Seres Que Outrora Foram Humanos

by Maxim Gorky, Francisco Silva Pereira (Translator)

A rua principal dos arredores da cidade é constituída por duas filas de casebres de um só piso, colados uns aos outros, derruídos, com paredes tortas e janelas deformadas; mutilados pelo tempo, os telhados esburacados das habitações foram remendados com ripas aqui e ali; por baixo deles projectam-se vigas bafientas, sombreadas por sabugueiros com as suas folhas empoeiradas e por salgueiros retorcidos - a flora miserável dos subúrbios habitados pela pobreza.
Os vidros das janelas, baços e esverdeados pelo tempo, fitam-se com olhares cobardes de vigaristas. Cortando a rua e arrastando-se até à montanha adjacente, estende-se o caminho sinuoso, esgueirando-se por entre os sulcos profundos, lavados pelas chuvas.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Russian Literature, Classics, Russia, Literature, Ebooks

134 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1897

About the author

Russian writer Aleksei Maksimovich Peshkov (Russian: Алексей Максимович Пешков) supported the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 and helped to develop socialist realism as the officially accepted literary aesthetic; his works include The Life of Klim Samgin (1927-1936), an unfinished cycle of novels.

This Soviet author founded the socialist realism literary method and a political activist. People also nominated him five times for the Nobel Prize in literature. From 1906 to 1913 and from 1921 to 1929, he lived abroad, mostly in Capri, Italy; after his return to the Soviet Union, he accepted the cultural policies of the time.

Reviews

[Luís · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories, taken from Gorky's experience, are treated like tales in which morality seems to take precedence over realism. I read them without displeasure, but they seem more theoretical than real without really adhering to them.

[RKanimalkingdom]

DNF
Lost interest

So why did I lose interest? Well to put it simply, I got tired of reading racist and misogynistic crap.
I know. I know. The audience roars, "You're judging form your modern perspective! 1800 Russia was a different time!"
Yes. I know that when you read older books, you need to be mindful of the differences in societal perception for the time. It's something I chant myself. But whereas in most books I can just ignore the blatant comments towards (insert minority group) because it's from a time long gone, I couldn't with this one. Russian classics take a bit of time to bite into. You follow the story then get lost then follow the story once again. It's a repetitious pattern and sometimes it produces a good story and sometimes not. This time was a dud. There were so many comments towards Jews and the Jewish community and really cruel comments towards women. This was supposed to be a book that shows the situation of Russia's poor, but I couldn't give a crap about a group of drunk men who debate about the proper way to hit a woman with many side jabs towards Jews.

How can you cry about your poor fate and then turn around and beat a woman and worry about whether your ethnicity has a place in heaven? I couldn't ignore it. It bugged me too much. I honestly felt like these where men who had the potential to make their life better but didn't because it's easier to complain. Also, the one educated person (a teacher) actually held a "debate" on how to beat a wife. Full on beating till she's black and blue is wrong (especially if she's pregnant) but being lightly beaten is "okay" because "it keeps her in place".

Maybe you need to be more stubborn to get through such commentary because of the message the book it supposed to send. But a lot of the racist comments, and jabs towards women is something that happens in everyday life, still; unfortunately. Note: I know that if a character behaves in such a manner, it doesn't mean the author themselves feel that way. I have no idea how Gorky was as a human himself, but I just don't want to read a book filled with these things that also fails to hold my attention.

[Simone Audi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caos é um conto curtinho e me lembrou os contos de Tchecov, histórias interessantes que acabam abruptamente.

Ex-homens, retrata a vida destes indivíduos que um dia ja foram gente e que hoje são a ralé, vagabundos, bêbados, mendigos e criminosos que vivem enchendo a cara no albergue do ex capitão (e ex homem também) Kuvalda.

“Eu? Sucumbi pelo meu amor à vida, estúpido! E se queres saber, não sou nobre, mas alguém que já foi gente. Agora não ligo mais para coisa alguma”

Gostei muito deste meu primeiro contato com a obra de Górki.

[Guillermo Castro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maksím Gorki (o si se prefiere: Máximo Gorki) pasó su juventud recorriendo Rusia y Ucrania. En sus viajes conoció todo tipo de personas, especialmente vagabundos y aventureros que buscaban en la libertad del viaje, el instrumento que les haga salir airosos en la lucha por la vida. Gracias a esta experiencia, Gorki encontró su vocación literaria y decide escribir el testimonio de los seres humanos que fue encontrando a su paso.

