Publishing house "Molodaya Gvardiya"

Molodaya Gvardiya, meaning “Young Guard,” is a Russian publishing house with roots in the Soviet period and a history extending back to 1922. It was established in Moscow on October 10 of that year as a publishing and printing association initiated by the Central Committee of the Komsomol, the Soviet youth organization. The company was created to produce literature for younger readers and broader Soviet audiences, but its output developed into a large publishing program spanning biography, history, fiction, popular science, sport, military subjects, and cultural reference works. During its first year, the publisher issued 71 books with a combined circulation of 584,000 copies. In the 1930s it expanded beyond books into newspapers and magazines, reflecting the wider role of Soviet publishing organizations as producers of periodicals as well as monographs and fiction. From 1938 through 1992, Molodaya Gvardiya was responsible for publishing the magazine Vokrug Sveta, one of the best-known Soviet and Russian periodicals devoted to travel, geography, science, and culture. The publisher became particularly associated with long-running series. Its best-known imprint is Zhizn zamechatelnykh lyudey, commonly abbreviated as ZhZL and translated as The Lives of Remarkable People. The series presents biographies of figures from politics, science, literature, the arts, exploration, military history, and other fields. Other series broadened the list into social history, contemporary fiction, science fiction, literary classics, military biography, sports, and popular science. The breadth of these collections made Molodaya Gvardiya an important vehicle for disseminating both educational and general-interest books in the Soviet Union. The publisher also had connections with prominent Soviet cultural and scientific figures. In 1968, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin signed the publication of Psychology and Space, written with Vladimir Lebedev. The work was subsequently reprinted and translated into several languages. Gagarin had earlier contributed a preface to a ZhZL biography of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the pioneer of Russian and Soviet astronautics, in 1962. Molodaya Gvardiya received major Soviet distinctions, including the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1969 and the Lenin Komsomol Prize in 1978. Like many Soviet publishing institutions, it faced a difficult transition during the 1990s. Book circulation fell sharply, and several established series were discontinued or reduced. During the 2000s, the company began a gradual revival of its publishing activity. One notable development was the launch in 2009 of the ZhZL: Small Series, a shorter-format companion to the classic biographical line. Today, Molodaya Gvardiya continues to operate as a Russian publishing house. Its identity remains closely tied to the ZhZL tradition and to nonfiction series that combine biography, historical interpretation, and accessible cultural scholarship. Its historical significance rests both on its longevity and on its role in Soviet and post-Soviet book culture, particularly in biography, educational publishing, and popular historical literature.

Molodaya Gvardiya was founded in Moscow on October 10, 1922, as a publishing and printing association established on the initiative of the Central Committee of the Komsomol. Its initial mission was closely connected with Soviet youth and educational publishing. In its first year it published 71 books, reaching a reported circulation of 584,000 copies. By the 1930s, the organization had expanded its production beyond books to include newspapers and magazines. This development placed it within the broad Soviet system of cultural and informational publishing, in which major houses often combined book production with periodical publishing. From 1938 until 1992, Molodaya Gvardiya published Vokrug Sveta, a magazine focused on travel, geography, science, and the wider world. A central part of the publisher's identity became the Zhizn zamechatelnykh lyudey series, generally known by its abbreviation ZhZL and translated as The Lives of Remarkable People. The series published biographies of notable figures and became one of the most recognizable biographical collections in Russian-language publishing. Molodaya Gvardiya also developed series devoted to contemporary fiction, science fiction, social and everyday history, military figures, sport, literary works, and popular science. The company maintained links with prominent Soviet scientific and cultural personalities. In 1962, Yuri Gagarin wrote a preface for a ZhZL biography of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. In 1968, Gagarin signed the publication of Psychology and Space, co-written with Vladimir Lebedev. The book was later reprinted and translated into multiple languages. The publisher received the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1969 and the Lenin Komsomol Prize in 1978. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Molodaya Gvardiya experienced a severe decline in book circulation during the 1990s. Several established series were discontinued as the publishing sector underwent economic and organizational restructuring. In the 2000s, the company began a gradual revival. In 2009 it introduced the ZhZL: Small Series, a more compact version of the classic ZhZL format. Molodaya Gvardiya remains active in Russia and continues to build on its historic role in biography, history, literature, and popular educational publishing.

