In addition to Novy Mir and Znamya the monthly was a leading and deep-rooted literary magazine in Russia.
[3][4] Particularly during the post-World War II period it became one of the most pro-government publications and was instrumental in shaping the image of Soviet poetry.
[6] In the same period, the monthly was a fierce critic of Nikita Khrushchev's reforms, adopting a Stalinist stance.
[7] The last editor-in-chief was Irina Barmetova who assumed the post in 2001 and continued to edit the magazine until its closure in January 2019.
[9] The 2013 winners were Andrey Bitov for the story "Something with love... ", director Leonid Heifetz for his article "Flashes" and poet Lev Kozlowski for a selection of verses "Sukhoy Bridge".
[5] In addition to literary works, in the 1960s the magazine covered articles on Soviet films, focusing on the merits of these movies.