Childhood

Alrighty, so that's the heavy Russian book completed! What you really notice about Russian authors (I've only read two so far, but I'm planning on reading more!) is that they may not be writing about the most pleasant of subjects, but they describe it in such a way that you can't help but be entranced by the eloquence of the words themselves. One particular description that stood out for me was Gorky's description of his grandmother describing her (in a paraphrase) as perfect in every way except her nose. Later on in the book he goes on to describe it as "squishy". The amount of times I laughed out loud at this book is astonishing. There was one point in the book where the lodger, or "That's Fine" as they call him, is sitting listening to the grandmother reciting a poem about a man who kills another one for the simple reason that his master told him to. When she has finished, there are tears in his eyes, and when everyone asks him what the matter is, he says "You should write that down. It is so very-" stops and thinks "Russian!" Gorky manages to capture perfectly the attitude of the Russians themselves towards their very own nature.

However, you must notice with a hint of apprehension the darker side to the book. Living in his grandparent's house, Gorky was surrounded by aggression and violence; his uncle Yakov killed his wife through repeated beating. He would cover her in a duvet every night and kick, punch and wound her in any way possible, and she inevitably died. His own grandmother, the heroine and strong woman of the book, allows herself to be beaten by Gorky's ignorant grandfather, and afterwards turns to him and says "Could you tell me what's hurting my head?". Gorky searches her scalp through her long thick mane of hair, and finds a hairpin driven straight into her scalp. The violence we see here is a perfect illustration of life in Russia before the industrial revolution. Many women were married and beaten by their ignorant, stupid husbands. They had children who were beaten by their uneducated fathers. It was a never ending cycle of poverty, ignorance and violence that was simple a part of society. The sheer poverty of every family must be recognised; towards the end of the book, Gorky is revealed to be a street urchin, foraging for bits of scrap metal and pieces of wood which he can sell for money.

And yet we must marvel at how a poor boy turned into a successful and revered author. Alexei Maximich Gorky grew up with no proper education until the age of around eleven; his grandfather and aunt Natalya taught him his letters and numbers at home. When he did receive an education, he would muck around and not pay attention, until a visit from the Archbishop. Even after he calmed down, it didn't leave him enough time to learn, and so he despaired and gave up. For me, this tale is truly inspirational and it is one of my all-time favourites! Next I'll be reading The Picture Of Dorian Grey, by Oscar Wilde. More updates when all is done!