Entre 1894 y 1899 publicaría una serie de relatos conocida hoy en día como "Los vagabundos", cuentos que hablan sobre indigentes, bandidos, trotamundos, prostitutas y hasta aristócratas renegados en busca de emociones. La pobreza es un elemento constante pero también lo es el espíritu aventurero. Estos infortunados personajes intentan convivir momentáneamente con el sector convencional de la sociedad, para después retomar su camino; no sin dejar a su paso conflictos, sufrir injusticias y vivir amoríos con audaces y apasionadas mujeres.

El estilo del escritor es bastante asequible, pues aborda los relatos de manera simple y directa. La preponderancia del diálogo coloquial y la osadía de los temas, sugiere una juventud irreverente. Sin embargo, los relatos no están exentos de sabiduría y denuncia. El tono de los escritos no es tan social como podría esperarse (quien piense que este libro está marcado por las ideologías políticas está totalmente equivocado). En lugar de eso, encontraremos una profunda influencia literaria, desde los grandes maestros de las letras rusas hasta el movimiento naturalista francés. Por otro lado, este es un buen libro para empezar a conocer muchos de esos términos rusos que resultan vitales para la lectura de otras novelas, pues contiene abundantes notas a pie de página.

Mi edición de "Los vagabundos" contiene seis cuentos que comentaré en orden de aparición:

-Una vez en otoño: Quizás este sea el cuento más sencillo. Narra en primera persona la historia de dos jovencitos hambrientos. Desde aquí se perfila el estilo simple y asequible que disfrutaremos en casi todo el libro. Sin embargo, no se trata en absoluto de un cuento débil, pues por su mensaje y su sobrecogedor desenlace, podemos colocarlo entre los mejores del libro.

-Konovalov: Enseguida aparece el cuento más extenso, ilustrando a profundidad lo que significa el alcoholismo y la melancolía. Sin haber cumplido los treinta anos de edad, Gorki ya sabía que el sentimiento de derrota ante la vida es lo que realmente conduce a las adicciones. El protagonista es un personaje sobresaliente cuya psicología sensible, apasionada y melancólica queda descrita de manera brillante.

-Camaradas: Este es el relato que menos ha llamado mi atención. Trata sobre el reencuentro inesperado de dos amigos de la adolescencia. Es el único que está escrito en tercera persona.

-Boles: El más breve de los seis cuentos con apenas diez páginas. Trata sobre una mujer frívola y solitaria cuya amistad es despreciada por un estudiante. El tono aleccionador del desenlace no demerita en lo más mínimo la calidad literaria.

-El timador: ¡Esta es la gran gema del libro! El relato se divide en dos partes más bien extensas; la primera desarrolla la más reciente travesía de un cínico y ventajoso bandido, quien se aprovecha de la ignorancia del pueblo, la piedad de los creyentes y la inoperancia de los burócratas. Sin duda es un personaje odioso, pero el éxito de sus fechorías nos habla de la situación social de la Rusia prerrevolucionaria. La segunda parte es aún más interesante, pues desarrolla toda la vida del ruin personaje y su torcida forma de pensar. Mientras tanto, el narrador reflexiona a plenitud sobre diversos temas, intercalando lo que sería un breve pero brillante ensayo sobre la naturaleza humana. Aquí puede apreciarse el desbordante talento que el escritor desarrollaría en obras posteriores. Comparado con los otros relatos "El timador" se distingue de manera aplastante.

-Kirilka: En esta sátira advertimos finalmente la conciencia social que hizo famoso a Gorki. Narra la historia de tres funcionarios que esperan su turno para cruzar el río. Mientras tanto los personajes demuestran su desprecio por los campesinos y se enfrascan en un breve debate sobre la utilidad de la educación en las clases bajas. Me parece que este es un mal intento de emular "Bola de Sebo" de Guy de Maupassant, pero no deja de tener sus momentos interesantes.

