Maxim Gorky (born March 28, 1868) is an honored Russian writer, prose writer and playwright. For those who don’t know, Maxim Gorky’s real name is Alexey Maksimovich Peshkov. Author of many works with revolutionary themes.
His life deserves special attention, as he is a worthy example for young people. Despite many difficulties and hardships, he was able to glorify his name and gain recognition not only in Russia, but also abroad.
Chronological table of the biography of Maxim Gorky
Briefly about childhood
This outstanding man was born in Nizhny Novgorod, in the usual working family. His father was a cabinetmaker. At a young age, he was left an orphan and raised by his grandfather, who had a harsh and tyrannical disposition. Since childhood, he felt the need and was forced to quit his studies and earn his own living. But this did not stop him from developing and learning independently.
The only outlet for him was his grandmother’s soulful poems. It was she who contributed to the literary talent of her grandson. In his notes, the writer very rarely mentions his grandmother, but these words are filled with warmth and tenderness.
At the age of 11, he decided to leave his grandfather’s house and go free. Wherever he worked, trying to somehow feed himself. He worked as an errand boy in a shoe store, as a helper for a draftsman, and as a cook on a steamship. When he turned 15, he took the risk of entering Kazan University. This attempt was unsuccessful, because young man did not have financial support.
Kazan did not greet him very friendly. There he experienced life in its lowest manifestations. He ate whatever he could, lived in slums, and interacted with the lower strata of society. Because of this, he decided to commit suicide.
His next destination was Tsaritsyn. He worked there for some time on railway. Then he contracted as a scribe for the attorney at law M. A. Lapin. This man did not play last role in his destiny.
Maxim’s restless disposition did not allow him to sit in one place and he decided to go on a trip to the south of Russia. Having tried many different professions, he added to his knowledge base. In his wanderings on foot, he never ceased to propagate revolutionary ideas. This is what led to his arrest in 1888.
The beginning of literary creativity
The first story by M. Gorky"Makar Chudra" was published in 1892. Returning to his hometown, he met the writer V.G. Korolenko, who made a significant contribution to the fate of the writer.
Fame came to him in 1898, after the publication of the work “Essays and Stories.” His creations began to enjoy popularity not only in Russia, but also abroad. The list of Gorky's novels includes the following:
- "Mother",
- "The Artamonov Case"
- "Foma Gordeev"
- "Three" and others.
The most famous were the story “Old Woman Izergil”, the plays “At the Lower Depths”, “Bourgeois”, “Enemies” and others.
Since 1901 M. Gorky was constantly at gunpoint police, as he carried out propaganda of the revolutionary movement. In 1906 he was forced to leave his homeland and went to Europe and the USA. The main thing is that even there he did not stop defending the revolution, expressing this in his work. He lived on the island of Capri for about seven years, where he did not stop writing. The following works appeared there:
- "Confession";
- “The life of an unnecessary person”;
- "Tales of Italy."
At the same time, he underwent treatment. During the same period of time, the novel “Mother” appeared.
After the October riot in 1917, Maxim Gorky became the first chairman of the Union of Writers of the USSR. Under his protection were everyone who was persecuted by the new government.
Last years
In 1921, the writer health has deteriorated sharply, tuberculosis worsened. He had to go abroad for treatment. There is information that Lenin strongly insisted on this departure. Perhaps this was due to the growing ideological contradictions in the writer’s opposition. At first he lived in Germany, from there he moved to the Czech Republic and Italy.
In 1928, Stalin himself invited M. Gorky to celebrate his 60th birthday. A grand reception was held in honor of this event. It was transported to many regions Soviet Union, demonstrating achievements Soviet people. In 1932, the writer returned to Russia for good.
Despite a serious and debilitating illness, Alexey Maksimovich tirelessly continues to work in newspapers and magazines. At the same time, he was intensely busy with the novel “The Life of Klim Samgin,” which he never completed.
