Kremlinology: Is 'Russia!' Getting Liquidated?

Russia!, the great little magazine you probably didn't know existed, may not exist much longer. Editor Michael Idov just resigned his post running the year-and-a-half-old title after becoming convinced the funding wasn't there.

"For the last several months, the publisher kept assuring me that the financing for 2009 was in place -- while almost everyone involved in the project, except myself, has not been receiving the money owed to them," he wrote in an email to contributors. "With that in mind, I can't continue associating myself with Russia! in good conscience. It may have been a lark and a bit of a vanity project, but larks can't come at others' expense."

But publisher Ilya Merenzon insists that Russia! will continue publishing, and has the money to do so. "The magazine is not shutting down," he said when I called. "There is money, and it's going as planned." Merenzon said he was under the impression that Idov had quit in order to work on a book, and speculated that Idov had kicked up a fuss because he "probably needs publicity for his book."

Idov says that's not true. "I stand by my earlier statement," he said. "Examples are plentiful." (And, indeed, other Russia! contributors say they've had extreme difficulty getting paid, and the magazine recently scaled back its frequency from quarterly to semi-annual.)

Here's Idov's email to contributors:

From: Michael Idov Date: Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 1:54 PM Subject: i'm out To: [redacted]

Dear all,
Contrary to the rumors, Russia! has never been financed by the KGB; lately, as I have just found out, it hasn't been financed by much of anything [....]. For the last several months, the publisher kept assuring me that the financing for 2009 was in place -- while almost everyone involved in the project, except myself, has not been receiving the money owed to them. This included full-time staffers whose livelihood was wholly dependent on the magazine. Coupled with the publisher's increasing focus on chaotic side projects (from organizing exhibits to turning the magazine's art team into a freelance design workshop), this has convinced me that the people whose work went into the magazine and its wonderful web site are not going to see that work renumerated. With that in mind, I can't continue associating myself with Russia! in good conscience. It may have been a lark and a bit of a vanity project, but larks can't come at others' expense.

I wish I could continue some iteration of Russia! on my own dime, but, sadly, the size of my dime does not allow for it. I look forward to working with all of you someday on a better-run project. Anyone have a number for the KGB?

Michael