The 60th (jubilee) number of the most popular Russian LGBT periodical "Kvir" ("Queer") has been published early this month. In September 2008 "Kvir" celebrates its fifth anniversary!We would like to remind you that the pilot issue of "Kvir" came out in August 2003, while the next issue was on sale in all Moscow's gay clubs only one month later.
The charity foundation "Together" was the publisher. According to the data obtained from the Russian Union of the Press Distributors, in just a year, being freely distributed via general distribution networks, in 2005 and 2007 the magazine succeeded to outrun several times in sales such glossy press brands as "The GQ" and others. Entire pages of the British "The Times", "The Independent" and Italian "La Repubblica" were dedicated to the first Russian gay glossy magazine.
"Had I known what difficulties I were to face, I would have never published "Kvir", says Ed Mishin, its publisher. "It was a huge scope of work, finance and other hardships. I had to be up against a blank wall... Just imagine, we bring the magazine to distributors, but they say: "We won't put it on sale". Even incentives were not accepted". On the Russian market there's a number of companies, some of them are being known as the key players in this sector of the market, declaring that they do not want to deal with gay-related editions". "It is of no importance for us that your magazine is not an erotic one and that you have for every edition of your periodical the official resolution of the Experts Council stating that "Kvir" is a good, correct periodical and can be distributed freely."
Later Ed Mishin was in general satisfied how things were going with the "Kvir". "New authors want to work with us. Well known journalists, not only gay, quite easily agree to work in our team. And I think that with the authors it would be somewhat easier (to work with). But from the general point of view on the project as a whole, certainly, it is still very difficult because even now we have to bend much effort to jump over hurdles...".
Gennady Trifonov, a writer and a poet from Saint-Petersburg, reflects, "It would be a serious mistake to consider that "Kvir" popularizes homosexuality in a meaning that homophobes and other people with evident mental deviations are used to know. I work with the "Kvir" since 2005 and I can confirm how seriously the articles, sent to the editorial from various authors that dream of being published in it, are selected and approved for printing. A serious barrier is given by the Editorial to any platitude, scabrousness, cheap sensations and demi-monde gossips. I think, the best publications of "Kvir" are subordinated to the Hellenic paedagogical Eros and published here verses, prose and pamphletes are permeated with the air of Antiquity - the Golden time of Humanity. That's why I refused the proposals to publish with from other russian magazines even for a good sum of money. Even in the "Kontinent" ("Continent") I do not show up for a long time. What for? The reader of the "Kvir" is my near, dear and understanding friend.
KVIR project page (in English) >>
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Translation by Yerdna Bananes
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