Detstvo. [My Childhood].

Scarce first edition of the first part of Gorky's autobiography . Born in 1868 in Nizhny Novgorod Maxim Gorky was orphaned at the age of eleven and he was largely raised by his grandparents. It was clearly not a happy childhood as he ran away from home at the age of twelve, attempted to commit suicide at 19 and then spent much of his youth travelling on foot across Russia. An edition of The Spectator published in 1916 included translated excerpts of Gorky's biographical tale with the comments 'from the first chapter...there is little but a record of suffering, unkindness, cruelty and brutality'. The oppressive horrors of the writer's youth only fuelled Gorky's political activism as he believed it was possible for the Russian nation to 'look forward to our regeneration, to the time when we shall all live peacefully and humanely'.

First edition; 8vo (21.5 x 15 cm); original printed wrappers, preliminary leaf with device loose, browning with some fraying, spine with some crude repairs, a good copy.

Kilgour 48