I really liked Gorky's narration, and I will continue with the series Breadwinning as soon as possible.

While trying to bring to life in my mind the disgusting evils of that barbaric way of life in Russia, I have sometimes asked myself this question: Are all these worth recording? Every time, and with an increasingly greater belief, I have found the answer to be "yes", because, disgusting as they were, all these were the very truth itself, and it is still the case today.

... Life surprises us at every moment, but not with that thick layer of filth that consists of animalistic impurities, bubbling and stinking, but with the bright, healthy, and creative forces that compel us to rise up from beneath this layer of filth of humanity, towards the good. It is precisely these forces that arouse an unshakable hope in us that a better, more humane life will be reborn.

(p.268)

This book is written about Gorky's childhood and is apparently one of his trilogy.

The trilogy of Gorky includes Gorky's childhood, My Apprenticeship, and My Universities.

Gorky's childhood was full of hardships and difficulties. He grew up in a poor family and had to face many challenges.

However, through his own efforts and perseverance, he was able to overcome these difficulties and become a great writer.

His works are widely read and have had a profound impact on the development of Russian literature.

The trilogy of Gorky is an important part of his works and reflects his life experience and thoughts.

It is a valuable literary work that is worth reading and studying.

This is a very beautiful work that gives us an insight into the author's childhood years and the impressions of Russia during that period. I can say it's the first book I read by Gorky. (In primary school, I left 'Mother' unfinished.) I found the author's narration quite simple and sincere. Generally, it progresses through rather sad events. Gorky's childhood really had a tough past. Family problems, material difficulties and what they brought, it's like a life struggle. I really want to read the rest of his books as soon as possible. I'm very curious about how his life continued and what other experiences he had. I believe that each of his books will open a new door for me to understand the society and life of that time.

This is a truly remarkable account of the author's childhood and youth. After the untimely death of his father, a series of events unfolded that shaped his life. It is a 20th-century landmark autobiography that offers profound insights into the dreadful conditions in the Russian countryside and small cities before the Russian Revolution.

The book vividly描绘s the hardships faced by the Russian masses, who were dying of despair, alcoholism, and disease at an early age. It explains why they were open to a complete overturning of society, as they had little to lose. The few wealthier peasants are portrayed as greedy, and small business owners are not favorably depicted either.

However, there are a few figures who emerge as "saints" in the dross, such as the author's grandmother and some mentors who took an interest in him and taught him to read. Despite the unending grueling labor, poverty, and hardships, Gorky developed a poetic style of writing, which led to his repeated nominations for the Nobel Prize in literature.

The book is filled with uncanny and keen descriptions of nature, as well as the idiosyncrasies of the many individuals he met. There are countless interesting, exciting, and sometimes chilling or tragic episodes that are unforgettable. It is a page-turner that keeps the reader engaged, eager to find out what happened next to Gorky.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the conditions in Russia before the Revolution. It provides a valuable perspective on a crucial period in Russian history and offers a deeper understanding of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Here are some of the quotes from the book:

"I had no desire to fight. The low state of my feelings had drained my combativeness."

"[Grandma:] By doing good to others your [burnt] hands will heal quickly."

"[Grandma:] The millionaire forgets God, has no thought of Judgment Day, never thinks of the poor man as friend and brother. He only thinks of heaping up gold that will turn into coals of Hell."

"Cheerfully bright though the morning might be, I would feel depressed, longing to get away to the unpeopled fields, having learned by this time that the human presence manages to blight a beautiful day."

"And leaning over the dark earth, so splendidly arrayed in its flower embroidery, [Grandma]... discoursed of the time when God, furious with mankind, sent the flood that drowned all living things."

"It was good, then, to take it up with grandma's God, and her Holy virgin; to let them know of the disagreeable way people live, how they entombed each other in heaps of abuse, like a burial under dirty sand."

"I had learned from experience that relatives treat each other worse than strangers."

"The new arrivals [aboard ship] spoke of the same things as those who had departed: land, work, God, women--and in identical phrases. 'Our sufferings are ordained by the Lord; our part is to bear it patiently. There's nothing more we can do. It's fate.'"

"What most marked these people to me was their spiritless, timid, sad submission."

"[Grandpa:] The fear of God is essential to men like reins to the horse. God is our only friend; man is a bitter enemy to man." Man's hostility to me I knew to be the truth; but the rest had no interest for me."

