Maxim Gorky (1868–1936)
Author of The Mother
About the Author
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov, better known as Maxim (Maksim) Gorky, was born on March 28th, 1968. Until the recent collapse of the Soviet state, Gorky was officially viewed as the greatest Russian writer of the twentieth century---an evaluation far above the true measure of his nevertheless show more considerable talent. Proclaimed the founder of socialist realism, he significantly influenced many Soviet writers, as well as others in Europe and in the developing world, and his works were for decades part of the Soviet school curriculum. His formal education was minimal. From the age of 11, he fended for himself with a variety of jobs. Self-taught, he published his first story, "Makar Chudra," in 1892. His first collection, Sketches and Stories (1898), is a romantic celebration of society's strong outcasts---the hobos and the drifters---and helped to popularize such literary protagonists. Foma Gordeyev (1899), Gorky's first novel, depicts generational conflict within the Russian bourgeoisie. A popular public figure on the left, Gorky was often in trouble with the tsarist government. During the 1900s, he was the central figure in the Znanie publishing house, which produced realist prose with a social conscience. Some of his own works were extremely successful. The play The Lower Depths (1902), set in a poorhouse and a strong indictment of social injustice, was not only a staple of Soviet theater but also influential in the United States. Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh was influenced by it. The propagandistic, extraordinarily influential novel Mother (1906) presents an iconic working-class woman who is transformed into a saint of the Revolution; its optimism in the ultimate triumph of the cause made it a prototype of socialist-realist fiction. During the years prior to 1917, Gorky published a number of autobiographical stories: All Over Russia (1912--18) (also Through Russia) and his memoirs; My Childhood (1913--14), My Apprenticeship (1915--16), and My Universities (1923). This trilogy shows his art at its best and includes some very lively reminiscences of such writers as Tolstoy and Chekhov. Although a Bolshevik party member since 1905, Gorky strongly criticized the new regime after the October Revolution: His collected articles from 1917-18, Untimely Thoughts, remained unpublished in the Soviet Union until recently. A cultural activist, he helped to save the lives of many writers, artists, and scholars during the cold and hungry years of the civil war. In 1921 he left Russia for Italy but returned permanently a decade later, recognized as the grand old man of Soviet literature. He then worked for Stalin's economic policies and presided over the institutionalization of socialist realism. At his death, he left unfinished a major novel of considerable interest, The Life of Klim Samgin, which he had been working on since 1925. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: 1906 photograph (LoC Prints and Photographs, LC-USZ62-100472)
Series
Works by Maxim Gorky
