The great Russian writer Maxim Gorky (Peshkov Alexei Maximovich) was born March 16, 1868 in Nizhny Novgorod - died June 18, 1936 in Gorki. At an early age, "went to the people," in his own expression. He lived hard, spent the night in slums among all the rabble, wandered, interrupted by a random piece of bread. Passed through vast territories, visited the Don, Ukraine, the Volga region, Southern Bessarabia, the Caucasus and the Crimea.
Start
He was actively involved in social and political activities, for which he was repeatedly arrested. In 1906 he went abroad, where he began to successfully write his works. By 1910, Gorky gained fame, his work aroused great interest. Earlier, in 1904, critical articles began to appear, and then the books On Gorky. Gorky's works interested politicians and public figures. Some of them believed that the writer too freely interprets the events taking place in the country. Everything that Maxim Gorky wrote, works for the theater or journalistic essays, short stories or multi-page novels evoked resonance and was often accompanied by anti-government speeches. During the years of World War I, the writer took an openly anti-militarist position. I met the revolution of 1917 enthusiastically, and turned my apartment in Petrograd into a turnout for politicians. Often Maxim Gorky, whose works became more and more topical, made reviews of his own work in order to avoid misinterpretation.
Abroad
In 1921, the writer goes abroad to undergo a course of treatment. For three years, Maxim Gorky lived in Helsinki, Prague and Berlin, then moved to Italy and settled in the city of Sorrento. There he began to publish his memoirs about Lenin. In 1925, he wrote the novel The Artamonov Case. All the works of Gorky at that time were politicized.
Return to Russia
The year 1928 was a turning point for Gorky. At the invitation of Stalin, he returned to Russia and within a month moved from city to city, met with people, got acquainted with the achievements in industry, observed how socialist construction was developing. Then Maxim Gorky leaves for Italy. However, in the next (1929) year, the writer again comes to Russia and this time visits the Solovetsky special purpose camps. Reviews at the same time leaves the most positive. Alexander Solzhenitsyn mentioned this trip to Gorky in his novel The Gulag Archipelago.
The writer returned to the Soviet Union in October 1932. Since that time, Gorky has been living in the former Ryabushinsky mansion on Spiridonovka, in a cottage in Gorki, and travels to the Crimea to rest.
First Congress of Writers
After some time, the writer receives a political order from Stalin, who entrusts him with the preparation of the 1st Congress of Soviet Writers. In the light of this request, Maxim Gorky creates several new newspapers and magazines, publishes book series on the history of Soviet factories and factories, the civil war and some other events of the Soviet era. Then he wrote the plays: "Egor Bulychev and others", "Dostigayev and others." Some of Gorky's works, written earlier, were also used by him in the preparation of the first congress of writers, which took place in August 1934. At the congress, organizational issues were mainly resolved, the leadership of the future Union of Writers of the USSR was chosen, and writing sections were created by genres. Gorky's works were also ignored at the 1st Congress of Writers, but he was elected chairman of the board. In general, the event was considered successful, and Stalin personally thanked Maxim Gorky for his fruitful work.
Popularity
M. Gorky, whose works over the years caused fierce debate among the intelligentsia, tried to take part in the discussion of his books and especially theatrical plays. From time to time, the writer visited theaters, where he could see for himself that people are not indifferent to his work. Indeed, for many, the writer M. Gorky, whose works were understandable to ordinary people, became the conductor of a new life. Theater audiences went to the play several times, read and reread books.
Gorky's early romantic works
The writer's work can be divided into several categories. Gorky's early works are romantic and even sentimental. They still do not feel the severity of political sentiment, which is saturated with later stories and novels of the writer.
The first story of the writer Makar Chudra is about gypsy fleeting love. Not because fleeting that “love came and went,” but because it lasted only one night, without a single touch. Love lived in the soul without touching the body. And then the girl’s death at the hands of her beloved, the proud gypsy Rada passed away, and behind her, Loiko Zobar himself - sailed together through the sky, hand in hand.
