Gorky's Tolstoy and Other Reminiscences : Key Writings by and about Maxim Gorky

Superb new translations of Gorky’s classic memoirs of Tolstoy and other remarkable Russians, along with unforgettable characterizations of Gorky himself by his contemporaries Maxim Gorky (1868-1936) enjoyed worldwide fame of a kind unmatched by that of any other writer in the first half of the twentieth century. Prodigiously gifted and prolific, riddled with contradictions, praised increasingly for political rather than literary reasons, he left a vast body of writing that contains acknowledged masterpieces alongside many currently neglected works that still await impartial assessment. Taken together, the pieces in this book (many of them based on fuller texts than those of previously published translations) present a surprising and unfamiliar Gorky—a figure who, once the clichés are stripped away from him, becomes ever more fascinating and enigmatic as man, as writer, and as historical figure. Among the volume’s selections are portraits of Gorky by four particularly astute observers: poet Vladislav Khodasevich, critics Boris Eikhenbaum and Georgy Adamovich, and novelist Evgeny Zamiatin. Fanger’s generous annotations and brilliant introduction will make this book indispensable to every reader with an interest in Tolstoy, Gorky, modern Russian literature and politics, or the art of the memoir. Contents 9 Preface 11 Acknowledgments 14 Transliteration, Annotation, and Russian Names 15 Introduction 19 PART ONE. Gorky: Memoirs 33 1. Lev Tolstoy 33 2. Anton Chekhov 101 3. L. A. Sulerzhitsky 124 4. Leonid Andreyev 133 5. Alexander Blok 182 PART TWO. Gorky: Fragments from My Diary (Selections) 195 6. Introduction 195 7. The Town 202 8. The Spider 212 9. The Executioner 216 10. People When They Think They’re Alone 219 11. A Good Laugh 225 12. The Gardener 226 13. Instead of an Afterword 229 14. Appendix 232 PART THREE. Others on Gorky 241 15. Khodasevich 241 16. Zamiatin “M. Gorky” 278 17 .Eikhenbaum 291 18. Adamovich 298 Afterword 305 Notes 309