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Tales from Gorky
Born Aleksey Maksimovich Peshkov on March 16, 1868, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia - later renamed in his honor - Maxim Gorky (pseudonym which means "the bitter one") would learn early the harsh lessons of life. He spent his early childhood in Astrakhan where his father worked as a shipping agent, but when the boy was only five years old, his father died, and he was sent to live with his maternal grandparents. This was not a happy time for the young Gorky as conditions were poor and often violent. At the age of eight, the boy's grandfather forced him to quit school and apprenticed him to several tradesmen including a shoemaker and an icon painter. Fortunately, Gorky also worked as a dishwasher on a Volga steamer where a friendly cook taught him to read, and literature soon became his passion.
At the present (1912) Gorky is, without doubt, by far the most popular author in Russia, and the authorities there have already paid him the compliment of branding his writings as even more dangerous than those of this veteran contemporary, Count Leo Tolstoi. He is also, likely to give them much more trouble in the future than the Count, as his temperament and genius are distinctly of the volcanic order.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1909
About the author
Maksim Gorky
740 books14 followersAlso known as Alexei Maximovich (Aleksei Maksimovich) Peshkov.
Alternate spelling for Maxim Gorky.
Alternate spelling for Maxim Gorky.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 1, 2016
Maxim Gorky was an amazing writer, and in my opinion, he stands on the highest grounds in literature. The world would be a much better place if more people would read his works.
His short stories are powerful mosaics of pessimism blending perfectly with the hope found within the human heart.
His short stories are powerful mosaics of pessimism blending perfectly with the hope found within the human heart.
August 19, 2023
مجموعه داستانهایی از ماکسیم گورکی، خوندنش خیلی لذتبخش بود. با فهرست کتاب جدید مقایسه کردم، تعداد داستانهای کتابی که من خوندم کمتر بود. ( کتاب رو از کتابخونه گرفته بودم و خیلی خیلی قدیمی بود، عنوان تعدادی از داستانها هم تغییر پیدا کرده بود.)
December 10, 2013
I wish people read more of Gorky. He's a superb writer. I highly recommend his Three Friends.
March 12, 2016
Makim Gorki - cea mai proeminentă figură a realismului socialist...
I. ÎN FAŢA VIEŢII (8/10)
Debutul abrupt câştigă toată stima cititorului: "În faţa Vieţii stăteau doi oameni, amândoi nemulţumiţi de ea."
Aspectul satiric se cristalizează ulterior, în jurul conceptelor de libertate şi dreptate, iar asta cu un oarecare caracter antitetic.
II. SCATIUL MINCINOS ŞI CIOCĂNITOAREA IUBITOARE DE ADEVĂR (9/10)
Operă cu aspect fabulistic, întruchipând, sub masca diferitelor păsări, tipologii umane. Scrierea prezintă societatea aflată în mrejele ideologiei revoluţionare radicale. O masă de oameni, un conservator siret şi minuţios şi un revoluţionar, un fiu al libertăţii, înflăcărat. În fine - un ideal dus la pierzanie din pricina spectrului său pur-teoretic.
Politica culturală promovată în URSS, ulterior, deoarece Gorki şi-a desăvârşit opera încă înainte de Revoluţie:
"Prieteni, e învins cel ce se teme
De muncă şi se tânguie şi geme
Şi judecă destinul bătăliei
Ascuns în negura filosofiei."
"Afară! Facem zeilor război,
Nu ei să aibă-ntaietate, noi!"
"şi-şi amintiră de caraghiosul piţigoi, căruia îi venise în minte odată să dea foc marii..."
III. CELKAŞ (10+)
Tragedie romanţată a două suflete oropsite, construite în antiteză. Tema banului se îmbină cu tema conştiinţei, "Celkas" prezentând drama omului sărac, lipsit de orice oportunitate de a-şi schimba condiţia socială.
IV. KONOVALOV (10+)
M-a cuprins nostalgia încă din incipit. Memoria afectivă (involuntară) a naratorului, însuşi Gorki (deci opera are caracter autobiografic), este declanşată de un eveniment relatat la ziar: Konovalov, un deţinut liniştit, s-a sinucis. Acesta nu este nimeni altul decât un vechi tovarăş al lui Gorki. Ulterior, este relatată cronologic povestea vieţii lui.
Scrierea prefigurează anumite aspecte existenţialiste (ciudat!), date de conjunctura acţiunii operei...
O altă lume, parcă, scumpă stepă rusă pe care nu am cunoscut-o decât în cărţi.
V. CUM N-AU ÎNGHEŢAT UN BĂIAT ŞI O FETIŢĂ (10/10)
Incipit abrupt: "O tradiţie veche vrea că în povestirile de crăciun, un anumit număr de copii săraci să moară în fiecare an, îngheţaţi."
Gorki e un mare povestitor. Leagă o relaţie atât de strânsă cu cititorul încât oferă iluzia că -acum, după un veac- stai de vorbă cu el.
Dorind să surprindă marile discrepanţe dintre paturile sociale antebelice, Gorki pune în contrast boierii cu doi copii sărmani, având doar hainele de pe ei şi aflaţi în grija unei mătuşi rele.
Şi n-au îngheţat: "e cu totul lipsit de noimă să faci să îngheţe nişte copii care au toate posibilităţile să piară într-un fel mai simplu şi mai natural."