En resumen "Los vagabundos" es un buen libro, sobretodo si consideramos la juventud de Maksím Gorki al momento de escribirlo. Si usted me dice que el autor ruso escribió mejores obras, no lo dudaría ni un momento. Sin embargo, me atrevo a decir que aquí encontraremos dos o tres cuentos fundamentales para conocer al gran escritor ruso. En especial el excelente "El timador".

-Sobre la traducción de "Reino de Cordelia":

La edición de editorial "Reino de Cordelia" deja mucho que desear por su irritante traducción amateur. Parece evidente que el responsable no se molestó en realizar las revisiones pertinentes, de modo que el desaseado español resultante resulta poco digno de una obra de este calibre. En algunos párrafos la sintaxis es un absoluto desastre. Además el traductor no logra hacer una interpretación ingeniosa y coherente de los peculiares diálogos de la obra. La editorial presume ofrecer una traducción nueva, pero el léxico resulta bastante anacrónico y para colmo (en el caso de los terminos coloquiales) demasiado regional, agregando dificultad y confusión para cualquier lector que no haya nacido en España. Esta puede ser la peor traducción que he leído en mi vida. Está usted advertido.

[Svart Død · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Todos eran gentes muertas, que habían perdido el respeto hacia sí mismos, carentes de autoestima, y vivían únicamente para hundirse cada día más y más en el fango y la inmundicia; después se disolvían en ella y desaparecían de la vida.”

[Constantin Vasilescu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rătăcitor de bună voie, Gorki iubeşte marginalii. Atribuie inteligenţă, sensibilităţi şi profunzimi nebănuite unor oameni aruncaţi, de cele mai multe ori fără voia lor, la marginea societăţii. Aşa să fie?
Alături de Tolstoi sau Dostoievski, Şalamov îl socoteşte pe Gorki drept unul dintre principalii vinovaţi pentru zugrăvirea tabloului luminos al vagabondului, al infractorului mărunt şi nu numai. Şi atunci de unde au apărut blatarii? Mi-e teamă că, de pildă, cei trei nu duc nicăieri fără Şalamov. Strict din punctul de vedere al înţelegerii universului celor de neînţeles...

[Tabuyo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una selección de relatos en los que Gorki quiere plasmar sus experiencias de vida junto a ellos. Lo que me encontré en realidad es que el autor quería relatarnos sus opiniones sobre la precaria situación en la que viven y filosofar sobre la vida, nada más.

Aunque algunas partes me parecieron pasables, en general me aburrió bastante. No era lo que esperaba.

[José Neves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma série de três short-stories que descreve a vida pobre, depressiva da plebe russa que destaca a vida destes vagabundos que já são outliers da sociedade.
Destaque para o terceiro e último conto, Konovalov, que tem diálogos espectaculares. Gorki é muito realista representando uma realidade ultra pobre em que sentes a pobreza, a temperatura e toda a envolvência através das suas descrições.
Não sendo espectacular é um bom livro.

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dossers illustrate the pathos of life. “A man lives only to die, and he dies … if this be so what does it matter how or where he died or how he lived.”

[Dani Chaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Después de leer a Tolstoy en su elegante descripción de los vicios y glorias de la sociedad rusa de antaño, y navegar por un realismo pesimista en las novelas tan psicológicas de Dostoievski, volver a leer a Gorki significa volver a un lugar seguro, donde las palabras son lo que son, sin tanto adorno, directas a la mente del lector como un abrazo tangible, casi físico. Y no es que no haya valor en Tolstoy o en Dostoievski, por el contrario, todos ocupan un espacio perfecto y propio en el mosaico que es la gran obra maestra de la literatura rusa.

La simpleza con la que Gorki presenta los personajes en esta recopilación de narraciones, es verdaderamente dulce. Invita al lector a relajarse y disfrutar, a dejarse acoger por el murmullo de las olas del mar, el susurro del viento, y las frases que salen del corazón de cada uno de sus héroes, sin mayor disfraz o artimaña, crudos, sensibles, cercanos. Saber que estas narraciones describen experiencias de su vida real y leerlo a él como parte de los personajes, lo acerca al lector de la forma más íntima posible.

Siempre leer a Gorki es un honor y un placer.

[Pau Agüera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breve y curiosa historia. Si fuera más larga podría ser un muy buen libro, pero creo que le faltó desarrollo.

[Perry Whitford · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great phrase!

