Childhood In the World My University

Author: Maxim Gorky
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-03-01
Features: The three books, "Childhood," "In the World," and "My University," are autobiographical trilogy written by Maxim Gorky. "Childhood" authentically records the author's childhood experiences at his grandfather's house, including the quarrels and fights among his uncles over family property, the humiliation and beating of the weak, and the hardships and heavy burdens of life under the thumb of others. At the same time, he receives the love of his grandmother and is nurtured by the stories she tells, which greatly influenced his later literary career. In "In the World," the author not only bears the labor that a child cannot easily handle but also suffers humiliation and hardship, gaining a firsthand understanding of the slave-like life of the working class under the autocratic Tsarist regime. He begins to vaguely recognize the reactionary nature of the regime and further understands and detests the petty life surrounding him, while also discovering more of the pure, kind, and hardworking qualities of the laboring people. "My University" recounts the author's activities and growth during his time in Kazan, primarily the influence of populism on him and the enlightenment and education he receives from the revolutionary-minded university students and the secret youth group, which serves as a social university. It also depicts the social life of Russia in the 19th century and the 1880s.