My Childhood |
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Common terms and phrases
arms asked Astrakhan bast shoes beard beat began cockroaches corner cried dark devil door dragged dressed droshky everything exclaimed eyes face father feet fell fingers floor fool garden gazing Good-business grand grandfather grandfather's grandmother gray Gregory hair hand head heart horse howl Ivan jumped kitchen knees kopecks kvass laughed legs lips listened live looked Maxim MAXIM GORKY mother muttered never night nose quiet quietly remember roof rouble round samovar Saratov Sascha seemed set God shoulder shouted silent sitting sleep smile softly Sometimes soon spoke stepfather stood story stove street suddenly talk Tatian Tchurka tears tell thing threw told tone took Tsig Tsiganok turned Uncle Jaakov Uncle Michael Uncle Peter Varia Varvara vodka voice Volga Vyakhir watchmen whispered window words yard young rascal zolotnik
Popular passages
Page 346 - As I remember these oppressive horrors of our wild Russian life, I ask myself often whether it is worth while to speak of them. And then, with restored confidence, I answer myself — "It is worth while because it is actual, vile fact, which has not died out, even in these days — a fact which must be traced to its origin, and pulled up by the root from the memories, the souls of the people, and from our narrow, sordid lives.
Page 346 - I ask myself often whether it is worth while to speak of them. And then, with restored confidence, I answer myself — "It is worth while because it is actual, vile fact, which has not died out, even in these days — a fact which must be traced to its origin, and pulled up by the root from the memories, the souls of the people, and from our narrow sordid lives . . ." And there is another and more important reason impelling me to describe these horrors. Although they are so disgusting, although they...
Page 366 - All of them, when they felt eick, were confined to rooms that had but little light or air. A girl of twelve was called to my office for repeated acts of disorder. Under proper home surroundings, she would in all probability be a. credit to any school. Inquiry showed that her mother left home early in the morning and did not return till late in the evening. She and her little sister arose, ate the meal the mother prepared before she left; came to school; went back at...
Page 268 - ... now, and that they were not ready to weep all the time. But those tears and cries, and the scenes which they inflicted upon one another, happened so often, and died away so quickly, that I began to get used to them, and they gradually ceased to excite me or to cause me heartache. Much later I realized that Russian people, because of the poverty and squalor of their lives, love to amuse themselves with sorrow — to play with it like children, and are seldom ashamed of being unhappy. Amidst their...
Page 346 - And there is another and more important reason impelling me to describe these horrors. Although they are so disgusting, although they oppress us and crush many beautiful souls to death, yet the Russian is still so healthy and young in heart that he can and does rise above them. For in this amazing life of ours not only does the animal side of our nature flourish and grow fat, but with this animalism there has grown up, triumphant in spite of it, bright, healthful and creative — a type of humanity...
Page 16 - ... These peasant grandmothers held in their minds all the riches of folklore and they had not yet lost the art of oral story-telling, they were unconscious poets. For their tales they had two main sources, sacred legends and the past of their native land. Gorky writes in the account of his childhood: And taking a pinch of snuff, she would begin to tell me some wonderful stories about kind-hearted brigands, holy people, and all sorts of wild animals and evil spirits. She would tell me these stories...
Page 15 - Until she came into my life I seemed to have been asleep, and hidden away in obscurity; but when she appeared she woke me and led me to the light of day. Connecting all my impressions by a single thread, she wove them into a pattern of many colors, thus making herself my friend for life, the being nearest my heart, the dearest and best known of all; while her disinterested love for all creation enriched me, and built up the strength needed for a hard life.
Page 374 - Now, Lexei — you must not hang round my neck. There is no room for you here. You will have to go out into the world.
Page 22 - But truth is stronger than pity, and besides, I am writing not about myself but about that narrow, stifling environment of unpleasant impressions in which lived — aye, and to this day lives — the average Russian of this class.
Page 251 - And was it any business of yours ? As for that old devil, he has gone out of his mind — the fool ! ' Then she drew in her breath sharply, wrinkling up her face as she called me to her, and holding her head down said : ' Look ! What is it that hurts me so ? ' I put her heavy hair aside, and saw that a hairpin had been driven deep into the skin of her head. I pulled it out; but finding another one, my fingers seemed to lose all power of movement and I said: 'I think I had better call mother. I am...