"The causeway separated the city from a field, which still bore the name of the ancient god, Yarilo. The people of the neighboring town of Semika had laid out part of the field as a sort of park. I heard from grandma that, when she was young, the peole there had still sacrificed to Yarilo. They wrapped a wheel in tow and pitch, set it ablaze, and amidst shouts and songs, started it down the hill, watching if the burning wheel rolled into the Oka [River]. In that case, it was believed Yarilo had received the sacrifice, and they could look for a sunny and fruitful summer."

"[My employers]... were in constant friction with each other, as grain kernels are in friction with the millstone that is pulverizing them."

"I realized that if a saint strayed into that household, my employers would have gone to work on him, to tune him to their own key."

"Although the chef was forever upbraiding the stoker, he nevertheless kept feeding him tidbits. He'd toss him something, and say rudely, 'Here's something for you to wolf down!' Calmly eating it, Jake would reply, 'With your help, I'm building up reserves of strength.' 'And what good is strength to you, you loafer?' 'What good? Why it'll lengthen my life!' 'What for; you're no use to anybody.' 'Useless people keep living, just the same. It's fun living, isn't it? Very convenient.'"

"[Jake:] If a dog wants to be patted, think how much more people want it. And a female lives on love, the way a mushroom lives on dampness. Sure, it's a disgrace; but what can she do?"

"...a book was magic to me... It held the writer's soul, which spoke to me personally, when I opened the book and set it free."

"[Old Peter the icon appraiser:] Everybody's fate is appointed. for one it is rung out by angels with little silver mallets; for another, the devil does the ringing--with a sledgehammer!"

"I found it strange that books ignored this incessant, ingrained inclination of people to humiliate one another."

"[Old Peter:] Every spider is at home in a corner of his own, spins his own web, and figures on the situation he is in, how best to fend for himself."

"[Alekasha the wanderer:] Let us liberate ourselves, man, from the vanities over which men contend, for which they rend each other--from gold and silver and all manner of wealth, which can but corrupt and defile. Not on fields in this world, but in the vales of Paradise, is the soul to find salvation! Pull yourself free of it all, I say; strike off all chains, all bonds; rip the nets of this world; their weaver is anti-Christ. I take the straight road; I do not play tricks with my soul; I have no part in this dark world."

"With books," remarked [the icon face painter Eugene] Sitanov, "it becomes like spring, when the winter double widows are removed and we can breathe the fresh air." Books were hard to get, since we could not afford the rentals. I got hold of them, somehow, by begging or borrowing. From an officer of the fire patrol I received a volume of Lermontov. This gave me my first awareness of the power of poetry over people. Even now I can see Sitanov, after hearing the opening lines of "The Demon," looking at the book, then at my lips, then putting his brush down, cradling his knees in his long arms, and rocking himself with a blissful look on his face."

"When a page [of Lermontov] had been filled in his minute and graceful script, [Sitanov]... would recite in a low voice, till the ink dried, 'Having no part in it, feeling no regret, you will look down upon this earth where happiness is a mirage, and beauty is fleeting.'"

"...I observed with satisfaction that almost everybody cam to the same conclusions about our life, namely that it was evil and should be made better."

"The sanctimonious naivete of the "Regulations for the Punishment of Criminals" bares the pretenses behind which the big lie of property masks itself."

"With [my step-father's]... going, there would break another of my living links with life. The memory he would leave in me would be reduced to a limited and fixed thing; whereas, that which lives is infinite movement and change."

"[Grey-haired Osip, head of the carpenters' gang:] Good! The two of you've been taught to read. Keep it up. But don't believe everything in print. Anything can be printed, you know. Printing things is a business."

"Then a church-like quiet descended over the tavern and the singer was like a benevolent priest who did not arraign, but simply and with all his heart, prayed for the whole family of mankind, meditating aloud, one might say, on the tribulations that afflict man."

"[The architect boss:] Tell me-- you do a lot of reading and thinking--what the hell sort of sense does it make? You live; forty years go by; you're married, have children, and not a soul to talk to!"

"On the whole life seemed a ridiculous mess; too much of it was obvious stupidity."

"Who gives a hang about the forests?" continued Osip. "They're the property of he gentry, or the crown. The peasants have no stake in them. And if a town burns down that's not so terrible, either; it's the rich, mostly, who live in towns, so why waste pity on them! But it's a different matter when a village burns; and how many burn each summer? At least a hundred, I suppose. Now, that's serious."

