet man. Artists were enthusiastic in spreading the socialist revolution, and the newspaper at this time reflects that mindset. Art was to be made accessible to the masses. Whether explicitly or implicitly, the newspaper supported writers, artists, and authors who produced works that fostered the concept of the New Soviet Man.

    During the Stalin years, Socialist realism took hold. Any creative expression considered unworthy to support the goals of socialism and communism was banned. Writers such as Mikhail Zoshchenko, Osip Mandelstam, Boris Pasternak, and others were roundly criticized in the pages of Sovetskoe iskusstvo (1931–1941), Literatura i iskusstvo (1942–1944), and Sovetskoe iskusstvo (1944–1952).

    Sovetskaia kul’tura, established in 1953, came about in the thaw of the Khrushchev era. The times changed for the better, but the newspaper still toed the party line. Modern art exhibitions were condemned and avant-garde composers and abstract painters were censured.

    During the Gorbachev era, glasnost created a cultural reawakening, which was reflected in the pages of Sovetskaia kul’tura. For example, the newspaper was the first to report that authorities had rehabilitated Pasternak posthumously and a museum dedicated to the work of Marc Chagall was to open in Belarus.

    Today, the newspaper offers interesting reviews and event listings, often focusing on the cultural life of Moscow and the regions. It is also known for its topical commentaries on popular culture and politics.

  • Slaviane Digital Archive

    Slaviane Digital Archive

    Anti-fascist Soviet propaganda journal from the WWII era.

    Founded in 1942 at the height of the Great Patriotic War by the All-Slavic Committee, a Soviet anti-fascist organization, Slaviane (Славяне, Slavs) was a monthly journal that saw its mission as one of “rallying Slavic peoples together in alliance with all freedom-loving peoples to fight against Nazi Germany and its vassals.” The editors sought to achieve this mission by exposing the “predatory and rapacious policies of Hitlerites, their hate-filled program aimed at the elimination of Slavic peoples and their centuries-old culture.” Apart from its anti-Fascist and anti-Nazi platform, the journal also sought to cultivate and propagate among Slavic peoples a knowledge of their shared history, the role of Slavic peoples in world culture and civilization, as well as episodic coverage of the Slavic communities in such far-flung countries as the United States, England, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. In short, the journal became a unified platform for intellectuals and politicians from Slavic countries, with the aim of providing an intellectual outlet against Nazism based on Slavic historical and cultural solidarity.

    Following the end of the War, the journal underwent significant editorial changes, switching its focus from defeating Nazism to coverage of life and culture in the Soviet Union. In the process it strove to increase distribution in Slavic countries as well as in the West, although with limited success. It ceased publication in 1958.

    The Slaviane Digital Archive provides researchers and students a unique collection that sheds light on an important aspect of Soviet propaganda production in a critical period of the Soviet Union’s history. The archive offers scholars the most comprehensive collection available for this title, comprising 197 issues, 4,752 articles, and over 12,000 pages. The archive features full page-level digitization and complete original graphics. The archive has searchable text, and is cross-searchable with numerous other Infoteka digital resources.

    • Product Code: DA-SL
    • Year First Published: 1942
    • Archive: 1942–1958
    • Language: Russian
    • Country: Russia
    • City: Moscow
    • Frequency: Monthly
    • Format: PDF, article-based
    • Producer: Infoteka
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