VI. MOŞ ARHIP ŞI LIONKA (10/10)
Problema care mi s-a înfăţişat după ce am citit nuvela a fost următoarea: în Europa întreagă, la răscrucea secolelor XIX-XX, soarta ţăranilor era aproape funestă, iar în Rusia... ca în orice alt stat. De ce au fost, totuşi, ruşii aceia care au fost capabili de reformă? Nu cred nicidecum că e vorba de pasiunea înnăscută a rusului. Cred că, mai degrabă, ţărănimea şi proletariatul au constituit un exod organizat. Popii -în Rusia- nu şedeau în palate, ci dormeau în chilii sărăcăcioase şi se situau în fruntea oropsiţilor... Au fost închegaţi.
VII. BALOANE DE SĂPUN (7/10)
Titlul este satiric în cel mai înalt grad. Povestirea prezintă clica ficţională a literaţilor ruşi lipsiţi de valoare, dar cu mari pretenţii în ceea ce priveşte gloria. Sunt plini de prejudecăţi, de manierism făţarnic, după cum surprinde însăşi GLORIA personificată: "Ivan! Crede-mă: geniul nu trebuie să ascundă nimic ochilor lumii."
VIII. CÂNTECUL VESTITORULUI FURTUNII (8/10)
"Vestitorul" furtunii -din această proză de o profundă muzicalitate- lasă loc interpretărilor multiple. Desfăşurată pe un fundal celest, descrierea are caracterul profund al unui dedesubt interpretabil. Săracul cititor, cu spirit hermeneutic, prin definiţie, are atâtea posibilităţi de a interpreta, încât acestea se pot înfăţişa la extreme diametral-opuse.
IX. CÂNTECUL ŞOIMULUI (9/10)
O povestire în ramă, o metanuvela, având drept cadru-incipit o şedere pe malul lacului, într-o noapte târzie. "Tabloul" este dat de un "cântec" ce are că morală ideea conform căreia fiecărei fiinţe -chiar şi din interiorul aceluiaşi "regn"- îi este dat un anumit mediu, un anumit scop şi-i sunt "inserate" anumite aşteptări, astfel încât protagonistul -şoim fiind- năzuieşte spre înaltul cerului chiar şi atunci când are aripa rănită. Deznodământul este previzibil: aruncându-se de pe o stanca, "fiinţă" care încearcă să-şi depăşească a sa condiţie... moare.
X. 9 IANUARIE (10+)
Părintele realismului socialist prezintă în această nuvela ziua de 9 ianuarie 1905 -cea care avea să rămână în istorie sub denumirea de "Duminica sângeroasă".
Cuţitul monarhic al ţarului ajunsese nu la osul, ci în măduva ţăranului.
Acum, stau şi mă întreb cum de a fost atât de lesne de înfăptuit Marea REvoluţie Socialistă în Rusia. Ruşii, de când se ştiu, prin structura lor milenară, s-au complăcut în mizerie şi în viciu. Lor, dacă nu le dai pe tavă, nu cer. Dacă nu-i ataci, nu te-atacă (aviz Hitler, Napoleon!).
Cred că liantul revoluţiei socialiste -căci asta prezintă nuvela: o revoluţie socialistă- a fost reprezentat de mişcarea marxistă condusă de micii intelectuali ruşi. Ţăranul orişiunde era exploatat, dar nu orişiunde ţăranii erau grupaţi şi organizaţi.
"Nu vom putea uita ziua de azi!!" -este una dintre ultimele exclamaţii ale nuvelei care exprimă în mod concis faptul că Revoluţia din Octombrie nu a fost o întâmplare, nu s-a făcut brusc, ci a parcurs o serie de etape în care obrazul proletarului a fost tot mai batjocorit.
Andrei Tamaş,
12 martie 2016
I. ÎN FAŢA VIEŢII (8/10)
Debutul abrupt câştigă toată stima cititorului: "În faţa Vieţii stăteau doi oameni, amândoi nemulţumiţi de ea."
Aspectul satiric se cristalizează ulterior, în jurul conceptelor de libertate şi dreptate, iar asta cu un oarecare caracter antitetic.
II. SCATIUL MINCINOS ŞI CIOCĂNITOAREA IUBITOARE DE ADEVĂR (9/10)
Operă cu aspect fabulistic, întruchipând, sub masca diferitelor păsări, tipologii umane. Scrierea prezintă societatea aflată în mrejele ideologiei revoluţionare radicale. O masă de oameni, un conservator siret şi minuţios şi un revoluţionar, un fiu al libertăţii, înflăcărat. În fine - un ideal dus la pierzanie din pricina spectrului său pur-teoretic.
Politica culturală promovată în URSS, ulterior, deoarece Gorki şi-a desăvârşit opera încă înainte de Revoluţie:
"Prieteni, e învins cel ce se teme
De muncă şi se tânguie şi geme
Şi judecă destinul bătăliei
Ascuns în negura filosofiei."
"Afară! Facem zeilor război,
Nu ei să aibă-ntaietate, noi!"
"şi-şi amintiră de caraghiosul piţigoi, căruia îi venise în minte odată să dea foc marii..."
III. CELKAŞ (10+)
Tragedie romanţată a două suflete oropsite, construite în antiteză. Tema banului se îmbină cu tema conştiinţei, "Celkas" prezentând drama omului sărac, lipsit de orice oportunitate de a-şi schimba condiţia socială.
IV. KONOVALOV (10+)
M-a cuprins nostalgia încă din incipit. Memoria afectivă (involuntară) a naratorului, însuşi Gorki (deci opera are caracter autobiografic), este declanşată de un eveniment relatat la ziar: Konovalov, un deţinut liniştit, s-a sinucis. Acesta nu este nimeni altul decât un vechi tovarăş al lui Gorki. Ulterior, este relatată cronologic povestea vieţii lui.
Scrierea prefigurează anumite aspecte existenţialiste (ciudat!), date de conjunctura acţiunii operei...