Autobiography of Maxim Gorky: My Childhood; In the World; My Universities (2013) 173 copies, 3 reviews
Untimely Thoughts: Essays on Revolution, Culture, and the Bolsheviks, 1917-1918 (Russian Literature and Thought Series) (1970) 57 copies, 1 review
Gorky Plays: 1: The Lower Depths, Summerfolk, Children of the Sun, Barbarians, and Enemies (Methuen's World Dramatists) (1988) 46 copies
Gorky's Tolstoy and Other Reminiscences: Key Writings by and about Maxim Gorky (Russian Literature and Thought… (2008) 21 copies
IHMISEN SYNTY 12 copies
Gorky Plays: 2: The Zykovs; Egor Bulychov; Vassa Zheleznova (The Mother); The Last Ones (Methuen World Classics) (v. 2) (2003) 8 copies, 1 review
The Lower Depths [1936 Jean Renoir film] / The Lower Depths [1957 Akira Kurosawa film] (1936) — Original play — 7 copies
Varenka Olesova : novela / Maximo Gorki ; la traducción del ruso ha sido hecha por N. Tasin 5 copies
Other Fires 5 copies
THE HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR IN THE U.S.S.R.: Vol 1 - The Prelude of the Great Proletarian Revolution (From the… (1937) 5 copies
Seven Plays of Maxim Gorky : The theater of Maxim Gorky, by Alexander Bakshy; The lower depths; Barbarians; Enemies;… (1946) 5 copies
I vagabondi 4 copies
Chelkash 4 copies
Incendio — Author — 4 copies
Erzählungen, Skizzen, Erinnerungen 3 copies
Onder de levenden : verhalen 3 copies
Collected works in ten volumes 3 copies
Reminiscences of my youth, 3 copies
Il ghiaccio si muove 3 copies
Pequenos burgueses; Mãe 3 copies
Pepe : jutustus 3 copies
The last plays of Maxim Gorki; 3 copies
Muinasjutud Itaaliast 3 copies
Макар Чудра и другие рассказы 3 copies
Selected Stories 3 copies
Jutustusi : 1892-1896 2 copies
A mulher dos olhos azuis 2 copies
Inimeste seas : romaan 2 copies
Rusia. Volumen 2 — Contributor — 2 copies
Angustia 2 copies
VALITUT TEOKSET 2 2 copies
Servidão de Amor 2 copies
Рассказы 2 copies
Die Holzflösser und andere Erzählungen (Maxim Gorki Gesammelte Werke in Einzelausgaben, 1) (1926) 2 copies
Boredom 2 copies
Boles 2 copies
Valitut teokset 3 2 copies
Trije ljudje 2 copies
Piccoli borghesi 2 copies
Streik in Neapel 2 copies
Wanderer in den Morgen. 2 copies
Obras Inmortales: La madre ; Tomás Gordeiev ; Mis confesiones ; El crimen de los Artamonov ; El espía ; Los tres ; En… (1981) 2 copies
Zigenare 2 copies
Els menestrals 2 copies
Η ΜΑΝΑ 2 copies
Os Degenerados 2 copies
Dizzy : Erzählung aus dem Jahre 1950 2 copies
The Mother 2 copies
Contos 2 copies
"Foma, kauppiaan poika" 2 copies
L'oro del Volga 2 copies
Varenka Olesova novela 2 copies
Valittuja : novelleja ja runoja 2 copies
Artamonow i synowie 2 copies
Песня о Соколе 2 copies
A MESTER 2 copies
Kiel mi lernis 2 copies
Urspårade 2 copies
Yaşanmış hikayeler 2 copies
Reminiscences of Leonid Andreyev 2 copies
Der Spitzel. Roman 2 copies
Urspårade med flera berättelser 2 copies
GANHANDO MEU PÃO 2 copies
Zulüm 2 copies
Voragem 2 copies
Móðirin - síðari hluti 2 copies
Halki Venäjän 2 copies
Ilya's childhood and Children 2 copies
Artomonovs - del 1 2 copies
Klim Samghin Opere XIX 2 copies
האוניברסיטאות שלי 2 copies
Рассказы; Пьесы; Мать 2 copies
Erlebnisse und Begegnungen 2 copies
Oeuvres 1 copy
La nueva infantesa 1 copy
