Citind „Copilăria” ești urmărit de două stări care se succed continuu: ba ți se rupe sufletul de tristețe, ba râzi cu gura până la urechi. It's truly a captivating experience.

For example, consider this incident. „-Bunicuță, de ce își părăsesc unii oameni copiii?” asked the child. After a moment of silence, the grandmother scratched her head, sighed, and looking up at the ceiling, she said, „-Vezi, Aleoșa, de toate astea numai sărăcia e de vină. Sărăcia asta îi așa de cruntă câteodată, că nici nu pot să-ți spun!” This shows the harsh reality that poverty can force people to make difficult decisions.

On the other hand, there are also moments of lightheartedness. „-Ce mai de nuiele-s aici! spuse bunicul și-mi făcu cu ochiul a glumă. În curând am să te pun să înveți carte, așa că o să ne prindă bine.” Here, the grandfather's playfulness brings a smile to our faces and shows the affectionate relationship between the generations. These two examples beautifully illustrate the diverse range of emotions and experiences that are depicted in „Copilăria”.

The Book: Childhood

The Author: Maksim Gorky

Number of Pages: 318

Final Rating: ****

** May God have mercy on him and the devil love them **

A Russian biography (writing like a river)...

** It is not the accumulation of misfortunes in our lives that amazes us, but what amazes us is that within the gaps of this rubble, the desire to succeed grows, a strong and creative desire that elevates human virtue, awakening our hopes for the birth of a new and shining human life **

The literature of autobiography has always had a special place for me because when an author writes his autobiography, he has only his pen and his sincerity... and Arab literature has many experiences in the literature of autobiography. Perhaps the best and most sincere of them for me as a reader are (The Days) by Taha Hussein and (The Beggar Bread) by Muhammad Shukri... But here we are far from the Arab homeland... We are in the company of an author from the pioneers of the golden age of literature in Russia... the founder of socialist realism literature and an author who has been nominated many times for the Nobel Prize... He tells us not only about his miserable childhood but also about the Russia that Maksim sees today and will not recognize...

** But the truth prevails over complaints, and moreover, I am not writing about myself but about that narrow and choking loop of impressions that the simple Russian man has lived and still lives to this day **

Gorky begins the first part of his autobiographical trilogy with a scene of his father's death, which he considers the beginning of the formation of his personality that he will become... Gorky begins to describe his childhood in his grandfather's gloomy house, finding his kind grandmother who never stops telling stories... and his mother, whose existence becomes like a shadow in his life after his father's death... Gorky explores the ugly, miserable, and poor side of life early on and finds himself forced to work and live with a family he has not been used to before... his grandfather, grandmother, uncles, and their children, and becoming part of a new family (the Kashirin family), and the grandfather's punishment for him and his troubles, and his first questions, and he begins to explore their poor lives... and we see Russian society through the eyes of a child and the pen of a mature author. The first part of his autobiography ends, and he still has not learned to read and write... His childhood diaries amuse him, and he gets to know new people and children and goes to school... then his mother's return to his life after she remarries and her problems with her husband who leaves her in the end... Just as the author begins with death, he ends it with the death of his mother... Death has always been a sign of separation and a pivot in his life...

** Imagine my childhood years as a cell where different people, simple and honey-dripping, deposit their knowledge and their images of life, just as bees deposit their honey in the cell... They deposit it in my spirit and stir it... each according to his ability... Most of the time, the honey is bitter and sometimes sweet, but the knowledge, in all cases, is honey **

And if writing is like a river, then Gorky is a skilled swimmer. His description does not stop, whether it is short or long, without making you feel bored for a moment... Gorky was not only writing about himself or even out of his sense of nostalgia, but he was documenting his small society, which is a direct reflection of the personality of the Syrian citizen in the late nineteenth century... As Gorky says in his book, "I realized after a long time that the Russian man, because of poverty and the dullness of life he lives, likes to amuse himself with his misfortunes and play with them, just as children play, and he rarely feels ashamed of being in trouble."

** And from those days on, a caution grew within me towards people, as if the shell of my heart had been torn, leaving the heart vulnerable to emotions and unable to tolerate even the slightest harm from others, whether they were from the family or strangers **

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This book clearly explains the uncertainties and difficulties that exist in life.....

I never had the opportunity to know my grandparents, and since I don't envision becoming a grandparent anytime soon, the accounts of other people's profound relationships with their grandparents or grandchildren hold a great allure for me. It has an almost spiritual quality, something rich and unattainable.