There was also no stability in the personal life of Maxim Gorky. He was married several times. The first marriage took place with Ekaterina Pavlovna Volzhina. They had a daughter who died in infancy. The second child was a son, Maxim Peshkov. Was a free artist. He died shortly before the death of his father. This was a surprise to everyone, which gave rise to many rumors about the possibility violent death.
For the second time, Gorky married the actress and associate of the revolutionary movement, Maria Andreeva. The last woman in his life was Maria Ignatievna Burdberg. This person had a dubious reputation among the people because of his turbulent life.
Interesting fact It is believed that after the writer's death, they decided to study his brain in more detail. Scientists from the Moscow Brain Institute took up this task.
Maxim Gorky short biography
Alexey Peshkov, better known as the writer Maxim Gorky, for Russian and Soviet literature iconic figure. He was nominated five times Nobel Prize, was the most published Soviet author throughout the existence of the USSR and was considered on a par with Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin and the main creator of Russian literary art.
Alexey Peshkov - future Maxim Gorky | Pandia
He was born in the town of Kanavino, which at that time was located in the Nizhny Novgorod province, and is now one of the districts of Nizhny Novgorod. His father Maxim Peshkov was a carpenter, and in last years life he managed a shipping company. Vasilievna’s mother died of consumption, so Alyosha Peshkova’s parents were replaced by her grandmother Akulina Ivanovna. From the age of 11, the boy was forced to start working: Maxim Gorky was a messenger at a store, a barman on a ship, an assistant to a baker and an icon painter. The biography of Maxim Gorky is reflected by him personally in the stories “Childhood”, “In People” and “My Universities”.
Photo of Gorky in his youth | Poetic portal After an unsuccessful attempt to become a student at Kazan University and arrest due to connections with a Marxist circle, the future writer became a watchman on the railway. And at the age of 23, the young man set off to wander around the country and managed to reach the Caucasus on foot. It was during this journey that Maxim Gorky briefly wrote down his thoughts, which would later become the basis for his future works. By the way, the first stories of Maxim Gorky also began to be published around that time.
Alexey Peshkov, who took the pseudonym Gorky | Nostalgia Having already become famous writer, Alexey Peshkov leaves for the United States, then moves to Italy. This did not happen at all because of problems with the authorities, as some sources sometimes present, but because of changes in family life. Although abroad, Gorky continues to write revolutionary books. He returned to Russia in 1913, settled in St. Petersburg and began working for various publishing houses.
It is curious that with all the Marxist views October Revolution Peshkov was quite skeptical. After the Civil War, Maxim Gorky, who had some disagreements with the new government, again went abroad, but in 1932 he finally returned home.
Writer
The first published story by Maxim Gorky was the famous “Makar Chudra,” which was published in 1892. And the two-volume “Essays and Stories” brought fame to the writer. Interestingly, the circulation of these volumes was almost three times higher than what was usually accepted in those years. Of the most popular works of that period it is worth noting the stories “Old Woman Izergil”, “ Former people", "Chelkash", "Twenty six and one", as well as the poem "Song of the Falcon". Another poem, “Song of the Petrel,” has become a textbook. Maxim Gorky devoted a lot of time to children's literature. He wrote a number of fairy tales, for example, “Sparrow”, “Samovar”, “Tales of Italy”, published the first special children's magazine and organized holidays for children from poor families.
Legendary Soviet writer | Kyiv Jewish community Very important for understanding the writer’s work are Maxim Gorky’s plays “At the Lower Depths,” “The Bourgeois” and “Yegor Bulychov and Others,” in which he reveals the playwright’s talent and shows how he sees the life around him. Big cultural significance for Russian literature they have the stories “Childhood” and “In People”, social novels“Mother” and “The Artamonov Case”. Last job Gorky’s epic novel “The Life of Klim Samgin” is considered, which has a second title “Forty Years”. The writer worked on this manuscript for 11 years, but never managed to finish it.