O altă lume, parcă, scumpă stepă rusă pe care nu am cunoscut-o decât în cărţi.
V. CUM N-AU ÎNGHEŢAT UN BĂIAT ŞI O FETIŢĂ (10/10)
Incipit abrupt: "O tradiţie veche vrea că în povestirile de crăciun, un anumit număr de copii săraci să moară în fiecare an, îngheţaţi."
Gorki e un mare povestitor. Leagă o relaţie atât de strânsă cu cititorul încât oferă iluzia că -acum, după un veac- stai de vorbă cu el.
Dorind să surprindă marile discrepanţe dintre paturile sociale antebelice, Gorki pune în contrast boierii cu doi copii sărmani, având doar hainele de pe ei şi aflaţi în grija unei mătuşi rele.
Şi n-au îngheţat: "e cu totul lipsit de noimă să faci să îngheţe nişte copii care au toate posibilităţile să piară într-un fel mai simplu şi mai natural."
VI. MOŞ ARHIP ŞI LIONKA (10/10)
Problema care mi s-a înfăţişat după ce am citit nuvela a fost următoarea: în Europa întreagă, la răscrucea secolelor XIX-XX, soarta ţăranilor era aproape funestă, iar în Rusia... ca în orice alt stat. De ce au fost, totuşi, ruşii aceia care au fost capabili de reformă? Nu cred nicidecum că e vorba de pasiunea înnăscută a rusului. Cred că, mai degrabă, ţărănimea şi proletariatul au constituit un exod organizat. Popii -în Rusia- nu şedeau în palate, ci dormeau în chilii sărăcăcioase şi se situau în fruntea oropsiţilor... Au fost închegaţi.
VII. BALOANE DE SĂPUN (7/10)
Titlul este satiric în cel mai înalt grad. Povestirea prezintă clica ficţională a literaţilor ruşi lipsiţi de valoare, dar cu mari pretenţii în ceea ce priveşte gloria. Sunt plini de prejudecăţi, de manierism făţarnic, după cum surprinde însăşi GLORIA personificată: "Ivan! Crede-mă: geniul nu trebuie să ascundă nimic ochilor lumii."
VIII. CÂNTECUL VESTITORULUI FURTUNII (8/10)
"Vestitorul" furtunii -din această proză de o profundă muzicalitate- lasă loc interpretărilor multiple. Desfăşurată pe un fundal celest, descrierea are caracterul profund al unui dedesubt interpretabil. Săracul cititor, cu spirit hermeneutic, prin definiţie, are atâtea posibilităţi de a interpreta, încât acestea se pot înfăţişa la extreme diametral-opuse.
IX. CÂNTECUL ŞOIMULUI (9/10)
O povestire în ramă, o metanuvela, având drept cadru-incipit o şedere pe malul lacului, într-o noapte târzie. "Tabloul" este dat de un "cântec" ce are că morală ideea conform căreia fiecărei fiinţe -chiar şi din interiorul aceluiaşi "regn"- îi este dat un anumit mediu, un anumit scop şi-i sunt "inserate" anumite aşteptări, astfel încât protagonistul -şoim fiind- năzuieşte spre înaltul cerului chiar şi atunci când are aripa rănită. Deznodământul este previzibil: aruncându-se de pe o stanca, "fiinţă" care încearcă să-şi depăşească a sa condiţie... moare.
X. 9 IANUARIE (10+)
Părintele realismului socialist prezintă în această nuvela ziua de 9 ianuarie 1905 -cea care avea să rămână în istorie sub denumirea de "Duminica sângeroasă".
Cuţitul monarhic al ţarului ajunsese nu la osul, ci în măduva ţăranului.
Acum, stau şi mă întreb cum de a fost atât de lesne de înfăptuit Marea REvoluţie Socialistă în Rusia. Ruşii, de când se ştiu, prin structura lor milenară, s-au complăcut în mizerie şi în viciu. Lor, dacă nu le dai pe tavă, nu cer. Dacă nu-i ataci, nu te-atacă (aviz Hitler, Napoleon!).
Cred că liantul revoluţiei socialiste -căci asta prezintă nuvela: o revoluţie socialistă- a fost reprezentat de mişcarea marxistă condusă de micii intelectuali ruşi. Ţăranul orişiunde era exploatat, dar nu orişiunde ţăranii erau grupaţi şi organizaţi.
"Nu vom putea uita ziua de azi!!" -este una dintre ultimele exclamaţii ale nuvelei care exprimă în mod concis faptul că Revoluţia din Octombrie nu a fost o întâmplare, nu s-a făcut brusc, ci a parcurs o serie de etape în care obrazul proletarului a fost tot mai batjocorit.
Andrei Tamaş,
12 martie 2016
October 12, 2015
Gorky began writing short stories and novels in the late 1800s after he was told that he was no good as a poet. Now his work is a must read if you want to know about life in Russia up to 1936 when he died.
As well as writing, Gorky was a well-known revolutionist. He served time in Russian jails quite often.
These stories are like nothing else I've ever read in Russian lit. They are very unassuming. You can tell they are Gorky's but little of Gorky is in them. He lets his characters tell their own tales. As well, he lets the stories stop after the action he intends to describe is finished. There are no "endings" to these stories. They simply end.
This can be very disconcerting to people who like beginnings and endings, neatly wrapping up each end of a story, but here it is tremendously effective.
Gorky writes about common Russians and never tries to show sympathy with them or condemnation of them overtly. He is more of a reporter of life than a real author. Stories deal with a thief who recruits a young man from the villages to help him one night only to discover that the young man is willing to commit murder to get the money to return home; a young girl from the famine districts whose husband has died gives birth along the roadside, washes herself and the baby in the nearby river and continues walking to catch up with the other members of the group. A group of "Creatures That Once Were Men" live together in a loose community in a doss house that has only benches with straw on them for beds; a Jew who is always beat when he goes through town selling his wares saves the town "big man" from death in return for his protection only to find that men must follow their places in life. No gloss here.
