In 1932 Literaturnaia gazeta became the official organ of the Union of Soviet Writers, the government-controlled organization which controlled most literary publications and the employment of writers in the USSR. In the post-World War II period, the scope of Literaturnaia gazeta expanded from an exclusively literary newspaper to more of a literary, social and political publication, becoming one of the most authoritative and influential publications in the country. As the press-run grew to 6.5 million copies in the 1970s and 1980s, it became the most popular newspaper with intelligentsia, who fondly dubbed it “Literaturka.”
Literaturnaia gazeta was truly significant in the cultural life of the Soviet Union. While all officially published works were restricted in Soviet times, compared to the party-run Pravda and the government-run Izvestiia, Literaturnaia gazeta was more likely to push the limits of censorship in expressing views on social life and culture. Unlike many other Soviet newspapers, Literaturnaia gazeta refrained from simply re-publishing official party statements and resolutions. For those studying Russian, Russian literature, and comparative literature, Literaturnaia gazeta is undoubtedly an important resource: its pages carry literary criticism; excerpts from works of literature; articles on economics, sociology, ethics, daily life, scientific progress, etc. Contributors to Literaturnaia gazeta included the best prose writers of the era: Isaak Babel’, Mikhail Bulgakov, Veniamin Kaverin, Leonid Leonov, Yuriy Olesha, Boris Pil’nyak, Yevgeniy Zamyatin, and Mikhail Zoshchenko.