Lénine et le paysan russe 1 copy
Racconti 1 copy
Une vie inutile 1 copy
Мать : Дело Артамоновых 1 copy
Maxime Gorki. Vie de Klim Samguine. II Klim l'étudiant : . Traduit du russe par M. Dumesnil de Gramont (1935) 1 copy, 1 review
Le patron 1 copy
Maxime Gorki. Lénine et Le Paysan russe : . Traduits du russe... par Michel Dumesnil de Gramont 1 copy
Cuentos / 1 1 copy
Sögur frá Sovétríkjunum 1 copy
Aai 1 copy
Abenteuer meiner Jugend 1 copy
Artamonovien tarina 1 copy
Wanderungen durch Russland 1 copy
Klim Samin I-IV 1 copy
MAA -1 1 copy
Yirmialtı Adam ve Bir Kız 1 copy
Vakooja 1 copy
"Ihmisen synty, kertomuksia" 1 copy
Hjá vandalausum 1 copy
Äiti 1 copy
Móðirin 1 copy
V. I. Lenin 1 copy
Dramen Band 2 1 copy
Dramen Band 1 1 copy
Maxim Gorki-Bystander. 1 copy
Ein Sommer. Roman 1 copy
Dostigaiev e altri 1 copy
Frühe Dramen 1 copy
Im Banne der Kleinstadt 1 copy
Yanshan Ming Zhu 10th Anniversary Special Edition: Childhood / in the world / my college [Paperback] (1991) 1 copy
Valitut teokset 4 1 copy
Сказки ; Рассказы 1 copy
Lr̆e@r̄ 1 copy
В Америке 1 copy
Рассказы и сказки 1 copy
Untimely Thoughts; Essays on Revolution, Culture, and the Bolsheviks, 1917-1918 [By] Maxim Gorky. Translated from the… (1968) 1 copy
Baśnie włoskie 1 copy
Jak uczyłem się 1 copy
Ema 1 copy
AMAR CHELEBELA 1 copy
PRITHIBIR PATHSHALAY 1 copy
ইতালির রূপকথা 1 copy
Kulkuri 1 copy
বুড়ো 1 copy
Short stories and sketches 1 copy
Ein Sommer Roman 1 copy
Az áruló 1 copy
Maailmalla 1 copy
Pequenos burgueses 1 copy
Relatos. Pacckazbi 1 copy
Os Degenerados 1 copy
MICHA 1 copy
A velha Izerguil 1 copy
Stikhotvoreniia 1 copy
History of the Civil War in the USSR (volume 1) The Prelude to the Great Proletarian Revolution 1 copy
Neizdannaíà perepiska s Bogdanovym, Leninym, Stalinym, Zinov§evym, Kamenevym, Korolenko (1998) 1 copy
Four Soviet plays 1 copy
Barndom och vandringsår I 1 copy
Az anya 1 copy
Pʹesy 1 copy
Jutustusi : 1907-1909 1 copy
Valitud jutustused 1 copy
Põhjas : näidend 4 vaatuses 1 copy
Tarbetu inimese elu : romaan 1 copy
Jutustusi : 1896-1900 1 copy
Põhjas : näidend 1 copy
Jutustusi : 1909-1912 1 copy
Jutustusi : 1912-1923 1 copy
Näidendid : 1901-1906 1 copy
As Minhas Universidades 1 copy
தாய் (Tamil Edition) 1 copy
Η φλογερή καρδιά του Ντάνκο 1 copy
NENA 1 copy
TEEN PEEDI 1 copy
Gyermekkorom 1 copy
Doi vagabonzi 1 copy
The magnet 1 copy
Οι Αρταμανοφ 1 copy
Selected stories 1 copy
Les cafards 1 copy
Le passeggiate del diavolo 1 copy
Janta Ke Bich 1 copy
Sahityik Sansmaran 1 copy
Maxim Gorky, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Alexei Tolstoy, Konstantin Fedin on the art and craft of writing 1 copy
WE TEEN 1 copy
Untimely Thoughts; Essays on Revolution, Culture, and the Bolsheviks, 1917-1918 [By] Maxim Gorky. Translated from the… (1968) 1 copy
Plays 1 copy
Gorky 1 copy
Näidendid : 1901-1906 1 copy
ENTREVISTAS 1 copy
OS VAGABUNDOS I E II 1 copy
Vassa Zheleznova 1 copy
Los ex hombres 1 copy
O Vagabundo Filósofo 1 copy
Adolescência 1 copy
Bárbara Olessova - Cuentos 1 copy
SOBRE LA LITERATURA 1 copy
EL PATRONO 1 copy
GOR La madre 1 copy
Teatro Completo 1 copy
Como aprendi a escrever 1 copy
Varenka Olessova 1 copy
