June 01, 1996

Hostage of the Revolution


 

 

After Lenin and Stalin, no personality was as venerated in the USSR as the writer Maxim Gorky,  founder of socialist realism, who died 60 years ago this June. The list of landmarks and locations named for him is lengthy: a famous park, theater and street in Moscow (in his lifetime, no less), Russia’s third largest city, a film studio. But far from a ‘pet’ of the Communist regime, Gorky, the ‘stormy petrel of the revolution,’ also condemned the revolution early on as a ‘cruel experiment’ with the Russian people ‘doomed to failure.’ Valentina Kolesnikova here traces the fascinating, often controversial, story of his life.


Digital Subscription Required

Get unlimited digital access for just $2 a month.

Don't have an account? signup

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955