Top 10 interesting facts about Maxim Gorky

Maxim Gorky is an ambiguous figure from all sides. The writer was distinguished by secrecy – he preferred to use pseudonyms – and was quickly disappointed in his beliefs if things changed course. And this happened often – the life of the author fell on difficult times for the country, in which his idealistic ideas about the world were quickly broken.

In an attempt to escape from reality, he even went abroad, but at a mature age he returned to his homeland. The following 10 interesting facts about Maxim Gorky will help you better understand his character: biography and stories from the life of the writer.

10 Real name – Alexey Peshkov

In his work, Alexey Peshkov preferred to use pseudonyms. The most famous of them is Maxim Gorky. The name, which would later become classic for Russian literature, he came up with himself.

Maxim – that was the name of his father, whom he lost very early. By the way, he subsequently named his son, who also died at a young age. The surname with such a dissonant meaning was chosen by the writer due to the fact that Gorko had a difficult life, especially in his youth. In addition, he wrote mainly about the lives of destitute and unfortunate people.

The writer also signed some of his publications in magazines as “Don Quixote”, “Peaceful”, “Someone X” and other fictitious names that had symbolic meaning for him.

9. V. Korolenko considered a literary mentor

The relationship between Gorky and Korolenko spans almost three decades. At the very first meeting, the young writer noticed how sensitive Korolenko, who was already famous at that time, reacted to the first successes of the author.

Gorky even called him his teacher, because Korolenko carefully read all the writer’s outgoing works and sometimes pointed out his mistakes. At the same time, the writer refused to consider himself Gorky’s mentor and patron, believing that he would achieve everything himself thanks to his talent.

In the correspondence that linked the two writers for many years, sharp questions were raised: it was especially intensive during the years of the revolution and after it. After Korolenko’s death, Gorky continued to write letters to his widow and children, emphasizing how important the author had been to him all this time.

8. The main idea of ​​creativity is the dream of “new people”

In all Gorky’s works, there is a tendency to describe the so-called “new people”. The heroes of his stories, novels and novels had to go through certain trials in order to be reborn and become perfect in everything – from intellect to physical abilities. In this case, they were subject to all the possibilities in the world, up to immortality.

In reality, the writer was upset at how much people differ from his ideas. He was especially disappointed with the revolution and the cruelty with which the people made history.

7. The founder of the genre of socialist realism

In the early 30s of the 20th century, at the suggestion of Joseph Stalin, Gorky was first called the representative of a new genre – “socialist realism”. From his earliest works, the writer sought to move away from the foundations of classical realism and gravitated toward art that would look at people’s lives from the standpoint of an ideal future.

At the same time, according to literary critics, Gorky’s works cannot be called “dry” books of a socialist orientation. Still, they had a lot of romanticism, which the author skillfully combined with a realistic concept.

6. Was the most published Soviet writer

If at the beginning of his career Gorky had a hard time because of poverty, then with the development of creativity, the writer began to live “in a big way.” Even during his lifetime in the USSR, the author was considered the most published writer – his books were sold in large numbers.. To this day, Gorky is one of the best-selling authors after Pushkin and Tolstoy.

All this allowed the writer to lead a bohemian lifestyle, despite the fact that famine was raging in the country. Gorky’s collections also took a lot of money – he enthusiastically collected paintings and expensive weapons.

5. Complete Works is 60 volumes

The author differs not only in the “circulation” of his works, but also in volume. Literary critics have calculated that the complete collection of all the works of the writer will stretch into 60 volumes at once.. Artistic works were published at the turn of the 60-70s, later journalism was published, while letters were already printed in modern Russia.

4. Was nominated 5 times for the Nobel Prize

Maxim Gorky is one of those writers who could have received a well-deserved Nobel for their literary works, but due to some circumstances they were left without a prize.. In total, the writer was nominated for the award 5 times, the last of which was in 1933. At that time, Gorky was already almost constantly living in Italy, only occasionally coming to the USSR.

But having learned that the Swedish organizing committee was ready to present an award to one of the Russian writers who were not connected with the Bolsheviks, he returned to his homeland in the hope of receiving well-deserved recognition.

That year, five-time nominees participated in the “race” for the prize – Gorky, Merezhkovsky and Bunin. The last and bypassed rivals. And if Merezhkovsky was later nominated twice more (but never received the award), then this rivalry turned out to be uninteresting for Gorky.

3. Initiator of the creation of the Writers’ Union of the USSR

It was Gorky who expressed the initiative to create a separate organization that would unite all writers under one “wing”as it was in other professions. In 1934, at the First Congress of Writers of the USSR, a decision was made to establish the Union of Soviet Writers. The collective was headed by Gorky himself, who remained in the position of chairman for the next 2 years.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the organization split into many different cells, but the International Community of Writers’ Unions is considered the main successor. For a long time it was led by Sergei Mikhalkov.

2. He headed the publishing houses “Knowledge”, “Sail” and “World Literature”

Besides the fact that Gorky is a talented writer, he managed to prove himself as an effective publisher. Even before the revolution, he was at the head of three publishing houses. So, in the “World Literature” under his leadership, 120 volumes of essays were published, and the best school of Soviet translation also worked.

The Parus publishing house pursued an anti-militarist policy, acquainting readers with the history of European states before and during military upheavals.

And in the Znamya publishing house, it was Gorky’s initiative that made a revolution in the royalty policy of authors: the writers who published here received many times more income than their colleagues in other places. Therefore, the volume of literature has increased.

Interestingly, Gorky was also able to resume the Life of Remarkable People series of books, which continues to be published to this day.

1. Joseph Stalin praised Gorky’s work

For a long time it was believed that the relationship between Gorky and Stalin was tense, but historians were able, according to the testimony of the writer’s contemporaries, to understand that the head of the USSR not only had a positive attitude towards the author’s work, but also supported him and was very much in favor of the writer’s return to his homeland.

It is quite possible that Iosif Vissarionovich treated Gorky in this way for his own purposes, but during such cooperation, the writer’s popularity skyrocketed, which also affected his income.