Personal life
The personal life of Maxim Gorky was quite stormy. He married for the first and officially only time at the age of 28. The young man met his wife Ekaterina Volzhina at the Samara Newspaper publishing house, where the girl worked as a proofreader. A year after the wedding, a son, Maxim, appeared in the family, and soon a daughter, Ekaterina, named after her mother. The writer was also raised by his godson Zinovy Sverdlov, who later took the surname Peshkov.
With his first wife Ekaterina Volzhina | Livejournal But Gorky's love quickly disappeared. He began to feel burdened family life and their marriage to Ekaterina Volzhina turned into a parental union: they lived together solely because of the children. When little daughter Katya died unexpectedly, this tragic event became the impetus for the severance of family ties. However, Maxim Gorky and his wife remained friends until the end of their lives and maintained correspondence.
With his second wife, actress Maria Andreeva | Livejournal After separating from his wife, Maxim Gorky, with the help of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, met the Moscow Art Theater actress Maria Andreeva, who became his de facto wife for the next 16 years. It was because of her work that the writer left for America and Italy. From her previous relationship, the actress had a daughter, Ekaterina, and a son, Andrei, who were raised by Maxim Peshkov-Gorky. But after the revolution, Andreeva became interested in party work and began to pay less attention to her family, so in 1919 this relationship came to an end.
With third wife Maria Budberg and writer H.G. Wells | Livejournal Gorky himself put an end to it, declaring that he was leaving for Maria Budberg, a former baroness and part-time his secretary. The writer lived with this woman for 13 years. The marriage, like the previous one, was unregistered. Last wife Maxima Gorky was 24 years younger than him, and all his acquaintances were aware that she was “having affairs” on the side. One of Gorky's wife's lovers was an English science fiction writer H.G. Wells, to whom she left immediately after the death of her actual spouse. There is a huge possibility that Maria Budberg, who had a reputation as an adventurer and clearly collaborated with the NKVD, could be double agent and also work for British intelligence.
Death
After his final return to his homeland in 1932, Maxim Gorky worked in newspaper and magazine publishing houses, created a series of books “History of Factories and Works”, “Poet’s Library”, “History civil war", organizes and conducts the First All-Union Congress Soviet writers. After unexpected death the writer wilted from his son's pneumonia. During his next visit to Maxim’s grave, he caught a bad cold. Gorky had a fever for three weeks, which led to his death on June 18, 1936. The body of the Soviet writer was cremated, and the ashes were placed in the Kremlin wall on Red Square. But first, Maxim Gorky’s brain was extracted and transferred to the Research Institute for further study.
In the last years of life | Digital library Later, the question was raised several times that the legendary writer and his son could have been poisoned. In this case there was people's commissar Genrikh Yagoda, who was the lover of Maxim Peshkov’s wife. They also suspected involvement and even. During the repressions and the consideration of the famous “Doctors’ Case,” three doctors were blamed, including the death of Maxim Gorky.
Books by Maxim Gorky
- 1899 - Foma Gordeev
- 1902 - At the bottom
- 1906 - Mother
- 1908 - The life of an unnecessary person
- 1914 - Childhood
- 1916 - In People
- 1923 - My universities
- 1925 - Artamonov case
- 1931 - Egor Bulychov and others
- 1936 - Life of Klim Samgin
Alexey Maksimovich Peshkov born in 1868 in Nizhny Novgorod. He lost his parents early, lived in his grandfather’s family, experienced many troubles and hardships with early childhood. This explains his nickname - Bitter, which he took in 1892, signing with it the story “Makar Chudra”, published in the newspaper. This is not so much a pseudonym-phrenonym - a pseudonym indicating main feature the author's character or main feature his creativity. Knowing for certain about the hard life, the writer described the bitter fate of the disadvantaged. Gorky described the impressions of the beginning of his life in the trilogy “Childhood”, “In People”, “My Universities”.
