Polar Star (Decembrist journal)

Polar Star (Russian: Полярная звезда, Polyarnaya zvezda) was a Russian literary almanac published in Saint Petersburg by Alexander Bestuzhev and Kondraty Ryleev between 1823 and 1825. It served as an important early venue for Romantic and Decembrist literature.

Published annually, Polar Star became a leading platform for disseminating the ideas of the Decembrists, a group of revolutionary-minded Russian officers who sought political reform and the abolition of serfdom. The almanac featured poetry, prose, literary criticism, and historical articles, often imbued with patriotic sentiments and critical perspectives on the autocracy.

Key contributors included Bestuzhev and Ryleev themselves, as well as other prominent writers and poets such as Wilhelm Küchelbecker, Nikolai Gnedich, and Vasily Zhukovsky. While not explicitly revolutionary in its content, the almanac subtly promoted liberal ideals through its focus on historical examples of freedom and justice, and its implicit critique of societal ills.

The publication of Polar Star ceased following the Decembrist Revolt in December 1825. Both Bestuzhev and Ryleev were actively involved in the uprising and were subsequently arrested. Ryleev was executed, and Bestuzhev was exiled to Siberia. The almanac's association with the Decembrists led to its suppression and its symbolic status as a voice of nascent Russian liberalism.