Old Woman Izergil. Stories and Tales

This collection includes the early romantic stories of the famous Russian writer Maxim Gorky (1868–1936). In them, the author makes us think not only about what happens to literary heroes but also about ourselves, «about the fundamental and important» aspects of our own lives. What is freedom, and what is more important — freedom or love? Why have we come into this world? What will remain of us? Like in the legend of Larra — a shadow? Or like in the legend of Danko — «blue sparks in the steppe that appear before the storm»? Who are we — adherents of the human, thirsting for activity, even heroism, or those petty souls, seeking to comfortably arrange their little world? In Gorky's stories, there is the miracle of generosity and the miracle of love, the miracle of the spirit's strength and the miracle of human joy amidst unbearable and exhausting labor… Such works are very much needed today: for the author has told us about ourselves in ways that no one has said before. For middle and high school age.