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katrinasorochinsky's review
4.0
Weirdly written at times I think because of the translation, but I absolutely devoured the story itself, amazing memoir
uhambe_nami's review
4.0
My Childhood is the first part of the moving autobiography of Maxim Gorky. The story of Gorky's life is a unique story, of course, but the trying circumstances reminded me very much of the first chapters of David Copperfield: the floggings, the cruelty of his grandfather, the mother who hardly paid him any attention, the poverty. The descriptions, on the other hand, are very Russian; I could hear the bells of the troika, and feel the cold as he walked to school with his cousin Sascha.
I looked up some bits about Gorky's life and his ideas, and it is interesting to see how the events that he described in this autobiography had an influence on him later on. It's probably safe to say that his grandmother, with her stories, helped him to become a writer; mr. Good-business, with his thoughts and silences, to become an intellectual; and his grandfather, with all the beatings, to become a revolutionary.
He said it himself so beautifully, somewhere in the middle of the book:
I imagine myself, in my childhood, as a hive to which all manner of simple, undistinguished people brought, as the bees bring honey, their knowledge and thoughts about life, generously enriching my soul with what they had to give. The honey was often dirty, and bitter, but it was all the same knowledge and honey.
One day, I must read the rest of the autobiography to see what became of Maxim Gorky and his babushka.
I looked up some bits about Gorky's life and his ideas, and it is interesting to see how the events that he described in this autobiography had an influence on him later on. It's probably safe to say that his grandmother, with her stories, helped him to become a writer; mr. Good-business, with his thoughts and silences, to become an intellectual; and his grandfather, with all the beatings, to become a revolutionary.
He said it himself so beautifully, somewhere in the middle of the book:
I imagine myself, in my childhood, as a hive to which all manner of simple, undistinguished people brought, as the bees bring honey, their knowledge and thoughts about life, generously enriching my soul with what they had to give. The honey was often dirty, and bitter, but it was all the same knowledge and honey.
One day, I must read the rest of the autobiography to see what became of Maxim Gorky and his babushka.
heim_weh's review
4.5
I first read this work at the age of eight. It was during a summer holiday and I was sent to my grandparents, where I stayed for several long, arduous weeks. There was little to do and the summer heat was unbearable. So I spent most of my time curled up in the study, where my cousin’s books were stored.
And that opened the door to a new world for me.
More than a decade later, I am here again reading a book I spent hours absorbing, understanding and memorising—though not at all intentional, for it was one of the few works that were interesting to my young mind. Which is why it is no surprise then, when I opened my own brand new copy, memories carrying the words rushed back into my head. So I carried on with ease, half reading, half reciting.
Gorky’s childhood in a way is also my own, and for that I am grateful.
And that opened the door to a new world for me.
More than a decade later, I am here again reading a book I spent hours absorbing, understanding and memorising—though not at all intentional, for it was one of the few works that were interesting to my young mind. Which is why it is no surprise then, when I opened my own brand new copy, memories carrying the words rushed back into my head. So I carried on with ease, half reading, half reciting.
Gorky’s childhood in a way is also my own, and for that I am grateful.
mxnhtrv's review against another edition
5.0
Không phải Nhật, Mỹ, Anh hay Pháp mà chỉ văn học Nga mới khiến t có cảm giác ấp ám, gần gũi và dễ chịu độc nhất. Ngẫm lại thì có thể do con người và đất nước Nga chia sẻ vô số điểm tương đồng về lịch sử và cả tâm hồn với Việt Nam.
fuskenawsome's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, and Violence
vuky_1903's review against another edition
4.0
Cuốn sách là trang hồi kí của Alexei viết về tuổi thơ ấu đầy bất hạnh của mình. Truyện mở đầu với sự kiện bố ruột của cậu bị chết và lúc ấy cậu còn quá bé để cảm nhận được nỗi đau khi mất người thân. Sau đó, cậu cùng mẹ và bà ngoại lên tàu và bắt đầu 1 cuộc sống mới tại nhà ông bà ngoại. Cậu sống ở đó trong khi mẹ cậu bỏ đi nơi khác. Cậu đã phải chứng kiến biết bao nhiêu cuộc cãi vã giữa những người con trong gia đình ông bà. Ông cậu thường xuyên đánh đập cậu nhưng cũng là người dạy cậu về Kinh thánh, về Chúa. Và trong cuốn nhật kí này, người mà cậu trân trọng nhất có lẽ là bà ngoại. Bỏ qua những gì bất hạnh cuộc đời đem đến cho cậu, người bà giống như bụt luôn che chở, bảo vệ cậu. Bà cũng là người đã kể cho cậu nghe những câu chuyện cổ tích, những gì mà bà đã trải qua cũng như cuộc tình của mẹ cậu và cha cậu là Maxim. Những điều được bà kể đã giúp cậu định hình được bản thân, nuôi dưỡng tâm hồn đầy đau khổ.
kristine_9's review
3.0
I can't say I enjoyed reading it because it isn't a pleasant story but it's very well written; the language is very clear and powerful.