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“To an old man any place that’s warm is homeland.” By Maxim Gork

© Gail Giordano

Maxim Gorky is not known for his children stories but for his grim novels, plays, short stories and essays for adults. However in 1933 he conducted a poll across the Soviet Union asking young people what they would enjoy reading - the replies were overwhelming. At a conference of children authors the results were revealed; they wanted lighthearted material. A new trend in children's literature began; one of gay stories, the folktales, and biographies of outstanding people. Two of his better known children's stories are the humorous "A Fish Story" and "Simple Ivanuska".

Maxim Gorky was born Aleksei Makaimovich Peshkov on March 28, 1868. The literal translation of the pseudonym Gorky is bitter. As a child he received no formal education because both of his parents were dead. To many he is the uncrowned kin of the bosyak (translated - tramp or hobo). He began writing in the late eighteen hundreds and became well known for his 3 volume work Sketches and Stories: a novel, which tells of vigor and nobility of peasants, workers, and vagabonds. Sketches and Stories was published in 1898 and was an instant success, his first story appeared around 1892. In 1899, one year after his novel appeared he became the literary editor of Zhizn, the following year he became the editor for Zzanie publishing house of St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1902, his most famous play The Lower Depths appeared, Gorky wrote 15 plays during his life span this is the most famous of them.

The Lower Depths very much parallels John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath in message. These two authors were out and out realists, who both awakened the general public and authorities to a class of people living under conditions that we can not begin to comprehend.

In 1905, Gorky was exiled because the revolution to overthrow the czars had failed, consequently he did not return to Russia until 1913. During this exile period great many things occurred. For a majority of the time lived on the Island of Capri near Italy. While on Capri, he established a school for the training of Russian revolutionary leaders. One of those pupils was Joseph Stalin. Unlike most of his contemporaries he wanted a change through revolution not education or evolution. Gorky also believed that the future of Russia lay in further industrialization not agriculture. He visited the United States during this time period and wrote one of his most famous novels: Mother published in 1906. Mother was a prototype revolutionary novel about a heroine, a mother, who adopted the cause of socialism in a religious spirit after he son, was arrested for being a part of political activities. At the time this was written this was a direct slap in the face to the czars but was not censored. The literary figures kept it on the bookshelves because they felt it was the first complete well-written proletarian work. Mother is not what most people would consider a work of art but more a political documentary to the highest degree. During his visit to the United States, he wrote an essay called the City of Yellow Devil, in which he condemns American Capitalism.

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