Osip Konstantinovich Notovich

NOTOVICH, OSIP KONSTANTINOVICH (1849–1914), journalist and playwright. Notovich was a graduate of the University of St. Petersburg. In his youth he converted to the Greek Orthodox Church. Acquiring the small daily Novosti in 1876, in time he developed it into an important political journal. Although Notovich published facts about the persecution of Jews, he did not come to their defense for fear of losing his Russian readers. Notovich wrote several philosophical works and plays, some of which were performed on the stages of the imperial theaters of Moscow and St. Petersburg. His translation of H.T. Buckle's History of Civilization in England (1890) was especially popular. In 1905 Notovich published a revolutionary appeal for a trade union. As a result, his newspaper was confiscated and he was summoned to court. Subsequently, he fled the country and died abroad.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.