Gorky himself obviously liked it, which is why he trots it out at every given opportunity during the title story of this collection.

An excellent story it is too, almost of novella length, about the inhabitants of a doss house for drunks. The 'Creatures That Once Were Men' come into conflict with their landlord and don't come off too well, though it's worth noting that he is the one who ends up momentarily grovelling on all fours like a creature.

There's something so vivid and unselfconscious about Gorky's characters, a blazing simplicity if you will, an admirable crudity. This short exchange goes a long way to capturing the general gist of how they talk and behave:

"I will break his teeth for him," said Martyanoff.

"And why?" asked the youngster.

"Just because. . . ."

"And I will take a stone and hit you on the head," the young man answered respectfully.

Martyanoff would have broken his bones, had not Kuvalda interrupted with: "Leave him alone. . .Is this a home to you or even to us? You have no sufficient reason to break his teeth for him. You have no better reason than he for living with us."

"Well, then, Devil take him! . . . We all live in the world without sufficient reason . . . We live, and why? Because! He also because . . . let him alone. . . ."

The rest of the stories have a lot to live up to but are equally arresting in their way. In 'Twenty-Six Girl' the men slaving in a bakery exult the pretty innocence of a sixteen year old girl who they see each morning, then a boastful newcomer turns his amorous attentions her way. An allegory for the difficulties of retaining faith or modesty in a sordid world.

Then in 'Chelkash' a smuggler takes advantage of an ignorant peasant down on his luck. The psychological results of their short liason are fascinatingly played out by Gorky, I can't imagine a Western writer coming to the same resolution.

'My Fellow-Traveller' is a similar two-hander. A travelling peasant takes an ungrateful young Georgian under his wing. I've read before that other Russians consider the Georgians to be insane. I can see why.

The closing 'On a Raft' is both haunting and depraved. Apparently there is an ancient Russian custom where the father of a bridegroom had first dibs (for want of a better phrase) on his son's wife. This boat trip on the Volga is striking material with which to illustrate the difficulty of attaining spiritual purity in a material world.

In his introduction G. K. Chesterton pretty much labels Russians as barbarians. How dare he, the oversized Edwardian ignoramus.

Georgians however...

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorky gives the reader a vivid picture of the life of a peasant at the turn of the 20th century in Russia. This picture is dark, grueling, and hard. The book is comprised of several short stories, with "Creatures That Once Were Men" at the forefront and the longest, setting the tone for the shorter stories that follow.

Gorky show a gritty reality where the few that get ahead use and abuse the lower class as if they were beasts of burden. Gorky also shows the lower class as dismal and giving up on their fate, confining themselves to drink. However, Gorky does show a kinship within this lower class, that they do help one another as they can, knowing that the greater of them are in it together. This is most notable in "My Fellow-Traveler" as Maxime and the Prince are helped once recognized as peasants (mistakenly in the Princes case).

With all the darkness in these stories, "On a Raft" ends the anthology with sunlight and the vividness of nature, and a yearning for natural love. Overall, Gorky shows extreme darkness, and darkness of souls, but through all of this, these lowly "creatures" endure despite their hardships, never fully letting their spirits be snuffed out. I believe this is an homage from Gorky to his comrades.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What are you? Who are you?"

"A man . . ." he answered in a hoarse voice.

"A man! And are there really men like you?"

"Men are of various kinds . . . as God wills . . . There are worse than me . . . still worse . . . Yes. . . ."

Perfect. Been wanting to read this since picking up The Collected Short Stories of Maxim Gorky in 2009. At first, it was a little peculiar as Gorky took his time introducing the slew of downtrodden characters and I really wasn't sure what the story would entail, or if there would be any story at all. This would make an excellent stage play. Godot-ish. Yes.

[Ορφέας Μαραγκός · Rating 4 out of 5]

Το βρήκα εξαιρετικό.
Πάντα μου άρεσαν οι ιστορίες με ανθρώπους του περιθωρίου, και εδώ έχουμε την ιστορία μιας παρέας ή μάλλον μιας συντροφιάς η οποία ζει σε ένα υποτυπώδες κατάλυμα χωρίς πολλές έγνοιες παρά μόνο την εξοικονόμηση λίγου αλκοόλ.