"All men are alien to one another no matter how much they smile at each other and exchange compliments. Furthermore, we are all aliens to Nature, to whom few feel the bond of love."

"Let the truth be told, ours is a debased and squalid life!"

"[Uncle Jake:] My sorrows I could claim openly, but my joys I had to take by stealth. My father on one side, my wife on the other, both yelling, 'You can't this!' and 'Don't that!' I didn't dare spend a ruble on my own. And that's how my life dribbled away."

"[Uncle Jake:] You can't go back in life; and you can't get past the grave. So what's the difference, convict or warden!"

"[Uncle Jake:] There's no sense striving, or hoping for anything, for no man gets past the grave and the cemetery."

"[Uncle Jake:] You have youth. Just bear in mind that Fate is no bar to happiness. Well, so long, I'm off to Uspen!"

"And I was overcome with the wish to liberate the whole world and myself, by some magical act, so that I and everyone would whirl with joy in a mass carnival dance, so that people would give their love to each other here on earth, so that they would live for each other, and their lives be courageous, exalted and beautiful."

"[Trusov, the watch repairer:] I see a different road ahead for you, Peshkov. You're one of the inspired." "Inspired? What do you mean?" "One who is led on not by envy, but by curiosity."

"[George Pletnev, a high school student}... enjoyed life as if everything in it was new, like a man just out after long confinement to a sickbed, or a prison cell. He responded to everything with exuberant joy, popping over the ground like a string of exploding firecrackers."

"Nor did I find Adam Smith stimulating. His economic theses were no revelation to me. Direct experience had engraved them on my flesh."

"Often my own mute thoughts seemed to ring out in [the Derenkovs'] words; and I regarded them with the exaltation of a prisoner promised his freedom. In turn, I was to them the block of wood out of which the carpenter might construct an unusual piece of furniture."

"Inquisitiveness was my failing, a hunger to know everything and at once. Throughout my life it has kept me from applying myself to any particular study."

"Only from such a passionate and overpowering love for man, I realized, came the impetus to pierce to the core of life. No longer did my thoughts center on myself; I gave greater attention to others."

"[The semi-frozen drunken stranger Gorky rescued:] Progress is something we have invented to console ourselves. Life makes no sense, it has nothing to do with reason.... The fewer a man's desires the happier he is; the less he wants the freer he is."

"[An old friend of Gorky's:] The Intelligentsia enjoys worrying; always in revolt. Christ, the idealist, had heavenly goals for His rebellion; the Intelligentsia has Utopia.... Talk about technical progress? That only tightens the collar around our necks, fastens our chains tighter. No. We must be liberated from unnecessary toil. The human being needs rest. He won't get it from science and factories. A human being needs so little."

"Watched when he is alone, a man's behavior always resembles that of a maniac."

"That night, sitting in the yard on the wood pile I yearned to talk to somebody about grandma, about her kindness and understanding, and what a mother she had been to all. That yearning remained with me a long time, but I had no one to confide in and it burned itself out."

"Yet, my consuming purpose continued to be to spread goodness, reason, and enduring truth."

"Spitting bloody shreds of his disintegrating lungs right and left, [Jake Shaposhnikov, the consumptive carpenter who worked for Krestovnikov]... exclaimed hoarsely, 'First I'm no image and copy of God; I know nothing; I do nothing; I'm not a good man. Secondly, either God doesn't know the misery of my life, or He knows and hasn't the power to help me; or He has the power and won't. Thirdly, God is not all-knowing, not all-powerful; He's no merciful one, either. In short, He is not! It's all a fraud; all life is a fraud; you won't take me in.'"

"[Rubzov, from the bakery:] Take my word for it, some day the people will come to the end of their patience and in their rage they'll finish with everything, they'll grind all this trash into the dust. They'll come to the end of their patience."

"How often I've observed that the strange and the fantastic--the further from reality the better--has a far greater appeal to people than any account of sober reality."

"...[the rich peasants] go around like priests, robed in falsehood and pretense. Their doglike fawning to the strong makes them repulsive to watch."

"On one side the ceaseless and senseless writhings of the powers of instinct; on the other the fluttering of the wingless bird of reason, in the foul cage of reality. In no other land, I think, have the creative forces of life been so cruelly sundered as in Russia."

"[Bazhenov, a divinity student from Tomsk]... often dwelt, persuasively, on the power, the beauty of the mind. 'After all, boy, reason decides everything. That lever, in time, will sway the world.' 'On what pivot?' I asked. 'The people,' he replied, with conviction. 'Above all you--your mind.'"

