"Childhood" is the first volume of Maxim Gorky's autobiographical trilogy. After his father's death, young Alyosha moves into his grandfather's house in Nizhny Novgorod, where he witnesses greed, cruelty, and endless family quarrels. Amid this harsh environment, his grandmother becomes a beacon of warmth, telling folk tales and nurturing his spirit with kindness and hope. Through Alyosha's innocent yet observant eyes, Gorky portrays the dark realities of lower-class Russian society in the late nineteenth century. Despite suffering and loss, the novel remains a testament to resilience—the struggle to stay pure and humane in a world of "lead-heavy abominations."
