Childhood

After his father’s death, the little boy, Alyosha, is taken into his grandfather’s home—a space where everyday life is filled with family feuds, roughness, and constant fear. Amid endless quarrels and strict rules, the boy learns to read people and tries to find his place in a harsh reality. His only support is his grandmother: her tenderness, wisdom, and remarkable stories give Alyosha warmth and help him not to lose faith in kindness, even when hope around him is almost gone.

“Childhood” is the first part of Maxim Gorky’s famous autobiographical trilogy. The novella is based on the writer’s personal recollections of his early years. By depicting a truthful and vivid picture of life at the end of the 19th century, Gorky speaks not only about a child’s coming of age, but also about how, through pain and injustice, resilience, compassion, and the ability to love people are formed within a person.