My Childhood (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) [Mass Market Paperback]

Maxim Gorky (Author), Ronald Wilks (Translator, Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin | Publication Date: January 1, 1995

Coloured by poverty and horrifying brutality, Gorky's childhood equipped him to understand - in a way denied to a Tolstoy or a Turgenev - the life of the ordinary Russian. After his father, a paperhanger and upholsterer, died of cholera, five-year-old Gorky was taken to live with his grandfather, a polecat-faced tyrant who would regularly beat him unconscious, and with his grandmother, a tender mountain of a woman and a wonderful storyteller, who would kneel beside their bed (with Gorky inside it pretending to be asleep) and give God her views on the day's happenings, down to the last fascinating details. She was, in fact, Gorky's closest friend and the epic heroine of a book swarming with characters and with the sensations of a curious and often frightened little boy."My Childhood", the first volume of Gorky's autobiographical trilogy, was in part an act of exorcism. It describes a life begun in the raw, remembered with extraordinary charm and poignancy and without bitterness. Of all Gorky's books this is the one that made him 'the father of Russian literature'.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The first book of an autobiographical trilogy by Maksim Gorky, published in Russian in 1913-14 as Detstvo. It was also translated into English as Childhood. Like the volumes of autobiography that were to follow, My Childhood examines the author's experiences by means of individual portraits and descriptions of events. He reveals that his mother was mostly absent after the death of his father and that his upbringing was in the hands of his brutal grandfather. He also creates a compelling portrait of his unlearned but loving grandmother. Leaving home at age 12, the young Gorky learns self-reliance and begins to educate himself by reading. The subsequent autobiographical volumes are V lyudyakh (1915-16; In the World; also published as My Apprenticeship) and Moi universitety (1923; My Universities; also published as My University Days). Considered to constitute one of the finest Russian autobiographies, the books reveal Gorky to be an acute observer with great descriptive powers. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140182853
• ISBN-13: 978-0140182859
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Russian

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brutal realism...highly entertaining and a good read, March 28, 2004

By 

richard lionhearted (Philly,PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Childhood (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the 1st past of the trilogy of Maxim Gorky's autobiography. This is a really good and entertaining book, but contains at times morbid and depressing subject material, especially the unbelievable cruelty of some of the characters. There are some light moments though and if you enjoy realism and a brutal peek at what life was like in early 20th century Russian life for poor folks and enjoy Dostoevsky, you will like this book.

I personally think that Gorky belongs at the top of elite Russian writers.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How did he do it?, July 15, 2000

By 

SAMUEL JAMES HOWELLS - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Childhood (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book on friday and finished it on sunday. It takes you deep into 19th century Russia and the semi-feudal nightmare of Gorky's childhood and it does so with pace and vitality. There are few judgements; about the brutality,horror and poverty inflicted on an intelligent suffering child who became grew up to be great. This is no Hollywood, bad guys get what they deserve happy read this is a true story and it is life. A must for any lover of Russian literature.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an unforgettable book, March 9, 2001

By 

"luderitz" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Childhood (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is by far the best in Gorky's autobiographical trilogy.

I found this to be a fascinating book. I could not imagine a childhood more different from mine than Maxim Gorky's. His was a life of grinding poverty, cruelty and sadness intermingled with the love and goodness of his grandmother. Yet out of the cold ashes a great writer emerged. Remarkable.

The writing is vivid and draws you right into the scene and events.

This is a powerful book. I was still thinking about Maxim's life long after the book was finished and put away.