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My Childhood. In the World. My Universities

Cover of Penguin Classics edition (1991)
Author	Maxim Gorky
Original title	Детство. В людях. Мои университеты
Translator	Gertrude M. Foakes
Language	Russian
Subject	Life
Genre	Fictional autobiography
Published	1913–14/1915/1923
Publication place	Russia
Published in English	1915/1916/1923

Maxim Gorky wrote three autobiographical works, namely My Childhood (Russian: Детство, romanized: Detstvo), In the World (Russian: В людях, romanized: V lyudyakh) and My Universities (Russian: Мои университеты, romanized: Moi universitety). These were often published under the title Autobiography of Maxim Gorky or simply as Autobiography and mentioned as "the autobiographical series" and My Childhood. In the World. My Universities.

The first part of Gorky's autobiography, My Childhood, was published in Russian in 1913–14, and in English in 1915. It was republished by Pocket Penguins in 2016.

The second part, In the World (also translated as My Apprenticeship) was published in 1916.

The third part, My Universities appeared in 1923.

In these works Gorky has abandoned the form of fiction and all (apparent) literary invention; he has also hidden himself and given up taking any part in his characters' "quest for truth." He is a realist, a great realist finally freed from all the scales of romance, tendency, or dogma. He has finally become an objective writer. This makes his autobiographical series one of the strangest autobiographies ever written. It is about everyone except himself. His person is only the pretext round which to gather a wonderful gallery of portraits. Gorky's most salient feature in these books is his wonderful visual convincingness... Gorky is not a pessimist... Gorky's autobiographical series represents the world as ugly but not unrelieved — the redeeming point, which may and must save humanity, are enlightenment, beauty, and sympathy.

— D. S. Mirsky

Screen adaptation

• The Childhood of Maxim Gorky, Gorky 2: My Apprenticeship, Gorky 3: My Universities, films by Mark Donskoy.

References

1. Neil Cornwell, Reference Guide to Russian Literature Routledge, 2013, ISBN 9781134260706
2. "Maxim Gorky's Childhood". The Spectator. 29 January 1916. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
3. "My childhood". SOLO. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
4. "My Childhood". Pocket Penguins. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
5. "My Childhood". Penguin Books. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
6. Makarenko, Victor (2021). Collected Works. Southern Federal University. ISBN 978-5-9275-3908-6.
7. D. S. Mirsky (1925). Contemporary Russian Literature, 1881–1925. Contemporary literature series. A. A. Knopf.

External links

• My Childhood at the Internet Archive
• In the World at the Internet Archive
• My Universities at the Internet Archive

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