Stunning story, incredible storytelling. The story "Makar Chudra" became for many years the hallmark of Maxim Gorky, firmly taking first place in the list of "Gorky's early works."
The writer worked a lot and fruitfully in his youth. Gorky's early romantic works are a series of stories whose heroes are Danko, Sokol, Chelkash and others.
A short story about spiritual superiority makes you think. Chelkash is a story about a simple person who carries high aesthetic feelings. Escape from home, vagrancy, complicity in a crime. The meeting of two - one is engaged in the usual business, the other leads the case. Envy, distrust, readiness for obedient helpfulness, fear and servility of Gavrila are opposed to courage, self-confidence, freedom of Chelkash. However, society does not need Chelkash, unlike Gavril. Romantic pathos is intertwined with the tragic. The description of nature in the story is also shrouded in a fleur of romance.
In the stories “Makar Chudra”, “Old Woman Izergil” and, finally, in “Song of the Falcon” one can see the motivation of “madness of the brave”. The writer places the heroes in difficult conditions and then, beyond any logic, leads them to the finale. That is why the work of the great writer is interesting, because the narrative is unpredictable.
Gorky's work "The Old Woman Isergil" consists of several parts. The character of her first story - the son of an eagle and a woman, the sharp-eyed Larra, is represented by an egoist, incapable of high feelings. When he heard the maxim that inevitably you have to pay for what you took, he expressed distrust, saying that "I would like to remain unscathed." People rejected him, condemning him to loneliness. Larra’s pride was fatal to himself.
Danko is no less proud, but he treats people with love. Therefore, it obtains the freedom necessary for fellow tribesmen who believed it. Despite the threats of those who doubt that he is able to lead the tribe out of the dense forest, the young leader continues his journey, carrying people along with him. And when everyone’s strength was running out, and the forest didn’t end, Danko tore his chest, pulled out a burning heart and with his flame illuminated the path that led them to the clearing. The ungrateful tribesmen, breaking free, did not even look towards Danko when he fell and died. People ran away, on the run trampled a flaming heart and it scattered with blue sparks.
Gorky's romantic works leave an indelible mark on the soul. Readers empathize with the heroes, the unpredictability of the plot keeps them in suspense, and the ending is often unexpected. In addition, Gorky's romantic works are distinguished by deep morality, which is unobtrusive, but makes you think.
The theme of individual freedom dominates the writer's early work. The heroes of Gorky’s works are freedom-loving and even willing to give their lives for the right to choose their own destiny.
The poem "Girl and Death" is a vivid example of self-sacrifice in the name of love. A young, full of life girl makes a deal with death, for the sake of one night of love. She is ready to die in the morning without regret, if only to meet her beloved again.
The king, who considers himself omnipotent, condemns the girl to death only because, returning from the war, he was in a bad mood and did not like her happy laugh. Love spared death, the girl remained alive and "bony with a scythe" was no longer in control of her.
Romance is also present in The Song of the Petrel. The proud bird is free, it is like a black lightning, rushing between the gray plain of the sea and the clouds hanging over the waves. Let the storm strike harder, the brave bird is ready to fight. And it is important for the penguin to hide the fat body in the cliffs, he has a different attitude to the storm - no matter how wet the feathers are.
Man in the works of Gorky
The special, refined psychologism of Maxim Gorky is present in all his stories, while personality is always assigned the main role. Even the homeless vagabonds, the characters of the night shelter, and those are presented by the writer as respected citizens, despite their distress. In the works of Gorky, the man is put at the forefront, everything else is secondary - the events described, the political situation, even the actions of state bodies are in the background.
Gorky's story "Childhood"
The writer tells the life story of the boy Alyosha Peshkov, as if on his own behalf. The story is sad, begins with the death of the father and ends with the death of the mother. Remaining an orphan, the boy heard from his grandfather, the day after his mother’s funeral: “You are not a medal, you shouldn’t hang on my neck ... Go to the people ... And kicked out.
So ends the work of Gorky, "Childhood." And in the middle there were several years of life in the house of my grandfather, a lean little old man who used to flog on Saturdays all who were weaker than him. And only his grandchildren living in the house were inferior to the grandfather, and he beat them all the way, laying them on a bench.