And because of that they are all the more powerful. An unflinching look at how Russian men of that period, driven to towns by famine, losing jobs and becoming alchoholics, getting by on what they can, still remain men although society sees them differently.
As well as writing, Gorky was a well-known revolutionist. He served time in Russian jails quite often.
These stories are like nothing else I've ever read in Russian lit. They are very unassuming. You can tell they are Gorky's but little of Gorky is in them. He lets his characters tell their own tales. As well, he lets the stories stop after the action he intends to describe is finished. There are no "endings" to these stories. They simply end.
This can be very disconcerting to people who like beginnings and endings, neatly wrapping up each end of a story, but here it is tremendously effective.
Gorky writes about common Russians and never tries to show sympathy with them or condemnation of them overtly. He is more of a reporter of life than a real author. Stories deal with a thief who recruits a young man from the villages to help him one night only to discover that the young man is willing to commit murder to get the money to return home; a young girl from the famine districts whose husband has died gives birth along the roadside, washes herself and the baby in the nearby river and continues walking to catch up with the other members of the group. A group of "Creatures That Once Were Men" live together in a loose community in a doss house that has only benches with straw on them for beds; a Jew who is always beat when he goes through town selling his wares saves the town "big man" from death in return for his protection only to find that men must follow their places in life. No gloss here.
And because of that they are all the more powerful. An unflinching look at how Russian men of that period, driven to towns by famine, losing jobs and becoming alchoholics, getting by on what they can, still remain men although society sees them differently.
June 15, 2019
"Memory, the scourge of the unhappy, gives life to the very stones of the past, and even into poison drunk long ago pours drops of honey..." (30)
February 16, 2023
I read the following 5 stories by Gorky (not exactly the ones in the book I chose from Goodreads):
-Twenty-six and one
-My traveling companion
-Tchelkache
-Malva
-Konovalov
Gorky's nature description are gorgeous and moving. He is specially loves the sea, which is not often seen in Russian writers. I also liked very much the philosophical discussions in Konovalov, and the impression that books make on the title character. On the other hand, though not unexpectedly, the stories usually end in a distressing way.
-Twenty-six and one
-My traveling companion
-Tchelkache
-Malva
-Konovalov
Gorky's nature description are gorgeous and moving. He is specially loves the sea, which is not often seen in Russian writers. I also liked very much the philosophical discussions in Konovalov, and the impression that books make on the title character. On the other hand, though not unexpectedly, the stories usually end in a distressing way.
September 1, 2013
Reaches to depth of heart and transforms - Vibhu Ashok
I picked up this book randomly...looking for something else and it came out of blue...after reading few pages of it, I get hooked up to the beauty, that is expressed there in...something is unique about Gorky's style. he is like a poet among writers, who knows how to take us to inert depth of consciousness...something comes out and transform us...I can read it numerous times.
I picked up this book randomly...looking for something else and it came out of blue...after reading few pages of it, I get hooked up to the beauty, that is expressed there in...something is unique about Gorky's style. he is like a poet among writers, who knows how to take us to inert depth of consciousness...something comes out and transform us...I can read it numerous times.
November 26, 2025
In one of Gorky’s short stories, the title character Malva has a quiet heart-to-heart with a local worker, Seryozhka, as they talk about her love life.
— Listen! — he says. — Do you know what you want?
— If only I knew… — Malva replies with a deep sigh and utter stillness.
— Perhaps you really don’t know? That’s bad! — Seryozhka states decisively. — But I always seem to know — and with a hint of dreariness he adds — only I rarely want.
— I always want something, — Malva says, puzzled. — As for what… I don’t know.
This brief exchange stands out among Gorky’s short stories as one of the clearest depictions of the vagabonds and free spirits idealized in his early work. On one side, there is a proclaimed self-awareness accompanied by a superficially stoic lack of needs; on the other, a confused, hedonistic hunger — both marked by a childlike disregard for consequences. As the story unfolds, Gorky touches on human cruelty and the harsher realities of life. He sketches a subtle distinction between the free wanderer and the common laborer, yet leaves the narrative without a formal epilogue, inviting the reader to reflect on the very idealizations he presents in this and earlier works.
— Listen! — he says. — Do you know what you want?
— If only I knew… — Malva replies with a deep sigh and utter stillness.
— Perhaps you really don’t know? That’s bad! — Seryozhka states decisively. — But I always seem to know — and with a hint of dreariness he adds — only I rarely want.
— I always want something, — Malva says, puzzled. — As for what… I don’t know.
This brief exchange stands out among Gorky’s short stories as one of the clearest depictions of the vagabonds and free spirits idealized in his early work. On one side, there is a proclaimed self-awareness accompanied by a superficially stoic lack of needs; on the other, a confused, hedonistic hunger — both marked by a childlike disregard for consequences. As the story unfolds, Gorky touches on human cruelty and the harsher realities of life. He sketches a subtle distinction between the free wanderer and the common laborer, yet leaves the narrative without a formal epilogue, inviting the reader to reflect on the very idealizations he presents in this and earlier works.
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April 24, 2026Maksim Gorki - Yaz- Leto
August 7, 2024
I’d been wanting to read Gorky for a while, in part, another Russian author I needed to read before reading Nabokov’s Lectures on Russian Literature, and several of his stories were recommended by a professor I had for a course on Pasternak, Bulgakov, and Akhmatova. And I came across one, Chelkash, in Proffer’s anthology. (See that entry for Proffer’s analysis of it.)
