Gudok Digital Archive
One of Russia's oldest and leading trade newspapers
Founded in 1917, Gudok (Гудок, Whistle) began as a small newspaper focused on rail industry news, but grew by the 1970s into a 700,000-circulation daily with an edgy mix of commentary and satire on culture, politics, and society. Gudok’s circulation was relatively small—but deceptively influential—when it first started out, which encouraged creativity and expression as the newspaper’s focus on the railway industry shielded authors from some of the ideological hazards of writing for general interest publications. Gudok continues today as Russia’s leading trade newspaper, focused primarily on the railway industry, but attracting a national audience with its coverage of the literary scene. Notable authors and journalists whose works have appeared in Gudok include Ilya Ilf, Mikhail Zoshchenko, Lev Slavin, Sasha Krasny, Alexander Kabakov and others.