Gorki, who lost his father at a very young age, moves to his grandfather's house with his mother. The grandfather is a rather harsh person, showing kindness only rarely. He seems to be giving lessons on "how children should not be raised." In this family, where beating has become a way of life, there are two useless sons who are constantly quarreling over money and a daughter who has lost her way and shows little love for her own child. Fortunately, the kind and selfless grandmother adheres to the sacred concept of family we know, and the reader, who is oppressed by the suffering, can take a breath. Besides this family I mentioned, we know many people. They also have tragic stories. Almost everyone is very unhappy. Little Gorki, who gets his share of this unhappiness, also becomes irritable and starts quarrels. You are not surprised.

The author attaches great importance to descriptions. There are incredibly detailed and metaphor-rich descriptions. You can easily visualize them in your mind. The narrative was smooth, but I had trouble with the names, and the abbreviations confused me.

The author continues to tell the story of his life in "How I Earned My Bread" and "My Universities." I hope they are more hopeful. It is necessary to read them.

In my childhood, I imagined myself as a beehive into which people from my humble circle of acquaintances, like bees, brought all their knowledge and thoughts about life, and each, according to their ability, contributed to making my soul richer. Often this honey was dirty and bitter, but every kind of knowledge was still honey.

After his father died of cholera, the young Gorky moved with his mother to his grandparents. An autobiography filled with sorrow, poverty, and misery. The grandfather beats Gorky day in and day out, the mother is constantly absent, and the grandmother is the light and hope.

Gorky lives up to being regarded as one of the great Russian writers. The descriptions of the environment and people are profound, and above all, he captures the coexistence with enormous precision.

"Their tears and moans, their quarrels and tantrums that flared up thick and fast and just as quickly died down, gradually began to make less and less of an impression on me. It left my heart more and more untouched.

Much later, I understood that Russians like sorrow as a change in their monotonous, empty lives, play with it like children, and rarely shy away from being unhappy.

During endless everyday days, even sorrow is a festival, even a conflagration is a pleasure. In a meaningless face, even a scar is interesting."

In the book, there are many interesting encounters with various characters. There are also a multitude of entertaining as well as sad events. All contribute in some way to the character of the protagonist. It never feels like the book is really moving forward in a direction, and I don't think that's the intention either. The portrayal of Gorky's childhood gives a stripped-down and honest picture of what it was like to grow up in a poor Russia at the end of the 19th century.

"When I think about all the atrocities in our Russian life, I ask myself: is it worth talking about this? And with firm conviction, I answer: yes, it is worth it, for this is the pure, terrible truth about us - true to this very moment. And this truth one must learn to know right down to the root in order to be able to pull it up with the root from the memory, from the soul, from our whole wretched, shameful life."

Maxim presents a strikingly vivid portrayal of the ordinary lives of Russians in the 19th century. This vividness, however, does not necessarily equate to beauty.

What truly defines life is the complex blend of glamorous beauty, ecstatic happiness, sorrowful tragedies, and excruciating pains. This book is truly remarkable as it manages to capture this very essence. It delves into the harsh reality within which the author was born and raised, a reality characterized by a constant battle for survival.

Nevertheless, even in the midst of what appears to be absolute desperation, the young Maxim still possessed the ability to appreciate and savor the small joys in life. Little by little, he filled his cup of childhood with Grandma's enchanting fairy tales, the warmth of friendship, the refreshing breeze of spring, and the starry summer nights.

His ability to find beauty and meaning in the simplest of things is a testament to the human spirit's resilience and capacity for hope, even in the most challenging of circumstances.

I never thought that an autobiography could be so bitter and yet so captivating at the same time. The narration from a child's language gives us a fair account that has no judgment. That's why we get to know all the characters and understand them at the same time. All the female characters in the story are very charming. Surely, the grandmother character is the most beloved character in the story for me. Besides the captivating story, the narrator is also a part of Russian history. But in some places, like a smile in the middle of a swamp, the book brings a smile to the reader's face. I am impatiently eager to read and reread the other works of the author because now I better understand where this creative mind comes from...

This autobiography takes us on a journey through the author's life, filled with both hardships and joys. The vivid descriptions and the unique perspective of the child narrator make it a truly engaging read. We can feel the emotions of the characters and experience their lives along with them.