Gorky really spends time developing the place, the setting of the story; and often gives us glimpses of the people who inhabit that space, even though they aren’t the central characters of the story, his description of them provides verisimilitude to his story.
He is a wonderful writer and well worth reading.
My notes for some of these of the stories, Chelkash; Creatures That Were Once Men; can be found as individual entries.
*****Also: see Henry T. Schnittkind’s wonderfully written and insightful introduction to Gorki’s Stories of the Steppe
One Autumn Evening: a poignant tale of two teenagers who meet on a gloomy, rainy evening, take care of each other, then part in the morning. And he…
The Affair of the Clasps: can an illiterate boy act on a Bible passage even though he doesn’t understand the passage?
Notch: a very short, very unpleasant, short
Chums: a sad tale, two down on their luck, then it gets worse. I can’t say exactly why, but the two reminded me of Vladimir and Estragon from Waiting for Godot
Cain and Artyom: another interesting Gorky character study. “The Jew’s name was Khaim Aaron Purvitz, but he was known as Cain. It was simpler and a more familiar name than Khaim, and, added to this, it was very insulting.” Strong versus weak; smart versus not so smart; the Good Samaritan, but with a twist at the end: you can’t change your stripes
Red: so the local bully is used/hired by the Madam to not only establish order with her brothel’s customers but also to keep her girls in line…until the tables are turned and they exact some measure of revenge, except for one who falls in love with the bully.
Evil-Doers: “A bluish-acrid smoke wavered under the low, vaulted ceiling, and stung the eyes; the smell of vodka, tobacco, and burnt oil tickled the nose…”. I like how in setting the scene, Gorky often includes the smells. He’s done this in several of the stories and I should have been grabbing examples all along. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think too many other writers overlook smells in their descriptions, unless it something obvious like stepping into a garden and then, of course, describing the smell of the flowers.
Country boy goes to the city, and becomes un-countryfied as the title tells us.
Birth of a Man:
“A Turkish felucca, listing to port, is gliding to Sukhum, her sails bellied, the way an important engineer at Sukhum used to puff out his fat cheeks as he shouted:
‘Shut up! You may be smart, but I’ll have you in jail in a jiffy!’
He was fond of having men arrested, and it is good to think that worms have surely long since gnawed him to the bone.”
The above really has nothing to do with the story; it doesn’t advance the plot; yet, it adds depth and lends verisimilitude to the story
Going Home: another glimpse of the have-nots
Lullaby:
“The morning sky, pale and pink, was reflected in the placid puddles, and these reflections lent the filthy puddles an unnecessary, insulting beauty which debauched the soul.”
“Lenka’s home resembled a garbage pit, and the ugliness of poverty stared from every inch of it, wounding the senses.”
This story could bookend Birth of a Man in which the destitute mother wonders aloud what may become of her newly born son; here is one possibility: physically deformed: “his withered legs swung impotently” - but with a good soul. But she, given the description of her nose, and her activities, is suffering from syphilis.
The Hermit:
“Savel spoke with remarkable ease, showing no effort in finding the right words, dressing up his thoughts lovingly, as a little girl does her dolls. I had listened to many a Russian talker, men who, intoxicated with flowery words, often, almost always, lose the fine thread of truth in the intricate web of speech. This one spun his yarn with such convincing simplicity, with such limpid sincerity, that I feared to interrupt with questions. Watching the play of his words, I realized that the old man was the possessor of living gems, able to conceal all filthy and criminal lies with their bewitching power; I realized all that and nevertheless yielded to the magic of his speech.”
“‘Grandfather, is there such a thing as hell, do you think?’
He raised his head and said sternly and reproachfully:
‘Hell? How can that be? How can you? God—and hell? Is that possible? The two don’t go together, friend. It’s a fraud. You people who can read invented this to frighten frighten people, I cannot see. Besides, no one is afraid of that hell of yours. . . . ‘
‘And what about the devil? Where does he live, in that case?’
Don’t you joke about that. . . . ‘
‘I’m not joking. . . . ‘
‘Don’t sneer at him. To everyone his own burden. The little Frenchie might have been right about the devil bowing down to the Lord in due time. A priest told me the story of the prodigal son from the Scriptures one day —I can remember it well. It seems to me that it is a story of the devil himself. It’s he, no other than he, that is the prodigal son. . . . ‘
Karamora:
“My father was a locksmith. A large man, so very kind, and so merry. He looked for something to laugh at in everyone. He was fond of me and called me Karamora*—distributing nicknames all around was his chief amusement. There is a big mosquito, rather like a spider, commonly called Karamora. I was long and lanky…”
[*also translates to caramel]
“What shall I write? Two men lived inside me and the one didn’t stick to the other. That is all.”
This story is the most political, and the most philosophical - questioning god and institutionalized religion - and most introspective - of the stories in this collection.
And I wonder how much of this is the character talking to us or Gorky talking to us?
“No, writing is an entrancing occupation. As one writes, one feels that one is not alone in the world, that there is someone who is fond of one, towards whom one has never been guilty of anything, who understands one well and sympathizes without humiliating. One feels as one writes how much cleverer and better one becomes. It is an intoxicating job. It makes one understand Dostoevsky. He was a writer particularly inclined to intoxicate himself with the mad, stormy, irrational game of his imagination, a game played within himself. I used to read him with mistrust: it seemed to me that he exaggerated, terrifying people by the darkness of a human soul, then, in order that they should admit the necessity of God, that they should submit humbly to His unaccountable devices, His unfathomable will: ‘Surrender, be meek, proud man!’—he said….He knew how to let himself be consumed, how to press out the burning, scorching juice from his soul to the last drop.”