Μέσα από αυτή την ομάδα συνποτών και των αντιπαραθέσεων τους βλέπουμε τις ταξικές διαφορές της τότε κοινωνίας, τα προσωπικά αδιέξοδα (τα οποία ενίοτε μας αρέσει να συντηρούμε) και μια υπέροχη σκιαγράφηση των χαρακτήρων των ανθρώπων που κάποτε έτυχε να υπάρξουν, των πρώην ανθρώπων.

[Michael Haase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing, appalling, so dismal it's almost surreal, the very existence of this book casts light on our failure as a society. It's a mark of shame for us a the human species. I say that because this book not only serves as a reflection of old Russian society, but is tragically relevant to the modern world, perhaps even more relevant now than before.

[Dr. Cristina Bettencourt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe the translation was poor, or the style has no Zeitgeist but I found the book irritating.

[F · Rating 4 out of 5]

El timador es el cuento por el que vale la pena leer este libro.
"Lo digo basándome en una sólida experiencia y por la fuerza de mi fe en la destreza de la mente humana. ¡La mente es el poder! Usted todavía es un hombre joven, y mire lo que le digo: ¡tenga fe en la mente y no se perderá nunca! Sepa que cada persona guarda en sí un idiota y un estafador: el idiota es el sentimiento, y el estafador, la inteligencia. El sentimiento, porque es tonto, directamente se sincera y no sabe fingir, ¿y acaso se puede vivir sin fingir? Es imprescindible fingir, incluso por compasión hacia las personas, es necesario, porque las personas siempre están necesitadas de piedad… y, sobre todo, cuando ellas precisamente compadecen a otras…"
" Y puede ser que cualquier mentira sea buena o, al contrario, que todo lo bueno sea mentira. Apenas hay en el mundo algo a lo que se preste más atención que a ciertas invenciones humanas: sueños, fantasías y demás"

Konovalov
"Murió, y el libro quedó, y lo leen. Una persona lo mira con sus ojos y dice diferentes palabras. Y tú lo escuchas y entiendes que en el mundo vivieron personas como Pila, Sysoika, Aproska… Y te da pena de ellas, a pesar de que tú nunca las has visto ¡y que no tienen nada que ver contigo! Por las calles es posible que caminen decenas de personas vivas, las ves, pero no sabes nada sobre ellas… y no te interesan nada sus asuntos… pasan y pasan… Y en el libro sientes lastima por ellas hasta el punto de darte un vuelco el corazón… ¿Cómo se entiende esto? ¿Y el autor sin premio y muerto? ¿No le dieron nada?"
"Los esclavos siempre fueron iguales, siempre obedecieron, siempre estuvieron mal alimentados y siempre realizaron lo que les mandaron de manera grandiosa y admirable, deificando a veces a quienes les hacían trabajar, con frecuencia maldiciéndolos, rara vez amotinándose contra sus patrones…"

[Petrus Forsgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vagabondnoveller av Maksim Gorkij, utgivna i slutet av av 1800-talet. Denna utgåva ryska klassiker av tiden består av fem kortare berättelser. Maksim Gorkij levde 1868 till 1936 och var en arbetarförfattare/så kallat socialrealist. Influenser från Alexandre Dumas, Balzac Hans. stil hyllades i Sovjetunionen av Josef Stalin samt Andrej Zjdanov.

Berättelsernas Ryska namn Na soli, Zlodei, Zazubrina, Devatjka samt Eralasj. Na Soli (Vid saltdammarna, 1895) handlar om en man som vandrar runt och får arbete vid en saltdamm. Arbetet är hårt och han stöts ut av arbetarna. Zlodei (Ogärningsmän, 1895) handlar om en man som ger sig ut till staden. Han slår följe med en annan vagabond och de super upp alla pengarna. De begår sedan brott och tas fast av byamän. Zazubrina (Den gröna katten, 1897) handlar om en man som roar andra i ett fängelse. Han målar en katt grön för att denne får för mycket uppmärksamhet från sina medfångar. Han straffas sedan av de andra. Devatjka (Flickan) handlar om en liten flicka barn som verkar oskyldig men chockerar huvudkaraktären genom att hon är en fallen kvinna/djupt fallen i fattigdom. Eralasj (Kyrkfesten, 1895) handlar om livet i en liten by där kristna är på ena sidan samt Tatarerna på den andra. En far vill gifta sig med sin svärdotter/hans son har dött.