Fortunately, there are numerous stories of such richness to be discovered in literature. Through them, I have been able to vicariously experience the grandchild/grandparent relationship many times. Depending on the writer's skill, the experience can seem almost as real as if I had lived it myself.

I recall that when I read Tove Jansson's Summer Book, I closely identified with both the grandmother and the granddaughter. I felt as if I was living their relationship with each other and with the island where they resided, as intensely as if I had been there.

More recently, I read another grandparent/grandchild story set on an island. Once again, the story was so well told that I lived it with the characters. The author of Twenty Years A-Growing, Maurice O'Sullivan, although living on a remote island where books were scarce, is said to have read Maxim Gorky's memoir of childhood. So, I decided to read it too, not knowing that it would contain the most powerful grandparent/grandchild story I had yet encountered.

From the very first page to the last, Gorky's grandmother, Akulina, is depicted as the central point of the author's childhood existence, the person he loved the most in the world. And, as in the case of O'Sullivan's grandfather, it is storytelling that forges the deep bond between the two. Akulina has a vast repertoire of orally transmitted stories and verses, and she never tires of telling them to the young Gorky. Is it any wonder that he became a writer?

2.75 stars.

Actually, at first I intended to give two stars, and then at the end of the story, I wanted to give 3 stars, but I don't think I can read this book again, so it's just 2.75. Since it's a memoir, everything is slow, calm, and a bit emotionless (or maybe only I feel that way), there's no real climax or excitement (I'm not demanding, but it's just too boring). The description of the scenery is very good, emotional, but when it comes to the characters, it's really xyz. I can't stand the character of the old man, he's too authoritarian, difficult to bear, just complaining and blaming others all day long without knowing how to look at himself. The little boy in this story, I just like the ending, he seems a little bit more grown-up than at the beginning.

PS: Whether it's good or not depends on each person's perception. Maybe it will suit you:'>, but for me, it doesn't: (

I don't remember when I last read such a captivating and emotion-evoking autobiographical writing. I'm not even sure if I've ever had the opportunity to read something like Gorky's childhood stories before. The book has been translated from the original Russian by Amal Dasgupta. Progressive Publishers, which is now defunct, published this classic.

Little Alyosha's father has passed away. Seeing her husband's corpse at home, Alyosha's mother, overcome with grief, faints. Alyosha's grandmother, who is deeply religious, has come to take the girl and the grandson. Actually, nowhere in the entire book is the author's name written as Gorky. The name Maxim Gorky was given by the author himself, which means "bitter Maxim."

The day Alyosha's father dies, a younger brother is born, and a few days later, the baby also passes away. With her mother and grandmother, Alyosha relocates to a new destination, her grandmother Kashirin's house.

Those who have read Humayun Ahmed's Himu series know that the people in Himu's grandmother's house belong to the category of demons. How bad Himu's grandmother and uncles are has been described more or less in Humayun Ahmed's Himu series books. I think he might have got this idea from reading Gorky's works.

All the people in Gorky's grandmother's house are extremely greedy, heartless, and of low class. Coming here, young Gorky finds a strange world. In this world, for the sake of wealth, Gorky's two uncles incite each other to kill. They consider the widowed sister-in-law a nuisance and look at her with eyes full of intense disgust and hatred, thinking that they have to give her a share of the property. Gorky's maternal grandmother, Kashirin, is a cruel person like that. Word by word, she beats Gorky. Gorky has described such a harsh environment in such detail that while reading, I could clearly see all the misdeeds of the entire Kashirin family. Describing something so vividly and accurately is not the work of an ordinary writer.

It is not possible to claim that Gorky had a close relationship with his mother. Just as the tragedy of her husband's death occurred when she was trying to build a bond with her child. As a result, Gorky's mother becomes indifferent to both her child and her family. Moreover, one day, she suddenly disappears from the house. Leaving Gorky in a hellish environment.

At that time, a conflict begins to develop between Gorky and his grandmother. In the whole house, only this one person is full of love and has a firm belief in religion. She loves Gorky. It would be an understatement to say it's just parental love. Gorky grows up under his grandmother's care. Gorky has presented his relationship with his grandmother in a very vivid way. The readers will never forget this simple and kind person.

Gorky was often the victim of beatings by the evil Dmitri. Those beatings would not seem less than medieval torture in this era. Grandmother Kashirin would beat Gorky.

Two years later, Gorky's mother returned. The author does not give a clear indication of where this noble woman was all this time. However, the hint given could force the readers into a state of intense and disturbing thought.