The author's ability to blend history and personal narrative is remarkable. It not only provides us with an insight into the past but also makes us reflect on our own lives. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about real-life experiences and wants to be touched by the power of storytelling.

Some books we get become a permanent part of our memory once we read them. This book by Gorky was written 110/15 years ago. The play is even three decades earlier. At that time, such a vivid and unadorned description of the life of the Volga riverbank was found that I read page after page with great interest. And by substituting myself in the middle of Alyosha, it felt as if we had returned to our childhood. The comparison between the villages and towns of Russia at that time and those of Bengal, and what kind of surprises the people got, this has been said by many before me. I am not the one to say it again.

It is truly remarkable how these literary works can transport us to different times and places. They allow us to experience the lives and emotions of the characters as if they were our own. Gorky's works, in particular, have a certain charm that draws readers in and makes them reluctant to put the book down.

Whether it is the vivid descriptions of the environment or the complex and relatable characters, there is something in his writing that speaks to the human spirit. These books are not just a source of entertainment but also a means of learning and understanding different cultures and historical periods. They have the power to shape our perspectives and broaden our horizons.

**My Autobiography**

I am a person with a rich inner world and a serious attitude towards life. From an early age, I have been deeply influenced by culture, whether it is through reading classic literature, exploring different art forms, or experiencing various cultures during travels.

My journey in life has been filled with challenges and opportunities. I have always strived to learn from every experience, to grow and improve myself. I believe that hard work and determination are the keys to success, and I have never been afraid to take risks and step out of my comfort zone.

Throughout my life, I have also placed great importance on relationships. I cherish the friendships and connections I have made, and I am always willing to offer a helping hand to those in need. I believe that kindness and compassion are essential qualities in a civilized society.

In conclusion, my autobiography is a reflection of my life's journey, a story of growth, learning, and discovery. I am proud of who I have become, and I look forward to the future with excitement and anticipation.

Can you believe I finished it because I truly cannot.

Okay, so I initially thought this was a fiction novel, which was rather dumb of me. I bought it based on the blurb, which clearly stated that it's not fiction, but I just saw what I wanted to see and continued to think it was. Turns out, not only is it non-fiction, but it's also an autobiography. Woo!

I've never read any of Gorky's novels or even heard of them (even though I claim to be incredibly well-read). Apparently, he's a very famous Russian author, and here lies the problem. I'm clearly not the intended audience for this novel. If I had read his novels, been a fan of his, and was interested in learning more about his life, this would have easily received a higher rating. Nonetheless, it got 3 stars, which is still good.

The book is presented in a chapter-by-chapter format (as is every book, one might say). What I mean is that there's no overarching thread that keeps the story linked other than the fact that it's his life. This wasn't a flaw for me, and I was fine with it. It was in chronological order, by the way. However, what happened was that some chapters were really good, especially towards the end. I couldn't get enough of them and breezed through them. Then, other chapters felt like rubbing sand on my bare eyeballs. But overall, it was still interesting, and I liked it.

Sadly, grief has always been a source that inspires writers to create great literary works, and it is a fact that I think everyone would admit. Maxim Gorky tells about his miserable childhood among the pages of this book in a beautiful storytelling style.

When he was young, the death of his father was the reason for his mother to leave him with his grandfather, and he lived the hardest years of his life in poverty and grief in the Russian countryside. His mother, who was a stranger to him, and when he remembered her, the image formed in his imagination was that of a beautiful and strong woman, but it was an empty image that did not evoke any feeling in him.

As for the source of those feelings that brought him a sense of security and filled him with tenderness, it was his grandmother. That grandmother, as Maxim described her, "everything in her was full of kindness, great-hearted, and full of passion." With the bulk of her body and the laughter of her soul before her lips and her hair that she combed, she was a messenger of security for him in the midst of the grief he lived. She loved telling stories that nourished his imagination and made him amazed and fascinated by them, and everyone agreed that she was his greatest inspiration in his adulthood. Maxim said about her, "Soon enough, she revealed herself, forever, as the companion of my life – the close and dear companion to my heart, whom I could understand completely... And her naked love for life educated me and gave me the strength that I often needed later to face the dark future that I knew nothing about." I have not read anything by Maxim except this book, but I am sure that I will find his grandmother in one way or another in his works, and I am also sure that everyone who reads this book will have a strong impression in themselves.

A wonderful fictional autobiography... The translation is very excellent... I highly recommend it.