The works of Nikolai Yadrintsev (1842–1884), born in Omsk, play a special part in the history of Siberian literature and culture. He was a prominent scientist, social activist, writer, member of the Russian Geographical Society, one of the founders of the Siberian Regionalism movement. Nikolai Yadrintsev and Grigory Potanin, ethnographer and columnist, were the first to use the phrase ‘Siberian literature.’ Yadrintsev widely promoted the idea of enlightening Siberia and creating local press and journalism.
His book Siberia as a Labor Camp is dedicated to the Russian colonization of Siberia. The book covers all spheres of life in full details. The author based his thoughts on the prospects and success of colonization on racial and nationalist viewpoints which were characteristic of the country’s ideology at the time. The book provides valuable information on the history, geography, economics, demography, and ethnography of Siberia. Yadrintsev mentioned the peculiarities of the character of Siberians: individualism, orientation towards the industrial character of activity, striving for novelty, curiosity, and craving for freedom, expanse, and equality. He insisted that Russian Siberian peasants were more highly-developed than there European brothers in terms of intelligence and customs. Yadrintsev considered the problems of the relationship between colonizers and indigenous peoples and populating Siberia with criminals and convicts. He wrote about the exploitation of Siberian nature, the economy of the region, the lack of educational institutions, and striving for education awakening in Siberians. The author believes that the untold riches of Siberia and its uninhabited expanses should, first of all, serve for the benefit of the region.
Quote from the book, “Mankind, and the Russian people, in particular, need to invite our outskirts to a new life, rouse their social forces to the initiative, and thus initiate a new historical period. Recognizing the maturity of the society, granting civil rights to it, and meeting human aspirations is the sacred duty of the metropole in relation to any young country developing under it.