Creative activity
Since 1892, the aspiring writer published feuilletons and reviews in newspapers. In 1898, his two-volume book “Essays and Stories” was published, which made Maxim Gorky a famous revolutionary author and attracted the attention of the authorities to him. This period in the writer’s life is characterized by a search for the heroic in life. “Old Woman Izergil”, “Song of the Falcon”, “Song of the Petrel” were enthusiastically received by progressive youth.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Gorky finally subordinated his creativity to the service of the revolution. For participation in revolutionary movement In 1905, the writer was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, but under the influence of the world community the authorities had to release him. To avoid persecution, the party sent Gorky to America in 1906. Impressions of the country and that time are described in the essays “The City of the Yellow Devil”, “Belle France”, “My Interviews”. Gorky did not stay abroad for long for the first time.
Emigration and return to the USSR
Gorky met the October Revolution without much enthusiasm, but continued his creative activity and wrote many patriotic works. In 1921, he was forced to emigrate abroad, according to one version - at the insistence of V.I. Lenin, for treatment of tuberculosis, according to another - due to ideological differences with the established government. And only in 1928 he came to Russia at the personal invitation of Stalin. The writer finally returned to his homeland in 1932, and for a long time remained the “head of Soviet literature”, created new magazines and series of books, and initiated the creation of the “Union of Soviet Writers”. Despite his extensive social work, he continues his creative activities.
Personal life
The writer’s personal life was just as eventful as his creative one, but not as happy. IN different time he had several long-term affairs, but he was married to one woman - E.P. Peshkova (Volzhina). They had two children, but the daughter died in infancy, leaving only one son, Maxim. In 1934, Maxim died tragically.
Alexey Maksimovich Gorky died in 1936, cremated and buried in Moscow, on Red Square. There are still conflicting rumors surrounding his death, as well as the death of his son.
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Name: Alexey Maksimovich Peshkov
Nicknames: Maxim Gorky, Yehudiel Chlamida
Birthday: March 16, 1868
Place of Birth: Nizhny Novgorod, Russian empire
Date of death: June 18, 1936
A place of death: Gorki, Moscow region, RSFSR, USSR
Biography of Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky was born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1868. In fact, the writer’s name was Alexey, but his father was Maxim, and the writer’s last name was Peshkov. The father worked as a simple carpenter, so the family could not be called wealthy. At the age of 7 he went to school, but after a couple of months he had to quit his studies due to smallpox. As a result, the boy received a home education, and he also studied all subjects independently.
Gorky had a rather difficult childhood. His parents died too early, and the boy lived with his grandfather 
, who had a very difficult character. Already at the age of 11, the future writer set out to earn his living, working part-time either in a bread store or in a canteen on a ship.
In 1884, Gorky found himself in Kazan and tried to get an education, but this attempt failed, and he had to work hard again to earn money for food. At the age of 19, Gorky even tries to commit suicide due to poverty and fatigue.
Here he becomes interested in Marxism and tries to agitate. In 1888 he was arrested for the first time. He gets a job at an iron job where the authorities keep a close eye on him.
In 1889, Gorky returned to Nizhny Novgorod and got a job as a clerk for lawyer Lanin. It was during this period that he wrote “The Song of the Old Oak” and turned to Korolenko to evaluate the work.
In 1891, Gorky went to travel around the country. His story “Makar Chudra” was published for the first time in Tiflis.
In 1892, Gorky again traveled to Nizhny Novgorod and returned to the service of lawyer Lanin. Here he is already published in many publications in Samara and Kazan. In 1895 he moved to Samara. At this time he actively wrote and his works were constantly published. The two-volume “Essays and Stories,” published in 1898, is in great demand and is very actively discussed and criticized. In the period from 1900 to 1901 he met Tolstoy and Chekhov.
In 1901, Gorky created his first plays “The Bourgeois” and “At the Lower Depths”. They were very popular, and “The Bourgeois” was even staged in Vienna and Berlin. The writer became famous already international level. From that moment on, his works were translated into different languages world, and he and his works become the object close attention foreign critics.
