Childhood. In the People. My Universities. At the Bottom. Stories

In 1892, the young writer Alexei Peshkov published a story in a provincial newspaper, signed with the pseudonym «M. Gorky». A few years later, this name gained nationwide fame. «Every appearance of Peshkov in public caused a real sensation; interviewers wouldn't let him be, he was enthusiastically seen off and greeted at train stations, telegrams were sent to him from literary evenings, his portraits and even statuettes appeared in all sorts of forms» — wrote about Gorky his contemporary, literary scholar S. A. Vengerov. Gorky's work was a subject of admiration and debate. The romantic images of free-spirited heroes, realistic sketches of the 'bottom' society, and reflections on eternal questions about human nature, the strength of spirit, freedom, and personal choice have been leaving readers indifferent for over a hundred years. The collection includes the most famous works of Maxim Gorky, created in the late 19th – early 20th century: autobiographical novellas "Childhood", "In the People", "My Universities"; stories "Old Woman Izergil", "Makar Chudra", "Chekash"; the play "At the Bottom"; "Song of the Falcon" and "Song of the Storm Petrel". The book features illustrations by Boris Dekhty rev and Dementiy Shmarinov — Soviet classical artists of book graphics.