The genre in which I write for openDemocracy is tough to define for a Russian. My efforts are definitely not “articles”, and certainly not “socio-political articles”. They’re more like “essays” or “columns” in the classical, European definition.
Since I write in Russian, but for an international platform, I am tempted to talk at length about my genre and its place in western and Russian tradition — in other words, the history and meaning of the “columnist” profession.
A trip down memory lane
The word “column” originates from the printing house. In the 18th century, people started to publish periodical press, as well as inventing a sustained scheme for laying out materials in a magazine or a newspaper.
