Maxim Gorky

Maxim Gorky (born Aleksey Maksimovich Peshkov) was a giant of Russian literature and a five-time nominee for the Nobel Prize. His pen name, 'Gorky,' literally translates to 'the Bitter One,' reflecting his perspective on the harsh realities of life for the Russian poor. Orphaned at the age of eleven, Gorky spent his youth wandering across the Russian Empire, working as a dock hand, a baker and a night watchman, experiences that provided the gritty, authentic material for his later masterpieces. Gorky was a unique bridge between the old Russian literary tradition and the new Soviet era. Though a close friend of Vladimir Lenin and Leo Tolstoy, his relationship with the Bolsheviks was often tumultuous; he was a fierce defender of culture and human rights, frequently intervening to save fellow writers from persecution. In 1934, he helped establish the Union of Soviet Writers and popularised the doctrine of Socialist Realism.