Maxim Gorki

Maxim Gorky (1868–1936), born Alexei Maximovich Peshkov in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, was one of the most influential Russian writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Orphaned at an early age, Gorky endured a harsh childhood, working as a baker, dockhand, and vagrant before rising to literary fame. His pen name "Gorky," meaning "bitter," reflected his lifelong sympathy for the oppressed and his pessimistic view of the human condition under poverty.

Gorky is widely regarded as the founder of Socialist Realism, a literary style that became the official artistic doctrine of the Soviet Union. Politically engaged, he supported the revolutionary movement and maintained a close, though sometimes complicated, relationship with Lenin and the Bolsheviks.

His major works include the play "The Lower Depths" (1902), which portrays the lives of society's outcasts, and the novel "Mother" (1906), considered a pioneering work of revolutionary literature. He is also celebrated for his autobiographical trilogy—"Childhood," "In the World," and "My Universities"—which vividly chronicles his struggles and formative experiences. Other notable works include "The Philistines" and "Song of the Stormy Petrel." Gorky died in 1936, leaving a lasting legacy as the voice of Russia's downtrodden.