Gorky became a participant in the revolution in 1905, and since 1906 he has left his country due to political events. He has lived on the Italian island of Capri for a long time. Here he writes the novel “Mother”. This work influenced the emergence of a new direction in literature, like socialist realism.
In 1913, Maxim Gorky was finally able to return to his homeland. During this period, he actively worked on his autobiography. He also works as an editor for two newspapers. At the same time, he gathered proletarian writers around him and published a collection of their works.
The period of the revolution in 1917 was controversial for Gorky. As a result, he joins the ranks of the Bolsheviks, even despite doubts and torment. However, he does not support some of their views and actions. In particular, regarding the intelligentsia. Thanks to Gorky, most of the intelligentsia in those days avoided starvation and painful death. 
In 1921, Gorky left his country. There is a version that he does this because Lenin was too worried about the health of the great writer, whose tuberculosis had worsened. However, the reason could also be Gorky’s contradictions with the authorities. He lived in Prague, Berlin and Sorrento.
When Gorky turned 60, Stalin himself invited him to the USSR. The writer was given a warm welcome. He traveled around the country, where he spoke at meetings and rallies. They honor him in every possible way and take him to the Communist Academy.
In 1932, Gorky returned to the USSR for good. He is very active in literary activities, organizes the All-Union Congress of Soviet Writers, publishes a large number of newspapers.
In 1936, terrible news spread throughout the country: Maxim Gorky left this world. The writer caught a cold when he visited his son’s grave. However, there is an opinion that both son and father were poisoned due to political views, but this has never been proven.
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Bibliography of Maxim Gorky
Novels
1899
Foma Gordeev
1900-1901
Three
1906
Mother (second edition - 1907)
1925
Artamonov case
1925-1936
Life of Klim Samgin
Stories
1908
The life of an unnecessary person
1908
Confession
1909
Okurov town
Life of Matvey Kozhemyakin
1913-1914
Childhood
1915-1916
In people
1923
My universities
Stories, essays
1892
The Girl and Death
1892
Makar Chudra
1895
Chelkash
Old Isergil
1897
Former people
The Orlov couple
Mallow
Konovalov
1898
Essays and stories (collection)
1899
Song of the Falcon (prose poem)
Twenty six and one
1901
Song of the Petrel (prose poem)
1903
Man (prose poem)
1913
Tales of Italy
1912-1917
In Rus' (cycle of stories)
1924
Stories from 1922-1924
1924
Notes from a diary (series of stories)
Plays
1901
Bourgeois
1902
At the bottom
1904
Summer residents
1905
Children of the Sun
Barbarians
1906
Enemies
1910
Vassa Zheleznova (reworked in December 1935)
1915
Old man
1930-1931
Somov and others
1932
Egor Bulychov and others
1933
Dostigaev and others
Journalism
1906
My interviews
In America" (pamphlets)
1917-1918
series of articles " Untimely thoughts" in the newspaper "New Life"
1922
About the Russian peasantry
Born on March 28 (March 16, old style) 1868 in Kunavino, Nizhny Novgorod province Russian Empire(since 1919 the city of Kanavino, since 1928 it became part of Nizhny Novgorod). Maxim Gorky is the writer’s pseudonym, real name Alexey Maksimovich Peshkov.
Father - Maxim Savvatyevich Peshkov (1840-1871) a carpenter, the last years of his life - the manager of a shipping company.
Mother - Varvara Vasilievna Kashirina (1842-1879) from a bourgeois family.
Alexey Maksimovich was orphaned early. In 1871 he fell ill with cholera, the father was able to nurse his son, but he himself became infected and died. After the death of his father, Alexey moves with his mother from Astrakhan to Nizhny Novgorod. The mother took little care of her son and the grandmother, Akulina Ivanovna, replaced Alexei’s parents. At this time, Alexey did not attend school for long, and entered the third grade with a certificate of merit. In 1879, after the death of Varvara Vasilievna, his grandfather sent Alexei “to the people” - to earn his living. He worked as a “boy” in a store, as a pantry cook on a ship, as a baker, studied in an icon-painting workshop, etc. You can read more about the writer’s childhood and youth in his autobiographical stories"Childhood" and "In People".