Korta men spännande och insiktsfulla berättelser. Om det enkla livet, om rättvisa samt varnande exempel. Om enkla människors strävanden eller attityder. Om behovet av uppmärksamhet eller att kunna vara närvarande. Gorkij är ett bra exempel på en arbetarförfattare som påminner om Ivar LO-Johansson eller Harry Martinsson. Fortsätter att läsa serien Ryska klassiker av tiden.

[Jimgosailing · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The teacher, however, did not spend all his money on drink. At least half of it went to the children of the street. The poor are always rich in children, and in the dirt and ditches of this street there were crowds of them noisily seething from morning to night, hungry, naked, and dirty. Children are the living flowers of the earth, but these had the appearance of flowers prematurely faded. Often the teacher would gather them round him, would buy them bread, eggs, apples, and nuts, and take them into the fields by the riverside. There they would sit and first greedily eat everything…then begin to play, filling the fields for a mile around with noise and laughter. The tall gaunt figure of the drunkard seemed to shrink among these small people, who treated him as if he were of their own age…Playing around him, like little sprites, they pushed him about, jumped upon his back, beat upon his bald head, caught hold of his nose. All this must have pleased him, as he did not protest against such liberties…he passed many hours thus as their companion and plaything, watching their lively faces with his gloomy eyes. Then he would thoughtfully direct his steps to Vasiloff’s pub where he would drink himself silently into unconsciousness.
. . . . .
Almost every day after his reporting he would bring a newspaper, and gather round him all these creatures that were once men…”

“A respectable man of a cultured class may be superior to his equivalent among peasants, but an urban man of dissolute, low life is always worse than his rural counterpart.”

“They all knew the merchant, Petunikoff, who passed them every day, contemptuously half-closing his eyes and giving them no more attention than he bestowed on the other rubbish in street. He reeked with satiety, which exasperated them still more.”

“The reaper, all-destroying reaper, called Death, as if insulted by the presence of this drunken man at dark and solemn act of its struggle with life, made up its mind to finish the unrelenting work quickly.”

“The cart clattered along the rough surface of the court-yard. The teacher’s stretched-out body was covered with a heap of rags, and his belly was shaking beneath them. It seemed as if he were laughing softly and contentedly at the prospect of leaving the doss-house at last, never to return to it, never.”

Excellent. Gorky excels in truly capturing the dregs of society, those who find themselves on the lowest rungs of the socioeconomic ladder.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short story/novella about a sundry collection of down-at-heel men who share what is effectively a doss-house in a small Russian town, under the stewardship of The Captain.
Some of the characters did have jobs in the past but are now unemployed or in a lesser role, including a former teacher who is now an occasional journalist but is an alcoholic.
The Captain is at odds with his own landlord, a merchant (which seems to be a derogatory role to The Captain and his residents!), so takes great pleasure in encouraging the owner of the nearby eating house they frequent to take a civil action against this merchant for some breach of building regulations.
The reader also has to come to terms with the anti-Semitism of the characters and also the misogyny of it being okay to beat your pregnant wife providing you do it where it won't endanger the unborn child! Uncomfortable or what!!
Could have done with a better ending - 6.5/10.

[Trounin · Rating 3 out of 5]

В очерке “Бывшие люди” Горький погрузился на социальное дно. Он описал ночлежку, обитатели которой обсуждают разное, неизменно являющееся важным. Обитают там люди, кто-то из них прежде считал себя за человека, другие и вовсе никогда к людям не относились, с рождения оставаясь сором под ногами. Уж не в ночлежке ли рассуждать о том, откуда пошли люди вообще? Всё мы дети Адама и Евы, следовательно – евреи. В той же ночлежке осуждают семейные ссоры, когда муж избивает жену. Извлекается убедительная мораль – если бьёшь беременную жену, то ребёнок твой родится калекой, которого ты содержать не сможешь, ведь он тебе нужен как раз для подмоги. Иной читатель увидит в очерке склонность Максима к возвышению униженных существованием людей, продолжающих сохранять достоинство, несмотря на должную быть им свойственной моральную подавленность.