Alexey grew up, supported by his mother, and in the house hung a thick fog of enmity between everyone and everyone. Uncles fought among themselves, threatened their grandfather that they would beat him, cousins drank, and their wives did not have time to give birth. Alyosha tried to make friends with the neighboring boys, but their parents and other relatives were in such a complicated relationship with his grandfather, grandmother, and mother that the children could communicate only through a hole in the fence.
"At the bottom"
In 1902, Gorky turned to a philosophical topic. He created a play about people who, by the will of fate, descended to the very bottom of Russian society. The writer outlined several characters, the inhabitants of the shelter, with frightening authenticity. At the center of the story are homeless people on the verge of despair. Someone is thinking about suicide, someone else is hoping for the best. The work of M. Gorky “At the Bottom” is a vivid picture of social and everyday disorder in society, which often turns into a tragedy.
The owner of the overnight house Mikhail Kostylev lives and does not know that his life is constantly under threat. His wife Vasilisa persuades one of the guests - Vaska Ashes - to kill her husband. This ends: the thief Vaska kills Kostylev and goes to prison. The remaining inhabitants of the shelter continue to live in an atmosphere of drunken revelry and bloody fights.
After some time, a certain Luka appears, a searchlight and a hollow. He “floods”, how much in vain, conducts lengthy conversations, promises everyone indiscriminately a happy future and complete prosperity. Then Luke disappears, and the unfortunate people whom he has reassured are at a loss. Cruel disappointment came. A forty-year-old homeless nicknamed Actor commits suicide. The rest are also not far from this.
Nochlezhka, as a symbol of the impasse of Russian society at the end of the 19th century, an undisguised ulcer of social structure.
Creativity of Maxim Gorky
- Makar the Miracle - 1892. A story about love and tragedy.
- "Grandfather Arkhip and Lenka" - 1893. Beggar sick old man and his grandson Lenka, a teenager. First, the grandfather does not endure adversity and dies, then the grandson dies. Good people buried the unfortunate on the road.
- "The Old Woman Isergil" - 1895. A few stories of an old woman about selfishness and selflessness.
- Chelkash - 1895. The story of "an avid drunkard and a clever, bold thief."
- "Spouses Orlov" - 1897. The story of a childless couple who decided to help sick people.
- Konovalov - 1898 The story of how Alexander Ivanovich Konovalov, who was arrested for vagrancy, hanged himself in a prison cell.
- "Thomas Gordeev" - 1899. The story of the events of the late XIX century, taking place in the Volga city. About a boy named Thomas, who considered his father a fairy-tale robber.
- "Philistines" - 1901. The story of the philistine roots and the new trend of the time.
- "At the bottom" - 1902. A sharp topical play about homeless people who have lost all hope.
- "Mother" - 1906. A novel on the theme of revolutionary moods in society, about events taking place within the factory, with the participation of members of the same family.
- "Vassa Zheleznova" - 1910. The play is about a youthful 42-year-old woman, the owner of a shipping company, strong and powerful.
- "Childhood" - 1913. The story of a simple boy and his far from simple life.
- "Tales of Italy" - 1913. A series of short stories about life in Italian cities.
- "Passion-Muzzle" - 1913. A short story about a deeply unhappy family.
- "In People" - 1914. The story of an errand boy in a fashionable shoe store.
- "My Universities" - 1923. The story of Kazan University and students.
- "Blue Life" - 1924. A story about dreams and fantasies.
- The Artamonov Case - 1925. A tale of events taking place in a woven fabric factory.
- "The Life of Klim Samghin" - 1936. Events of the beginning of the XX century - Petersburg, Moscow, barricades.
Each story, novel or novel read, leaves an impression of high literary skill. Characters carry a number of unique signs and features. Analysis of Gorky's works involves comprehensive characterization of the characters followed by a summary. The depth of the narrative is organically combined with difficult, but understandable literary devices. All the works of the great Russian writer Maxim Gorky were included in the Golden Fund of Russian Culture.