The Lower Depths

The plot takes the listener back to the 1900s of the 19th century, to hungry Russia, which was hit by a deep economic crisis. Millions of ruined peasants come to the city to earn money, and workers who have lost their jobs also cannot find new work. Ultimately, having failed to determine their place in life, many people sink to the very “bottom” of society. Maxim Gorky examines this social problem in great detail in his play “At the Bottom,” where many have faced an inescapable situation. Greedy cash-craving scoundrels immediately realized what was happening and set up their basements as grim, dark, damp shelters. In one of these foul basements is where Mikhail Ivanovich Kostylev’s shelter is located—he is ready to squeeze out the last pennies even from the poor, desperate residents down there. Listen to the audiobook, which contains the complete work of the great writer…