Inventory of the Seva Novgorodsev letters received
Finding aid prepared by Hoover Institution Library and Archives Staff
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 2010
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
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Title: Seva Novgorodsev letters received
Date (inclusive): 1946-2004
Collection Number: 2010C20
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
Russian
Physical Description:
26 manuscript boxes
(10.4 Linear Feet)
Abstract: The collection consists of letters from listeners of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Russian service broadcasts, related
to social and cultural conditions, and especially to music in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia.
Creator:
British Broadcasting Corporation
Creator:
Novgorodsev, Seva
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2010.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Seva Novgorodsev letters received, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library &
Archives.
Biographical/Historical Note
| 1940 July 9 |
Born, Leningrad, Soviet Union (now St. Petersburg, Russia) |
| 1949 |
Moved to Tallinn, Estonia |
| 1954 |
Won first prize in on Estonian talent show |
| 1959-1964 |
Played in brass and jazz bands in Tallinn |
| 1962 |
Graduated from Leningradskoe vysshee inzhenernoe morskoe uchilishche imeni admirala C. O. Makarova (LVIMU), (Marine Academy) |
| 1962-1964 |
Served as a navigator for the Estonian Shipping Company |
| 1964-1975 |
Joined as a musician in the Joseph Weinstein's jazz orchestra, then head of "Dobrye molodtsy" rock group |
| 1973-1975 |
Worked for Moskontsert (Moscow Concert Association) |
| 1975 November 18 |
Left the Soviet Union for Austria, then Italy |
| 1977 |
Moved to London, England |
| Since March 1977 |
Working for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as a translator, then as a radio presenter on the BBC Russian Service |
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists of letters from listeners of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Russian service broadcasts,
related to social and cultural conditions, especially to music in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia.
The letters are addressed to Seva Novgorodsev, a radio presenter at the BBC Russian Service who became famous throughout the
former Soviet Union. He created the "Rok-posevy" music program and "the Sevaoborot" and "BibiSeva" chat shows.
Most of the letters are from listeners and concern Seva Novgorodsev's musical and chat programs, including program comments,
suggestions, and requests for information. These programs were the source of information not only about rock music but also
about everyday life in Soviet Union. The letters were later used by the broadcaster in his programs, making a strong connection
with the audience and creating an atmosphere of cultural dialogue.
As Seva Novgodsev noted in his correspondence to the Hoover Institution, "These letters should be valued in the context of
the years in which they were written. They show a gradual evolution of individual freedom in the USSR and young people's realizations
of their own rights, daring to say what would be unthinkable before. They are also particularly valuable because of their
informal nature and sincerity. Some of the letters come from the rural areas and they provide a glimpse of reality in those
places. In short the letters witness the last years of Soviet communism from unexpected and previously unavailable source."
Some letters are accompanied by clippings, articles, brochures, and sound recordings. These materials may be found in the
Printed matter and
Sound recordings series, as well as in
Letters from listeners.
Additional letters sent from fan clubs may be found in the
Letters from fan clubs series. As Seva Novgordsev notes, "In 1988, Shura of Medvezhegorsk began collecting fan club rock-transfers via BBC. Thus
began Norris (Independent Combined Information Rock Syndicate). In its heyday it had more than twenty offices around the USSR."
Sources:
Seva Novgorodsev e-mail correspondence to Lyalya Kharitonova of the Hoover Institution, June 5, 2010
Related Materials
Conference on Cold War Broadcasting Impact proceedings, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Charles D. Ablard papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Vl. Zhabinskii papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Alexander Vardy papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Radio broadcasting -- Soviet Union
Radio broadcasting -- Russia (Federation)
Music -- Soviet Union
Soviet Union -- Social conditions
Russia (Federation) -- Social conditions
Music -- Russia (Federation)
Letters from listeners
1983-2004
Scope and Contents note
Some letters include notes, clippings, and photographs
Letters from fan clubs
1988-1999
Personal letters
1976-1999
Printed matter
1946, 1983-1999
box 25, folder 12
V tiskakh dukhovnogo gneta, by G.K. Akshin, A.P. Midler, "Mysl'," Moscow
1986
box 25, folder 13
Vest' ot Aleksandra, by Vladimir Babichev, "Govard Press," Kiev
1999
box 25, folder 14
The Complete Sonatas, by G.F. Handel, Faber Music Limited, London
1983
box 25, folder 14
Marketing Week, London
August 28, 1992
box 25, folder 15-16
Russian newspapers and brochures
1991
box 25, folder 17
Ogonëk, No. 19, clippings
1946
box 26, folder 1-5
Russian newspapers and brochures collected as background material for
Hey Diddle Diddle, screenplay written by Seva Novgorodsev
1990-1992
Sound recordings
1977, 1993-1997
box 26, folder 6
"Tabula Rasa" rock-group album, audio cassette, Kiev, Ukraine
1997
box 26, folder 7
"Russian Orthodox Music," by Moscow male choir "Amvrosii Choir," CD
1993
box 26, folder 8
"Faust, Stereolab, Foetus," performance on �berschall Festivals, Germany, vinyl record
1996
box 26, folder 9
"Zhenshchina, kotoraia poet," songs by Alla Pugacheva, vinyl record, Moscow
1977
