Nikolay Ivanovich Novikov

Nikolay Ivanovich Novikov (born April 27 [May 8, New Style], 1744, Bronnitsky, near Moscow, Russia—died July 31 [August 12], 1818, Bronnitsky) was a Russian writer, philanthropist, and Freemason whose activities were intended to raise the educational and cultural level of the Russian people and included the production of social satires as well as the founding of schools and libraries. Influenced by Freemasonry, Novikov converted his journals and his ambitious publishing enterprise into vehicles of freethinking...