“I believe I did not waste a minute in hesitating as to which decision to make….i sat in the dark little room, listened to the rain pattering at the window and hearkened to a voice within me that should have protested against my decision. Nothing protested….Why do I not feel the same repugnance toward myself as I felt yesterday towards Popenko?”
Gorky really spends time developing the place, the setting of the story; and often gives us glimpses of the people who inhabit that space, even though they aren’t the central characters of the story, his description of them provides verisimilitude to his story.
He is a wonderful writer and well worth reading.
My notes for some of these of the stories, Chelkash; Creatures That Were Once Men; can be found as individual entries.
*****Also: see Henry T. Schnittkind’s wonderfully written and insightful introduction to Gorki’s Stories of the Steppe
One Autumn Evening: a poignant tale of two teenagers who meet on a gloomy, rainy evening, take care of each other, then part in the morning. And he…
The Affair of the Clasps: can an illiterate boy act on a Bible passage even though he doesn’t understand the passage?
Notch: a very short, very unpleasant, short
Chums: a sad tale, two down on their luck, then it gets worse. I can’t say exactly why, but the two reminded me of Vladimir and Estragon from Waiting for Godot
Cain and Artyom: another interesting Gorky character study. “The Jew’s name was Khaim Aaron Purvitz, but he was known as Cain. It was simpler and a more familiar name than Khaim, and, added to this, it was very insulting.” Strong versus weak; smart versus not so smart; the Good Samaritan, but with a twist at the end: you can’t change your stripes
Red: so the local bully is used/hired by the Madam to not only establish order with her brothel’s customers but also to keep her girls in line…until the tables are turned and they exact some measure of revenge, except for one who falls in love with the bully.
Evil-Doers: “A bluish-acrid smoke wavered under the low, vaulted ceiling, and stung the eyes; the smell of vodka, tobacco, and burnt oil tickled the nose…”. I like how in setting the scene, Gorky often includes the smells. He’s done this in several of the stories and I should have been grabbing examples all along. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think too many other writers overlook smells in their descriptions, unless it something obvious like stepping into a garden and then, of course, describing the smell of the flowers.
Country boy goes to the city, and becomes un-countryfied as the title tells us.
Birth of a Man:
“A Turkish felucca, listing to port, is gliding to Sukhum, her sails bellied, the way an important engineer at Sukhum used to puff out his fat cheeks as he shouted:
‘Shut up! You may be smart, but I’ll have you in jail in a jiffy!’
He was fond of having men arrested, and it is good to think that worms have surely long since gnawed him to the bone.”
The above really has nothing to do with the story; it doesn’t advance the plot; yet, it adds depth and lends verisimilitude to the story
Going Home: another glimpse of the have-nots
Lullaby:
“The morning sky, pale and pink, was reflected in the placid puddles, and these reflections lent the filthy puddles an unnecessary, insulting beauty which debauched the soul.”
“Lenka’s home resembled a garbage pit, and the ugliness of poverty stared from every inch of it, wounding the senses.”
This story could bookend Birth of a Man in which the destitute mother wonders aloud what may become of her newly born son; here is one possibility: physically deformed: “his withered legs swung impotently” - but with a good soul. But she, given the description of her nose, and her activities, is suffering from syphilis.
The Hermit:
“Savel spoke with remarkable ease, showing no effort in finding the right words, dressing up his thoughts lovingly, as a little girl does her dolls. I had listened to many a Russian talker, men who, intoxicated with flowery words, often, almost always, lose the fine thread of truth in the intricate web of speech. This one spun his yarn with such convincing simplicity, with such limpid sincerity, that I feared to interrupt with questions. Watching the play of his words, I realized that the old man was the possessor of living gems, able to conceal all filthy and criminal lies with their bewitching power; I realized all that and nevertheless yielded to the magic of his speech.”
“‘Grandfather, is there such a thing as hell, do you think?’
He raised his head and said sternly and reproachfully:
‘Hell? How can that be? How can you? God—and hell? Is that possible? The two don’t go together, friend. It’s a fraud. You people who can read invented this to frighten frighten people, I cannot see. Besides, no one is afraid of that hell of yours. . . . ‘
‘And what about the devil? Where does he live, in that case?’
Don’t you joke about that. . . . ‘
‘I’m not joking. . . . ‘
‘Don’t sneer at him. To everyone his own burden. The little Frenchie might have been right about the devil bowing down to the Lord in due time. A priest told me the story of the prodigal son from the Scriptures one day —I can remember it well. It seems to me that it is a story of the devil himself. It’s he, no other than he, that is the prodigal son. . . . ‘
Karamora:
“My father was a locksmith. A large man, so very kind, and so merry. He looked for something to laugh at in everyone. He was fond of me and called me Karamora*—distributing nicknames all around was his chief amusement. There is a big mosquito, rather like a spider, commonly called Karamora. I was long and lanky…”
[*also translates to caramel]
“What shall I write? Two men lived inside me and the one didn’t stick to the other. That is all.”
This story is the most political, and the most philosophical - questioning god and institutionalized religion - and most introspective - of the stories in this collection.
And I wonder how much of this is the character talking to us or Gorky talking to us?
“No, writing is an entrancing occupation. As one writes, one feels that one is not alone in the world, that there is someone who is fond of one, towards whom one has never been guilty of anything, who understands one well and sympathizes without humiliating. One feels as one writes how much cleverer and better one becomes. It is an intoxicating job. It makes one understand Dostoevsky. He was a writer particularly inclined to intoxicate himself with the mad, stormy, irrational game of his imagination, a game played within himself. I used to read him with mistrust: it seemed to me that he exaggerated, terrifying people by the darkness of a human soul, then, in order that they should admit the necessity of God, that they should submit humbly to His unaccountable devices, His unfathomable will: ‘Surrender, be meek, proud man!’—he said….He knew how to let himself be consumed, how to press out the burning, scorching juice from his soul to the last drop.”