(c) Trounin

[Jose Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edición de Reino de Cordelia. Recopilación de seis relatos, de 232 páginas, publicados en 1898, en los que Gorki nos relata su encuentro con vagabundos y desterrados, durante su propia peregrinación por diferentes regiones de Rusia. Con su habitual pluma exquisita, me gustaría resaltar los tres primeros relatos: "Una vez en otoño", "Konovalov" y "Camaradas", los cuales me han gustado especialmente. El personaje narrador nos describe el entorno de aquellas tierras, pero sobre todo a unos personajes pobres y sin futuro, que aman la libertad a la vez que son marginados por una sociedad que los ha repudiado. Sin embargo, y lo mejor de estos relatos es cómo sumergiendo al lector en la vida de cada uno de estos desterrados, podemos descubrir un maravilloso y rico mundo interior y humano. Sin duda, una lectura muy recomendada.

[João RS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Receiving a 1905 French edition of this book from my sister was a special gift—it’s now the oldest book in my library.
Among the stories, Makar Chudra, Twenty-six Men and a Girl, and The Old Izergil stood out the most. Twenty-six Men and a Girl was where I most clearly saw early signs of the socialist realism that would later define Gorky’s work. The other stories, however, offered something very different—a rich historical perspective on late 19th-century Russia. Gorky paints a land of poverty, folklore, and deep-seated grievances between various ethnic groups, as seen in The Old Izergil, my favourite story in the collection. In it, tensions between Poles, Russians, Romanians, Hungarians, and Jews are woven into a narrative that blends myth and reality.

[André Gomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Máximo Gorki é, muitas vezes, considerado o pai literário do realismo socialista.
Em "Seres que outrora foram humanos", o autor centra o enredo na vida dos habitantes de um velho albergue, que partilham o espaço com o álcool, a fome, a falta de higiene e a pobreza.
Linguagem simples, sem eufemismos.


"Para minha casa [albergue] vêm pessoas que não estão habituadas a luxos... se estás acostumado a comer todos os dias, olha ali para a frente, tens a taberna. Mas se estás falido, vê se vais largando esse mau hábito. Porque não és um lorde. E então, comes o quê? Comes-te a ti próprio!" - capitão

[Erlen Gabriel Sales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorky's writing really struck me this time around, if a little adjective heavy, and the reading was compelling. His style seems ambiguous to a high degree. In short stories, I'm not ashamed to say, this always makes it hard for me to properly sort out my feelings about them. They somehow also challenge a lot of expectations I usually have the r stories(as far as resolution, structure, or message). I think all stories left a durable impression in me. Chelkash is the most memorable character and the dialogue in it really had me laughing, and in general I wondered a lot reading this at what it might read like in its original Russian.

[CristinaACautiș · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fost o lectură interesantă, mai ales prin prisma faptului că povestirile sunt rostite la persoana I și astfel, autorul invită direct cititorul să ia parte în acțiunea cărții. Multitudinea de povestiri, de peripeții prin care trece Maxim Gorky în perioada sa de „vagabond” îl plasează pe scriitor printre „scursurile societății” de atunci care, de multe ori, se dovedesc a avea mai multă onoare decât aristocrația vremii.

[Carlos Hugo Winckler Godinho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Li uma crítica que dizia que o livro é machista, isso ao mesmo tempo que tenho visto críticas ao filme Mignonnes por sexualizar a infância. Apesar de haver alguns momentos em que a narração é machista, isso é nada machista quando comparado as interações entre as personagens.
Caso a crítica se refira a realidade exposta entre as personagens, minha observação é a mesma do filme: não adianta criticar o mensageiro que descreve uma realidade, há que combater a realidade.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maxim Gorky was himself a restless soul moving from job to job and place to place - a tramp then but an educated one as he took every opportunity to learn to read along the way. This experience gave him the opportunity to write in detail and emotively about a group of down-and-outs and their precarious existence in a doss house.

[Cesar Esteban · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una obra con cuatro historias que hacen honor a lo consignado en la contraportada de esta edición en particular: "unos relatos conmovedores y dramáticos, magistralmente escritos, que hacen de la lectura de estas páginas un ejercicio de humanidad difícil de olvidar".

Una obra que permite disfrutar a un Máximo Gorki sensible que va más allá de su reconocido activismo; totalmente recomendada.