Vagabundo filosófico 1 copy
Los Artamanov 1 copy
Teatro Completo, Tomo IV 1 copy
Tempos Passados 1 copy
VEPRA TE ZGJEDHURA 1 copy
Sem Sol, Albergue Nocturno 1 copy
NJEZET E GJASHTE DHE NJE 1 copy
Los hijos del sol 1 copy
O ESPIÃO 1 copy
O espiô 1 copy
Moscú 1984 1 copy
1905 1 copy
Varvara 1 copy
Las sectas 1 copy
A Confissão de Matvéi 1 copy
El gorrioncito # 01123 1 copy
Los bajos fondos 1 copy
ADOLESHENTI 1 copy
El cinismo 1 copy
Maximo Gorki 1 copy
Autores rusos contemporaneos 1 copy
La angustia 1 copy
Un incidente 1 copy
Matka 1 copy
Obras completas 1 copy
Páginas Autobiográficas 1 copy
Páginas de un desconocido 1 copy
Biblioteca Basica Salvat libro RTV numero 056:Cuentos rusos (numerado 2 en interior cubierta) (1970) 1 copy
Artamonovs verk 1 1 copy
Mit Liv - IV. Vandringer 1 copy
Upprop till kulturvärlden 1 copy
Дело Артамоновых 1 copy
Rasskazy, tom 1 1 copy
Copilăria 1 copy
Elbeszélések : 1895-1896 1 copy
В людях 1 copy
Ocherki i vospominanija 1 copy
Naynter yanuar 1 copy
Dray naye skitsen 1 copy
Incontri 1 copy
Мои университеты 1 copy
Фома Гордеев 1 copy
Los Artamónov 1 copy
Дело Артамоновых; Рассказы 1 copy
Žmonėse 1 copy
Карамора 1 copy
Детство 1 copy
Избранное 1 copy
Самовар (Russian Edition) 1 copy
Raštai: T. 1-20 1 copy
Nyár 1 copy
Színművek : 1901-1906 1 copy
Briefwechsel mit Freunden : aus d. Russ. übers. / Maxim Gorki. Dt. von Hartmut Herboth u. Walter Schade. Hrsg. von… (1986) 1 copy
Vladimir Iliitch Lénine 1 copy
In America La madre 1 copy
Fra la gente 1 copy
OPERE 9: 1910-1917 Racconti sull'Italia. Un grande amore. Tre giorni. Un caso della vita di Makar. 1 copy
OPERE 13: 1921-1924 Il tempo di Korolenko. Il danno della filosofia. Primo amore. Note di diario. 1 copy
Considerazioni inattuali 1 copy
Giovinezza tormentata 1 copy
Tra le macerie di Messina 1 copy
Due anime 1 copy
Scritti filosofici e sociali 1 copy
Nelle carceri russe 1 copy
Kinder der Sonne - Programm 1 copy
Σελίδες εκ της επαναστάσεως 1 copy
Klim Samghin Opere XVIII 1 copy
Klim Samghin Opere XVII 1 copy
Klim Samghin Opere XVI 1 copy
Come vidi l'america 1 copy
Εκλεκτά Έργα 1 copy
Een natuurkind 1 copy
The Works of Maxim Gorky 1 copy
The Nightingale (Condensed) 1 copy
The Nightingale 1 copy
Старуха Изергиль 1 copy
حياتي 1 copy
طفولتي 1 copy
رجال ونساء 1 copy
The Story of a Novel 1 copy
קלים סאמגין : רומאן 1 copy
Prithibir Pathshalay 1 copy
Prithibir Pothe 1 copy
Tales of Italy. Childhood 1 copy
The Zykovs 1 copy
כתבים 1 copy
Plays. The Lower Depths, Summer Folk, Enemies, Yegor Bulychov and Others, Vassa Zheleznova (1975) 1 copy
Ο Σοσιαλιστικός Ρεαλισμός 1 copy
מבחר סיפורי גורקי 1 copy
Un-Timely Thoughts 1 copy
Jeevan Ki Rahon Par 1 copy
Tolstoy'dan Anılar 1 copy
Chhalana 1 copy
Chuni Hui Rachnayen, 2 (Budhiya Izergil, Chelkash, Baaz Ka Geet, Lev Tolstoy, Tutati Kadiyan) 1 copy
Veh Teen 1 copy
Mera Bachpan 1 copy
Mere Vishhwavidyyalay 1 copy
A Confession 1 copy
Collected Works 1 copy
[Maa'n] ماں 1 copy
ආර්තමොනොව්ලාගේ කතාව 1 copy
තිදෙනා 1 copy
පොමා ගොර්දෙයෙව් 1 copy
අම්මා 1 copy
Maa 1 copy
ΔΙΗΓΗΜΑΤΑ 1 copy
Nuoruuteni yliopistot 1 copy
Οι πρώην άνθρωποι 1 copy
Lenine 1 copy
Os Vagabundos / II 1 copy
أرض الضياع 1 copy
كيف تعلمت الكتابة 1 copy