“I believe I did not waste a minute in hesitating as to which decision to make….i sat in the dark little room, listened to the rain pattering at the window and hearkened to a voice within me that should have protested against my decision. Nothing protested….Why do I not feel the same repugnance toward myself as I felt yesterday towards Popenko?”
February 28, 2019
i heard about him hundreds of time by my literature teachers . that's why i choose this book to read. and the most surprise me is that he wrote those stories by all of his heart. the first time you read it , maybe you'll see it like the other stores out there . sorry but i have to say it all wrong. if its just a normal , why thousands of reader in the world spend their time to read and feel , and praise?
he was a poor child, with efforts learning , he has become one of the most effect to the Russian literature in particular and be the one who left behind the respectful learning. from the first day .
" all in human , all for human ..", " human! they are special, that sounds proud!"
PTPA - 'bout MAXIM GORKY
he was a poor child, with efforts learning , he has become one of the most effect to the Russian literature in particular and be the one who left behind the respectful learning. from the first day .
" all in human , all for human ..", " human! they are special, that sounds proud!"
PTPA - 'bout MAXIM GORKY
August 16, 2007
Gorky’s works do exude the common pessimism, but that's clearly a by-product of the dreadful living conditions Gorky and Co. underwent. Beginning with detailed descriptions of place, Gorky always delineates his characters so very painstakingly.
”Gorky is a master of the gamut of human emotion. As glorious as I find "Birth of a Man, equally profoundly disturbing do I find his narration of the kitten's fate in "Notch." Yet, the sarcasm that perpetually lies beneath the surface, indeed, he is arguably one of the most human writers I've ever read.
”Gorky is a master of the gamut of human emotion. As glorious as I find "Birth of a Man, equally profoundly disturbing do I find his narration of the kitten's fate in "Notch." Yet, the sarcasm that perpetually lies beneath the surface, indeed, he is arguably one of the most human writers I've ever read.
March 7, 2007
This was another casualty from my russian author phase. I wouldn't run right out and get it, but your local library probably has this just sitting on the shelf. (That's where I found it). I was glad I read it, and, as a bonus, it made me feel smarter.
September 16, 2016
i read the Arabic translated version, the stories are very attractive and detailed,
December 18, 2016
The best author ..I have read this book more than 6 times and just love to read it more and more again
October 16, 2018
محتوا جذاب، ولی ترجمه منتشر شده پر از غلطهای تایپی و ویرایشی و..
July 23, 2023
I haven't read other writings of Maxim Gorky, but he's a fascinating writer. A Russian, his work began in the tumultuous 1890s. The latest story of this collection was published in 1924, and he died in 1936. If not a socialist himself, he was at least sympathetic to socialism and Bolshevism. He was a hero to Lenin and other Bolsheviks, but Gorky was disgusted by their excesses and did what he could to help their victims. I learned all that from history books, not this collection. Like with many collections of short stories, some of them in here spoke to me deeply, some are classics that critics consider excellent reflections of his thought and craft, and others did not impress me much. But on the whole, it's really a remarkable collection of literary realism. As I'd say about much of American realism of the same period, the style is terse. Many of the stories have engrossing action. The window the collection gives into that time in Russia and world is fascinating, the depictions of the urban and rural poor, the
nobility of their hardscrabble lives. I particularly commend the story Karamora. It's about a revolutionary agent and feels like it was written by a Bolshevik.
nobility of their hardscrabble lives. I particularly commend the story Karamora. It's about a revolutionary agent and feels like it was written by a Bolshevik.
October 16, 2019
Maksim Gorki - Erkek Arkadaş Boles
İşte böyle… İnsan acıyı tattıkça şefkati daha çok arar… Ama köhnemiş erdemlerimizin duvarları arasına sıkışan, birbirimize tepeden bakan bizler bunu anlayamıyoruz. Çok ahmakça, çok acı sonuçlar doğuruyor bu anlayışsızlığımız. Diyoruz ki, düşkün insanlar bunlar! Ne demektir bu? Onlar da bizler gibi aynı kemikten, aynı kandan, aynı etten ve aynı sinirden yapılmışlar. Her şeyden önce insanlar… Üst üste her gün, yüzyıllardır işitip dururuz bu “düşkün insanlar” sözünü. Sadece şeytan bilir tüm bu şeylerin ne saçma sapan olduğunu! Asıl düşkünler bizleriz! Hem de adamakıllı düşkün! Kendini beğenmişliğin, mutsuz insanlara tepeden bakmanın uçurumuna düşmüşüz… O insanlar ki, tek eksikleri bizden daha az kurnaz olmaları ve kendilerine iyi insan süsü vermeyi daha az becerebilmeleridir… Neyse, bu kadar yeter… Bu sözler o kadar çok söylendi ki, insan adeta bir daha tekrarlamaktan dolayı utanç duyuyor!