• 2009

  Launch of the ZhZL Small Series

  [1]Molodaya Gvardiya (publisher)en.wikipedia.org

  Molodaya Gvardiya introduced a shorter-format version of its established ZhZL biographical series.

• 1992

  End of Vokrug Sveta publishing responsibility

  [1]Molodaya Gvardiya (publisher)en.wikipedia.org

  The publisher's period of responsibility for Vokrug Sveta ended after the late Soviet and early post-Soviet transition.

• 1978

  Lenin Komsomol Prize

  [1]Molodaya Gvardiya (publisher)en.wikipedia.org

  Molodaya Gvardiya received the Lenin Komsomol Prize.

• 1969

  Order of the Red Banner of Labour

  [1]Molodaya Gvardiya (publisher)en.wikipedia.org

  The publisher received the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.

• 1938

  Publication of Vokrug Sveta begins

  [1]Molodaya Gvardiya (publisher)en.wikipedia.org

  Molodaya Gvardiya assumed responsibility for publishing the magazine Vokrug Sveta, a role it retained until 1992.

• 1930

  Expansion into periodicals

  [1]Molodaya Gvardiya (publisher)en.wikipedia.org

  During the 1930s, Molodaya Gvardiya began producing newspapers and magazines in addition to books.

• 1922

  Founding in Moscow

  [1]Molodaya Gvardiya (publisher)en.wikipedia.org

  Molodaya Gvardiya was established on October 10 as a publishing and printing association initiated by the Central Committee of the Komsomol.

• 1922

  First-year publishing output

  [1]Molodaya Gvardiya (publisher)en.wikipedia.org

  The publisher issued 71 books during its first year, with a reported combined circulation of 584,000 copies.

A long-established Russian literary and nonfiction publisher centered on biography, history, cultural education, and accessible reference literature, with a strong heritage in curated book series.

• Biography series

  The Lives of Remarkable People (ZhZL)

  Molodaya Gvardiya's signature biographical series, devoted to notable figures in politics, science, literature, the arts, exploration, military history, and other areas of public and cultural life. It is one of the publisher's defining long-running collections.

• Biography series

  The Lives of Remarkable People: The Biography Continues...

  An extension of the ZhZL concept presenting biographies of later or additional subjects under a continuing-biography format.

• Biography series · 2009

  The Lives of Remarkable People: Small Series

  A compact companion to the classic ZhZL line. Launched in 2009, it differs principally in the shorter volume and reduced scope of its biographical treatment.

• Social and cultural history

  Living History: The Daily Life of Humanity

  A series focused on the everyday experience of people and societies, presenting history through customs, institutions, material culture, and ordinary life.

• Fiction

  Library of Contemporary Fiction

  A fiction collection representing contemporary literary works within Molodaya Gvardiya's broader program of Russian-language and translated literature.

• Science fiction

  Library of Contemporary Science Fiction

  A series devoted to speculative and science-fiction literature, reflecting the publisher's historical role in making genre fiction available to broad Soviet and Russian readerships.

• Sports biography

  Sport and Personality

  A series centered on prominent athletes and sporting figures, combining personal biography with the history and social meaning of sport.

• Military history

  Heroes of the Patriotic War

  A historical and biographical collection devoted to figures associated with the Patriotic War tradition and military history.

• Popular science · 1968

  Psychology and Space

  A book written by Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Lebedev and published by Molodaya Gvardiya in 1968. Its subject connects human psychology with spaceflight, and the work was later reprinted and translated.

• 2009

  Launch of the ZhZL Small SeriesProduct launch

  Background

  Following the publisher's post-Soviet contraction and gradual revival during the 2000s, Molodaya Gvardiya expanded its established biographical program with a shorter-format ZhZL line.

  Action taken

  The publisher introduced The Lives of Remarkable People: Small Series, retaining the core biographical concept while reducing the volume of material.

  Aftermath

  The launch represented a continuation and adaptation of the publisher's best-known series during its renewed activity.

  Source

1. 1Molodaya Gvardiya (publisher)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Molodaya Gvardiya websitegvardiya.ru