The return of his mother did not bring any significant change in Gorky's life. By this time, the old Kashirin family's business had collapsed. The sons had fought and established their own families. Kashirin, Gorky, and Gorky's grandmother, that is, the old Kashirin's daughter, have moved to a small new house after selling the old one. The rent collector of this house is a strange character named "Ba! Besh." I really liked this character.

Gorky's mother, who was thirty years old, got married to a twenty-year-old young student. Neither this marriage nor the father-in-law could be well-received by Gorky. There was a build-up of dissatisfaction and anger in his mind.

The old Kashirin had to sell the house for the dowry of the daughter. Gorky's mother went to Moscow with her husband. The readers have to have a heart as hard as a stone to endure the intense hardships that Gorky had to go through during this time and afterwards. Gorky had to collect garbage on the streets to arrange for food, and he even had to steal. Those are extremely touching events.

Amal Dasgupta might have translated it faithfully. Even without some descriptions, the Bengali readers would not have had any difficulty understanding this book. Khagen Mitra has translated a comparative and concise version of this book. That one is quite easy to read. If you feel uncomfortable reading the translation by Progressive Publishers, you can read Mitra's translation.

I read this before and vividly remembered that there was a garden bordering a ravine where waste was dumped.

I was surprised that it was only mentioned very briefly once! Another version? Or no, that's how reading works too: what remains of a book later on, you can never say.

Now, especially the many self-evident cruelties made an impression. Against children, animals, servants, beggars, women and men. And how dirty and poor everything is.

But who knows, later it turns out that especially sleeping on the big stove in the kitchen remained with me.

Perhaps it was the only warm and safe place in that harsh environment.

It makes me think about how our memories can be shaped by the most unexpected details.

Even in a story full of hardships and unpleasantness, there can be a small moment that stands out and lingers in our minds.

This shows the power of literature to evoke emotions and create lasting impressions.

Maybe the five stars I awarded this book are because I am so deeply grateful to it. Let me explain in detail.

In my late teens, I deliberately turned my back on "cultural" pursuits, believing that they would be extremely boring. Strangely enough, considering I was training to be a junior school teacher at that time. I remember the child psychology lecturer recommending certain novels, such as "The Member of the Wedding", "A Death in the Family", "The Lord of the Flies" and this one, because they could fully enter the mind of a child. I wasn't particularly interested initially. But then, in my first year of teaching, something compelled me to buy this book. It completely bowled me over. I was so immersed in the life of the boy Gorky that I almost felt as if I were living the story rather than just reading it. There was nothing cumbersome or dull about it. It was engaging, and as my lecturer had promised, it was psychologically acute.

This book opened a door for me. I had been wrong about literature. Could I also be wrong about culture? And so, the great symphonies of Beethoven came crashing into my life, along with other great works of Russian literature, and the life-changing films of Bergman, Fellini, Truffaut and Visconti, which followed swiftly after (this was in the 60s). How could I not give this wonderful book the highest rating when it opened the door to such a wealth of experiences?

On 31st March 2021, I reread "My Childhood" decades after my first encounter with it. My enthusiasm for this book remains as strong as ever. Gorky's world is vividly alive, transforming the reading experience into something truly immersive. Each character is exquisitely portrayed, even those on the periphery, and his descriptive language, which gives us a palpable sense of place, is masterful. This would be a perfect starting point for anyone who wishes to explore Russian literature, just as it was for me. It is a life-changing and life-affirming masterpiece.

On 3rd January 2025, in the last twelve months, I read the other two books to complete the trilogy. While "My Apprenticeship" remains vivid, it also has a tendency to be repetitive. At first, it seemed that "My Universities" would follow the same trend, but then it gloriously redeemed itself in the final eighty pages. So, I can safely extend my five stars to the trilogy as a whole. It is rare to feel as close to the author of an autobiography as I did to Maxim Gorky in this wonderful work.

Bazen Flush'taki gibi bir köpeğin gözünden, bazen Ana'daki gibi evlat anasının gözünden, bazense burada olduğu gibi bir çocuğun gözlerinden gösterir yazar bize dünyasını. Ne kadar zor şartlarda geçerse geçsin ömrü, her zaman bir aidiyet ve savunma refleksi gösterir insan kendi memleketine.

Herkesin birbirine düşman olduğu bir evde başlayan bir hayat, 5 yaşında babasını kaybetmesiyle her gün daha da zorlaşacaktır. Evden kaçan ve bir daha kendisine asla eskisi kadar sahiplenemeyen zayıf karakterli annesi, muzip ve aynı zamanda asabi dedesi ve klasik cefakar ev kadını ninesiyle günleri geçmektedir. Tabii bu aralarda hayatına yön veren insanlar da olur. Önce ne iş yaptığını kimsenin anlamadığı kiracı, son demlerde de Piskopos Hrisanf. Bunların ortak özelliği hemen dikkat çeker: Normal insanlardan farklı bir tarzları vardır.

Üçlemenin ilk kitabı işte böyle bir hayat koşuşturmasında biter. Bana düşen de arayı açmadan devam etmek olur:). The author shows us the world sometimes through the eyes of a dog like Flush, sometimes through the eyes of a mother like Ana, and sometimes through the eyes of a child like here. No matter how hard the conditions are in life, a person always shows a reflection of loyalty and defense to his homeland. A life that starts in a house where everyone is an enemy of each other will become even harder every day with the loss of his father at the age of 5. His mother, who has a weak character and runs away from home and can never possess herself as much as before, spends her days with her funny and at the same time nervous grandfather and the classic mischievous housewife Nines. Of course, there are also people who give direction to his life in between. First, the tenant whose job no one understands what he does, and in the last days, Bishop Chrysanthus. The common feature of these is that they have a different style from normal people. The first book of the trilogy ends in such a pursuit of life. And it is up to me to continue without opening the gap:).

What a truly wonderful book! I was completely captivated by every single aspect of it. The story, which is an autobiographical account of Gorky's childhood, is both engaging and profound. The writing style is equally impressive. The language is so simple yet incredibly powerful, and there are wonderful descriptions of everything one can imagine. The landscapes are vividly painted, the emotions of the people are laid bare, and Russian life and habits of that period are brought to life. Above all, Gorky's considerations about his childhood add an extra layer of depth to the narrative.

It is impossible to hate even a single character in this book, although at times they may seem harsh and rude. Gorky's ability to depict the humanity in every character is truly remarkable. They can be bad at times, but also kind. All of them are so human, with their virtues and vices. Every aspect of their personality was important to Gorky, as he himself says in the story: "If I think about myself as a child, I imagine myself like a hive where several simple and insignificant people brought, like bees, the honey of their knowledge and their thoughts on life, generously enriching my soul, each according to his ability. Often this honey was dirty and bitter, but all knowledge is still honey." I couldn't agree more with this quote. In my opinion, it is of utmost importance to observe and listen to the people around us because we can learn something from everyone.

Through the description of his childhood, we can also feel the Russian soul. We get a glimpse into the life and habits of simple and poor people in that period, as well as during the time when his grandparents were kids, as they shared their childhood stories with him. There is another quote that I particularly liked, when Gorky's grandfather says: "We are not lords. No one teaches us. We have to understand everything by ourselves. For the others books have been written and schools built, and for us there is nothing ready-made. We have to take it all by ourselves." It was really interesting to read about how life was for poor people in that era. His grandfather hit him a lot when he was a child, but also told him that he did it to teach him. The grandfather also hit his wife, but for her, there was nothing strange in this. However, she was such a lovely person, full of compassion for her husband and for the other people. Gorky's uncles had even tried to kill his father, and there was often a lot of violence, but Gorky seems detached from everything. He talks about his youth without bitterness or judgment. He used even the bad things to better understand people, life, and what surrounded him. He was a great observer, and it is only through observation that we can learn something and attain knowledge.

Another theme that I liked a lot was that about God. There were two different points of view: the one of Gorky's grandmother and the one of his grandfather. For his grandfather, God was far away, someone to respect and be afraid of. He was a strong believer, but in a "serious" way. For the grandmother, on the contrary, God was a friend. Every evening, before going to bed, she would talk to him, telling him what had happened during the day and how people had behaved, as if she was chatting with a neighbor. There was so much sweetness and tenderness in her way of loving God. She would also talk to God's Mother as if she was more important than God himself. Once, when talking to her, the grandmother said: "but don't tell your Son!" It was so sweet! It seemed like a relationship of confidence among mothers.

But Gorky's grandmother also believed in the spirits and goblins of Russian folklore. The tales she told to Gorky when he was a child were wonderful, and I liked that mix of superstition and faith. For the grandmother, all these spirits were real, and she strongly believed in them. She would also talk about the angels and devils she had seen, and Gorky as a child was fascinated by all these stories.

His grandmother was the most important person in his childhood, and the reader can feel the importance of this person and her sweetness. Gorky's father had died when he was a child, and his mother decided to leave him with her parents and go away. She wasn't present in Gorky's life, and his grandfather hit him often, so we can understand why his grandmother, with her sweetness, kindness, and fables, became the most important person in his life.