İşte böyle… İnsan acıyı tattıkça şefkati daha çok arar… Ama köhnemiş erdemlerimizin duvarları arasına sıkışan, birbirimize tepeden bakan bizler bunu anlayamıyoruz. Çok ahmakça, çok acı sonuçlar doğuruyor bu anlayışsızlığımız. Diyoruz ki, düşkün insanlar bunlar! Ne demektir bu? Onlar da bizler gibi aynı kemikten, aynı kandan, aynı etten ve aynı sinirden yapılmışlar. Her şeyden önce insanlar… Üst üste her gün, yüzyıllardır işitip dururuz bu “düşkün insanlar” sözünü. Sadece şeytan bilir tüm bu şeylerin ne saçma sapan olduğunu! Asıl düşkünler bizleriz! Hem de adamakıllı düşkün! Kendini beğenmişliğin, mutsuz insanlara tepeden bakmanın uçurumuna düşmüşüz… O insanlar ki, tek eksikleri bizden daha az kurnaz olmaları ve kendilerine iyi insan süsü vermeyi daha az becerebilmeleridir… Neyse, bu kadar yeter… Bu sözler o kadar çok söylendi ki, insan adeta bir daha tekrarlamaktan dolayı utanç duyuyor!
September 11, 2023
"Ένας άνθρωπος που καταγίνεται να εξετάζει τη συνείδησή του μοιάζει λίγο από τη μια μεριά με τον Νάρκισσο κι από την άλλη με μύγα μέσα σ' έναν χείμαρρο."
"Νομίζω πως καμία άλλη αρρώστια δεν κατακουρελιάζει έτσι τον άνθρωπο όσο η πλήξη... Αισθάνεσαι φυλακισμένος, αιχμαλωτισμένος από κάποια σκοτεινή δύναμη, σαν να σε βαραίνουν αλυσίδες, δεν μπορείς πια να συνυπάρξεις ούτε με τον ίδιο σου τον εαυτό"
"- Και μήπως ποιος άνθρωπος ξέρει τι είναι πραγματικά;...Καλύτερα είναι να ρωτάμε ποιος νομίζει ότι είναι..."
"Η αλητεία, λοιπόν έχει μια γοητεία ακατανίκητη. Να νιώθεις πως λευτερώθηκες από κάθε υποχρέωση, από κάθε θηλιά που σου πνίγει τη ζωή"
"Νομίζω πως καμία άλλη αρρώστια δεν κατακουρελιάζει έτσι τον άνθρωπο όσο η πλήξη... Αισθάνεσαι φυλακισμένος, αιχμαλωτισμένος από κάποια σκοτεινή δύναμη, σαν να σε βαραίνουν αλυσίδες, δεν μπορείς πια να συνυπάρξεις ούτε με τον ίδιο σου τον εαυτό"
"- Και μήπως ποιος άνθρωπος ξέρει τι είναι πραγματικά;...Καλύτερα είναι να ρωτάμε ποιος νομίζει ότι είναι..."
"Η αλητεία, λοιπόν έχει μια γοητεία ακατανίκητη. Να νιώθεις πως λευτερώθηκες από κάθε υποχρέωση, από κάθε θηλιά που σου πνίγει τη ζωή"
December 30, 2021
خیلی زود فهمیدم در همه کتاب ها با هر تنوع ظاهری و اختلاف کشور ها و فرهنگ هاو اسامی یه وجه مشترک وجود دارد و آن داستان انسان خوب و اما بد بختی است که ناچار است با اشخاص موذی جدال کند این ادم های موذی همیشه سعادت مند تر و موفق تر از خوب ها بودند ولی در انتها چیزی افراد موذی را خرد میکرد و افراد خوب پیروز میشدند
در جستوجوی نان
در جستوجوی نان
March 23, 2022
The stories are printed in chronological order. This is useful for watching Gorky's talent refine in real -time or the illusion of it. The strain in the early stories shows up in the laboured descriptions and torrent of alliteration - which more than a few Russian authors seem addicted to. 'Twenty-Six Men and a Girl' is the best story.
February 1, 2018
Một tác phẩm kinh điển. Nhưng đọc thật sự rất đau lòng. Mỗi một câu chuyện mỗi một hoàn cảnh. Truyện tuy ngắn nhưng khắc họa rất sâu sắc tính cách các nhân vật. Thích nhất mẩu của Lenka
April 7, 2023
Makar Čudra - 4/5
Jemeljan Piljaj - 4/5
Čelkaš - 4/5
Starica Izergil - 4/5
Pjesma o sokolu - 4/5
Pjesma o burevjesniku - 3/5
Maljva - 3/5
Rođenje čovjeka -4/5
Jemeljan Piljaj - 4/5
Čelkaš - 4/5
Starica Izergil - 4/5
Pjesma o sokolu - 4/5
Pjesma o burevjesniku - 3/5
Maljva - 3/5
Rođenje čovjeka -4/5
Read
December 20, 2024read twenty six men and a girl, red, birth of a man, chelkash, evildoers, and karamora
April 15, 2025
yazarla tanışma kitabım daha fazla kitabını okicam abi harika
November 27, 2009
Dongeng Dari Sayap Kiri:
kalo ga salah kumpulandari cerpen yang ditulis oleh Maxim Gorky (Dua Saabat), GabrielGRCIA mARQUEZ (Wanita yang datang Pukul 6), John Steinbeck (bunga-bunga krisan), Jean-Pail Sarrtre (Dinding), Lu Hsun (Obat).
Nikmati wajah lain cerpen yang tidak bergaya "sastra borjuis"...
kalo ga salah kumpulandari cerpen yang ditulis oleh Maxim Gorky (Dua Saabat), GabrielGRCIA mARQUEZ (Wanita yang datang Pukul 6), John Steinbeck (bunga-bunga krisan), Jean-Pail Sarrtre (Dinding), Lu Hsun (Obat).
Nikmati wajah lain cerpen yang tidak bergaya "sastra borjuis"...
April 28, 2012
Excellent set of short stories. You can see a different flavor on non-classical English yet very effective.
August 13, 2015
The book is amazing. Especially story for Old Izergil and The Song of the Falcon i read it many times and its still awesome.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews