Beseda (Russian magazine)

Beseda (Беседа, meaning "Conversation" or "Dialogue" in Russian) was a prominent Russian literary and political magazine published in Saint Petersburg from 1871 to 1872. Founded and edited by Nikolai Strakhov, Beseda advocated for a conservative nationalist ideology, known as pochvennichestvo (почвенничество), which emphasized the importance of Russian soil, tradition, and the organic development of Russian culture.

Beseda stood in opposition to both Westernizing (Zapadnichestvo) and revolutionary radical (Nihilist) trends prevalent in Russian intellectual life at the time. The magazine aimed to provide a platform for writers and thinkers who shared its conservative views and to promote the values of the Russian peasantry, the Orthodox Church, and the autocratic government.

Contributors to Beseda included prominent literary figures such as Fyodor Dostoevsky (though he contributed only a small piece and was not a core member of the editorial staff), Nikolai Strakhov himself, and Nikolai Danilevsky, author of Russia and Europe, a seminal work of pan-Slavism and cultural criticism.

Despite attracting significant attention, Beseda faced criticism from both liberal and radical circles. Its rigid conservatism and sometimes polemical tone contributed to its relatively short lifespan. While it existed for only two years, Beseda played a significant role in shaping the intellectual landscape of late 19th-century Russia and in articulating the principles of pochvennichestvo. Its legacy lies in its contribution to the development of Russian conservative thought and its influence on subsequent nationalist movements.