MAAN 1 copy
Makar Cudra 1 copy
La Angustia - El Lector 1 copy
Maxim Gorky : collected works in ten volumes. Vol.7, My apprenticeship : My universities (1981) 1 copy
Pemogokan Indonesian 1 copy
Dongeng dari Sayap Kiri 1 copy
Fortellinger II 1 copy
Páginas de un descontento 1 copy
El espectador novela 1 copy
Selected Works. The Mother 1 copy
Wśród ludzi 1 copy
YIRMI ALTI ADAM VE BIR KIZ 1 copy
Çelkaş 1 copy
İnsanlarımız 1 copy
Põhjas 1 copy
Fortellinger I 1 copy
Fortellinger III 1 copy
Fra Stepperne 1 copy
Ausgewählte Werke III.-V. 1 copy
Literaire portretten 1 copy
Konowalow. Großvater Archip 1 copy
Mother Мать 母亲 3 1 copy
Ausgewählte Werke I.-II. 1 copy
De jonge stormvogel 1 copy
Fortellinger IV 1 copy
Os Vagabundos 1 copy
Onder Vreemden 1 copy
Slaven 1 copy
Mother 1 Матъ 1 母亲 1 1 copy
Romane 1 copy
W Ameryce 1 copy
Ein junges Mädchen Erzählung von Maxim Gorki [d.i. Aleksěj Maksimovič Pěškov]. Deutsch von L. M.… 1 copy
O anagnostis / Ο αναγνώστης 1 copy
I decaduti 1 copy
Natthärbärget 1 copy
Drei Dramen 1 copy
Tra la Gente 1 copy
Racconti del Volga 1 copy
L'adolescente 1 copy
℗La ℗madre 1 copy
Fortellinger. B.4 1 copy
Artamonovs verk. B.1 1 copy
Artamonovs verk. B.2 1 copy
Fortellinger. B.1 1 copy
Due ritratti del Kaiser 1 copy
Ut i verden / B.2 1 copy
Skrifter 9 3 Fortellinger 1 copy
Skrifter 5 1 Fortellinger 1 copy
Skrifter 2-3 2 Ut i verden 1 copy
Skrifter 1 Barndom 1 copy
Letters 1 copy
Ricordi su Leone Tolstoi 1 copy
Erzählungen 1 copy
Podnik Artamonových 1 copy
Erindringer om Leo Tolstoj 1 copy
El gorrioncito 1 copy
VALITUT TEOKSET 4 1 copy
RASSKAZY = KERTOMUKSIA 1 copy
I tre e altri racconti 1 copy
Kirjad kolleegidele 1 copy
Trojica 1 copy
U tamnici 1 copy
Mother Мать 母亲 4 1 copy
Drame 1 copy
Pripovjetke 1910-1915 1 copy
Městečko Okurov Léto 1 copy
En Þkb̜mandsslğts historie 1 copy
Pekař Semjonov 1 copy
Il burlone 1 copy
Læreår 1 copy
I mörkret 1 copy
Obesvarad kärlek 1 copy
En hjälte 1 copy
Eremiten 1 copy
Tolstoj 1 copy
Noterelle 1 copy
Beste Van Gorki, Het 1 copy
Associated Works
Anton Chekhov's Short Stories [Norton Critical Edition, 1st ed.] (1979) — Contributor — 643 copies, 8 reviews
75 Short Masterpieces: Stories from the World's Literature (1961) — Contributor — 305 copies, 1 review
The Portable Nineteenth-Century Russian Reader (1993) — Author, some editions — 208 copies, 1 review
The Graphic Canon, Vol. 3: From Heart of Darkness to Hemingway to Infinite Jest (2013) — Contributor — 151 copies, 1 review
Writing New York: A Literary Anthology (Expanded 10th-Anniversary Edition) (2008) — Contributor — 95 copies, 1 review
Anthology of Russian Literature in the Soviet Period from Gorki to Pasternak (1960) — Contributor — 69 copies
Lovers & Other Monsters: A Collection of Amorous Tales of Fantasy, Old and New (1993) — Contributor — 59 copies, 1 review
Out of the Best Books: An Anthology of Literature, Vol. 1: The Individual and Human Values (1964) — Contributor — 40 copies
A Very Russian Christmas: The Greatest Russian Holiday Stories of All Time (2016) — Contributor — 37 copies, 1 review
Four Modern Plays Ibsen: Rosmersholm. Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest. Rostand: Cyrano de Bergerac. Gorky: The… (1961) 13 copies
