The provincial reader in the Russian Empire

The paper analyzes the causes and circumstances of the mass reader formation processes in Russia in the 19th century. Among them are the major events of the century that changed the historical fate of the Empire: the abolition of serfdom and the reform of public education that contributed to the growth of cities and the rise of the urban petty bourgeoisie social class. The most enterprising and ambitious people leave their homes after the liberation, and move first to county towns, then - to provincial cities, and the capital. Here they gradually realize themselves in the crafts, trade, and eventually become the backbone of the urban petty bourgeoisie. Their children receive education, which has now become more democratic and more accessible. Education for the new urban class is as driving, as religious life was for their parents in the village. All this creates a new urban, not aristocratic, culture. There appears the urban romance. The guitar is a sign of devotion to music. Composers write so-called ''cruel romances'' for the new audience. Literature also responds to the expectations of the townspeople. In his plays Ostrovsky tells about the difficult and interesting life of this class of townspeople. Later Chekhov and Gorky continue this topic. The time will come and the most educated and talented representatives of the petty bourgeoisie will be engaged in the management, economy, art, literature and journalism of the country. The best representatives of this class will create new large publishing empires that will contribute to the formation of the reader - the buyer of their books, newspapers, and magazines. Mass journalism appears in the country; it will eventually form the Russian press. Publishers address their new mass magazines to this audience, for instance, Niva by A.F. Marx. The magazine was popular in the new Russia, some years its circulation was 500 thousand copies. The petty bourgeoisie begins to buy loads of books. Numerous bookshops open in cities. They sell books, newspapers, and magazines not only in Russian, but also in foreign languages: the monopoly of the nobles in foreign languages also comes to an end. It generates new knowledge, technologies and industries. The Russian reader was born.

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