Childhood

Author: Maxim Gorky
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: Throughout the novel, direct political interludes are not frequent, but the occasional brief remarks added significantly enhance the intellectual depth of the new work. Maxim Gorky's novella Childhood is a masterpiece in the history of Soviet literature. Reading this work today can help young readers genuinely understand the life of a bygone era, grasp the experiences of an orphaned boy who grows resiliently at the bottom of society, and inspire reflection and enlightenment. The protagonist of this book, Alyosha Pishevik, is none other than Gorky himself. The novel begins with Alyosha's father's death and his journey by boat with his mother to their grandmother Kasha, and ends with his mother's death and his grandmother kicking him out of the house, telling him to "go out into the world and find your own way to eat." It meticulously describes the events Alyosha experienced during his childhood in his grandmother's house and truthfully records his observations in Kasha's dye works. While mercilessly exposing and condemning the vulgar customs of society, Gorky also remains filled with fervent hope for eliminating the chronic ills of the old society and creating a new, better one.