Oogst der tijden : keur uit de werken van schrijvers en dichters aller volken en eeuwen (1940) — Contributor — 10 copies
Meesters der vertelkunst : zevenenderdig verhalen uit de moderne wereldliteratuur (1975) — Contributor — 2 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Gorky, Maxim
- Legal name
- Peshkov, Aleksei Maksimovich
- Other names
- Khlamida, Jehudiel
Gorky, Maxsim - Birthdate
- 1868-03-28
- Date of death
- 1936-06-18
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Russia
- Birthplace
- Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Empire
- Place of death
- Gorki Leninskiye, Moscow Oblast, Soviet Union
- Places of residence
- Capri, Italy
Adirondack Mountains, USA
St. Petersburg, Russia
Moscow, Russia
Sorrento, Italy - Occupations
- writer
political activist - Relationships
- Budberg, Moura (lover)
- Organizations
- Bolshevik Party
- Awards and honors
- Honorary Academician of Literature (annulled by the Tsar)
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 900
- Also by
- 43
- Members
- 7,214
- Popularity
- #3,395
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 121
- ISBNs
- 985
- Languages
- 31
- Favorited
- 15
The story is written in the first person plural narrative of one of twenty six bakers who are almost like prisoners, always in the cellar of a big stony house and working long hours of the day making kringles. The only bright spot in their dreary existence – or as they call her, "a substitute for the sun” – is sixteen year old Tanya, who works at an embroidery shop two floors above. She stops by daily asking the “prisoners” for kringles and they willingly offer her not just the pretzels but also help out in her chores. Soon, Tanya becomes an ideal girl in their minds, too pure to be teased or reprimanded or lusted after. But when an ex-soldier joins their bakery and claims he can seduce Tanya, a new tension begins and escalates. The end result of the soldier’s attempt changes many lives for the worse.
This is my first ever Maxim Gorky work and I was pretty impressed by the atmosphere he creates. His descriptions in the initial section about the gloominess and drudgery of the bakers’ lives is so well-written that even you feel one with their pain. His writing casts a brilliant spotlight on their psychology as they begin to idolise an ordinary girl even when she is just using them and later, when reality hits, the resulting repercussions. The extreme duality of their thinking is so evident when Tanya turns from goddess to slut in their eyes, though whatever she did was none of their business and whatever they had assumed about her wasn’t of her making. I loved how Gorky didn’t turn Tanya into an apologetic mess. Rather, she walks away with her head held high while the twenty six lose the only ray of sunshine in their miserable lives.
3.75 stars.
This classic story is in the public domain and hence available on various websites for free. You can read it within 30 minutes. I read it from this link:
https://short-stories.co/stories/twenty-six-men-and-a-girl-PadnbXBneXx
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