There is so much more to say about this book. It was also very moving. Not only because of the people's lives, but I also found some descriptions of the landscape to be very touching. In my opinion, this is a must-read book that everyone should pick up and experience for themselves.

Magnificent writing!

I loved listening to those kind words and watching the red and gold fire flickering in the stove and milky white clouds of steam rising over the vats, leaving a dove coloured crust; like hoar frost, on the sloping rafters of the roof, where jagged chinks let through blue patches of sky. The wind died down, the sun came out, and the whole yard seemed sprinkled with ground glass. The screeching of sleighs came from the street, light blue smoke curled up from chimneys, and soft shadows as if they too had a story to tell.

The tall, bony Grigory, hatless, with his long beard, and large ears, looked like a kind-hearted magician as he stood there mixing the bubbling dye and continued the lesson:

Never be afraid to look a person straight in the face. Even the dog that attacks you will run away then……

Russian authors are the best – in my view. Their description of people, both in appearance and character, of places and events are unsurpassed. This is an autobiography, the first book of three, by and about Maxim Gorky. Tolstoy has also written an autobiography entitled My Childhood; their lives were very different. Gorky's portrays the lowest classes of the Russian people. It is not surprising that he became an enthused supporter of Marxism. Please read the book description if you are unaware of the basics of Gorky's life. Here, in this book, you see the events of the author's first eight years, through his own eyes.

Stories after stories – that is what you get. Gorky had a very frightening, terrible childhood. The suffering he describes is physical. Beatings, brawls, fights: and yet at the same time there are fairy tales and legends he has learned from his grandmother; he is close to his grandmother and her life philosophy inspires hope even during the darkest of times. When Gorky's father dies he goes to live with his mother's family, but even his mother cannot bear to live there. He is thus raised primarily by his grandmother……and grandfather. Although the grandfather is brutal, you see that he is also kind, well sometimes. The times are different; children are beaten, how else can they be taught?! Both grandparents are religious, but each in their own way. Both ways are vividly painted through Alexei's perception. The book shows how this child saw his world; it was utterly frightening and incomprehensible. You absorb his experiences through story after story after story:

I waited until the innkeeper's wife had gone down to the cellar, and then shut the hatch and locked it over her, danced a dance of revenge over it, flung the key onto the roof and rushed as fast as my legs could take me to the kitchen, where Grandmother happened to be doing the washing. It took her some time to find out why I was so delighted, and when she did, she gave me a smack in the right place, dragged me outside and sent me up on the roof after the keys. Amazed at the reception, I silently retrieved the key and then ran off to one corner of the yard, from where I could see Grandmother freeing the captive innkeeper's wife. Then both of them, laughing all over their faces, came towards me across the yard.

"You'll get it from me!" said the innkeeper's wife threatening me with her plump fist, but still smiling benevolently with that eyeless face of hers.

Grandmother took hold of me by the scruff of the neck and hauled me off to the kitchen, where she asked me: "What did you do that for?"

"She threw a carrot at you…."

"So you did it for me? Well! What a nerve. I've a good mind to put you under the stove to keep the mince company. Perhaps that will knock some sense into you.

There are stories about everything, but they are all true stories: funerals where live frogs end up buried on top of the coffin, blazing fires, cockroach battles, people crushed under crosses…… Life was hard. One can understand why Gorky, or Alexei Maximovich Peshkov as he was really called, came to sympathize for the downtrodden tramps, factory workers and the poorest of the poor of Russian society. He lived from 1863 - 1936. His book "Mother" was the first comprehensive portrait of the Russian socialist movement. He was a friend of Stalin and was given a "Hero's Funeral" in the Red Square. But you should read this book for the marvellous storytelling, not for a summary of historical events. For that, look elsewhere.

I believe the following quote wonderfully expresses Gorky's view on both life and people:

In recalling my childhood I like to picture myself as a beehive to which very simple obscure people brought the honey of their knowledge and thoughts on life, generously enriching my character with their own experience. Often this honey was dirty and bitter, but every scrap of knowledge was honey all the same.

This book deserves more than five stars!!!

It is an interesting story about how he became a book reader and then a writer.

He grew up in a small town where access to books was limited. However, his curiosity led him to explore the local library whenever he could.

As he devoured book after book, he began to develop a love for the written word.

This love eventually inspired him to start writing his own stories.

At first, his writing was met with rejection. But he didn't give up.

He continued to hone his craft, learning from his mistakes and improving with each new piece.

Finally, his hard work paid off when he had his first book published.

Today, he is a successful writer, sharing his stories with the world and inspiring others to follow their own dreams.

His journey from a book reader to a writer is a testament to the power of perseverance and the love of literature.