La madre. Romanzo di vita russa

by Maksim Gorʹkij

Paper Book, 1928

Status

Available

Call number

813

Genres

General Fiction

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Fondo-n

Publication

Milano, Monanni

Description

Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML: Widely regarded as Russian writer Maxim Gorky's masterpiece, the novel Mother is a gripping account of a mother and a son whose converging paths in life lead them to a deep understanding the unique plight of workers. Eventually, the pair stand up for their beliefs and face punishment from the powers that be..

User reviews

LibraryThing member stipe168

A wonderful story. sort of a Russian Grapes of Wrath, except it portrays people a little bit higher than laborers, a little bit higher than people who work in the soil. These people can read and write. They distribute pamphlets. They read books and they teach others.
The Mother in the novel is a

loving, old Russian mother who you cheer for when she begins to understand the fire that burns within her children, and how uniting this fire brings about a flame large enough to burn hypocrisy.
“If I get presented with a bit of happiness I won’t refuse it, but I’ll not go begging for it.”
“Yes, a little happiness doesn’t harm anyone,” said Nikolai softly. “But no one is satisfied with a little, and when there’s a lot it becomes cheap.”

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LibraryThing member john257hopper

This has the distinction of being the only major Russian literary work written in the USA, being written when the author was in exile there in 1906. It is a tale of the purity of the revolutionary soul opposed to the infinitely corrupt and historically wrong soul of the capitalist oppressor. As

such, it is populated by characters who are really ciphers who don't come across as real, living, breathing people, except (up to a point) the eponymous mother. The benefit of the hindsight of the Soviet experience also sharply reduces the impact of this novel. That said, it flows mostly very smoothly and is a easy read for a Russian novel.

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LibraryThing member RajivC

I quite like the book, because of the way in which he writes about the events of the small town, and how The Mother gets drawn into the revolution, and spreading pamphlets on the truth, as they call it.

While some may cavil at the fact that it is unlikely that a mother would follow in her son's

footsteps in this manner, what is really interesting is how he detailed the manner in which she was drawn. She got drawn in because of her son, and without really knowing what she was being drawn into. This is true of most revolutionaries. They are drawn in, and never really understand the real issues.

The growth of the mother as a person is subtly captured.

The storyline did get a bit confusing at times, but I suppose that it does also reflect the confusion of the events of that time.

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LibraryThing member MeisterPfriem

Die Mutter: Die Geschichte des Lebens einer einfachen Arbeiterfrau, die von ihrem Mann unterdrückt und geschlagen wird, erst nach seinem Tode auflebt und durch ihren Sohn ein revolutionäres Bewusstsein entwickelt und aktiv am Revolutionären Kampf sich engagiert. Gorki schrieb den Roman 1907;

Brecht benutzte ihn als Vorlage seines Dramas ‚Die Mutter‘. Es ist eine revolutionäre Utopie der Freiheit, Gleichheit, Brüderlichkeit die Gorki zeichnet. Es fängt damit an, dass man an sich selbst arbeiten muß: wie leicht verführt ein ‚gedankenloses Leben‘; man darf nicht akzeptieren, wie Leute, die nur unser Blut brauchen, einen einschätzen, ‚man muß sich selbst innerlich schätzen‘. ‚Eine Gesellschaft, die den Menschen nur als Mittel zu ihrer Bereicherung ansieht, die die Menschen der Habgier zuliebe zermalmt, gegen eine solche Gesellschaft kämpfen wir.’ Eine Utopie … ?

Ich fand ihn literarisch etwas enttäuschend, etwas schablonenhaft vorhersehbar auf politische Agenda ausgerichtet, und lange nicht so interessant und stark wie seine Erzählungen aus seinem Leben. (XI-17)

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