In 1884, Alexey went to Kazan, hoping to enter Kazan University. But he didn’t have money to study and had to go to work. The Kazan period was the most difficult in Gorky's life. Here he experienced acute need and hunger. In Kazan, he gets acquainted with Marxist literature and tries himself in the role of an educator and propagandist. In 1888, he was arrested for connections with revolutionaries and was soon released, but continued to be under constant police surveillance. In 1891 he went on a journey and even reached the Caucasus. During this period, he made many acquaintances among the intelligentsia.
In 1892, his work “Makar Chudra” was published for the first time.
In 1896 he married Ekaterina Pavlovna Volzhina (1876-1965). From the marriage there was a son, Maxim (1897-1934), and a daughter, Ekaterina (1898-1903).
1897-1898 lived in the village of Kamenka (now the village of Kuvshinovo in the Tver region Russian Federation) from a friend Vasiliev. This period of his life served as material for his novel “The Life of Klim Samgin.”
In 1902, Gorky was elected honorary academician Imperial Academy sciences in the category of fine literature. But due to the fact that he was under police surveillance, his election was annulled. In this regard, Chekhov and Korolenko refused membership in the Academy.
By 1902, Gorky gained worldwide fame. In 1902, 260 newspaper and 50 magazine articles were published about Gorky, and more than 100 monographs were published.
In 1903, after the death of their daughter, Alexey Maksimovich and Ekaterina Pavlovna decided to separate, but not to formalize a divorce. At that time, divorce was possible only through the church, and Gorky was excommunicated from the church. In 1903 he met Maria Fedorovna Andreeva (1868-1953), whom he had known since 1900.
After “Bloody Sunday” (the shooting of a procession of workers on January 9, 1905), he issued a revolutionary proclamation, for which he was arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Many famous European representatives of creative and scientific world. Under their pressure, Gorky was released on February 14, 1905 on bail.
From 1906 to 1913, together with Maria Andreeva, he lived abroad in Italy, first in Naples, and then on the island of Capri. According to the official version, due to tuberculosis. There is also a version that due to political persecution.
In 1907, he took part in the V Congress of the RSDLP (Russian Social Democratic Labor Party), which was held in London, as a delegate with an advisory vote.
At the end of 1913, on the occasion of the three hundredth anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, a general amnesty was declared. After this, Gorky returns to Russia to St. Petersburg.
From 1917 to 1919 he was active in social and political activities. In 1919 he separated from Maria Andreeva and in 1920 he began to live with Maria Ignatievna Budberg (1892-1974). In 1921, at the insistence of Lenin, he went abroad. One of the versions is due to the resumption of the disease. According to another version, due to the aggravation of ideological differences with the Bolsheviks. Since 1924 he lived in Sorrento in Italy.
In 1928, at the invitation of the Soviet government and Stalin personally, he came to the USSR for the first time. But he doesn’t stay and leaves for Italy. In 1929, on his second visit to the Union, he visited the Solovetsky special purpose camp and wrote a positive review of its regime. In October 1929 he returned to Italy. And in 1932 he finally returned to the Soviet Union.
In 1934, with the help of Gorky, the Union of Writers of the USSR was organized. The Charter of the Writers' Union was adopted at I All-Union Congress Soviet writers, at which Gorky gave the keynote address.
In 1934, Gorky's son Maxim died.
At the end of May 1936, Gorky caught a cold and after three weeks of illness, he died on June 18, 1936. After cremation, his ashes were placed in the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow.
There are many rumors associated with the death of Gorky and his son. There were rumors of poisoning. According to Yagoda's interrogations, Gorky was killed on Trotsky's orders. Some blame Stalin for the death. In 1938, three doctors were involved in the “Doctors’ Case” and were accused of murdering Gorky.
Now the circumstances and causes of death of Gorky and his son Maxim remain the subject of debate.