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Twenty-Six Men and a Girl
Twenty-six Men and a Girl is a story of twenty-six men labouring in a cellar, making kringles in an effective prison. They are looked down upon by all around them, including the bun bakers. Their only seeming solace is the sixteen-year-old Tanya who visits them every morning for the kringles they give her.
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2009
5 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Maxim Gorky
1,787 books1,778 followersRussian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 29, 2022
3/5
Maxim Gorky is one of the most important Russian classic writers but this short story is the 1st thing I've read by him. I hope to read more soon.
Twenty six workers are kept almost locked inside a cellar. One young maid is the only person who treats them nicely. Enamoured by her kindness, they start to worship her and also feel some kind of ownership over her. When an arrogant young man enters the story, the men make a bet with him in order to test the young woman's purity. Things do not end nicely.
I thought the author did a great job to show the hypocrisy and the pettiness of those men. I was surprised by the subject chosen by Gorky, taking in consideration the times when it was written.
Maxim Gorky is one of the most important Russian classic writers but this short story is the 1st thing I've read by him. I hope to read more soon.
Twenty six workers are kept almost locked inside a cellar. One young maid is the only person who treats them nicely. Enamoured by her kindness, they start to worship her and also feel some kind of ownership over her. When an arrogant young man enters the story, the men make a bet with him in order to test the young woman's purity. Things do not end nicely.
I thought the author did a great job to show the hypocrisy and the pettiness of those men. I was surprised by the subject chosen by Gorky, taking in consideration the times when it was written.
April 29, 2025
Published in 1899, this short story relates to a group of bakers working in a cellar with a window that emits no light due to the amount of flour covering it. The window is also fitted with iron bars, and the bakers are indeed treated like prisoners. The one thing that brightens their day is sixteen year old Tanya, who works in an embroidery shop two floors above them. Tanya actually refers to the men as ‘prisoners’. Every morning she visits them to ask for some Kringle. These are readily given to her, and they also help her with any chores that she may need doing. The favour however is never returned.
When an ex soldier joins the bakery in the shop above the cellar, he begins to brag about the fact that he can seduce any woman, including Tanya. This causes great tension between himself and the prisoners (they look on Tanya as their special girl ). So how will it all pan out? Find out for yourself with the free link https://short-stories.co/stories/twen...
When an ex soldier joins the bakery in the shop above the cellar, he begins to brag about the fact that he can seduce any woman, including Tanya. This causes great tension between himself and the prisoners (they look on Tanya as their special girl ). So how will it all pan out? Find out for yourself with the free link https://short-stories.co/stories/twen...
May 18, 2017
Update Read this story online here.
This story is narrated by one of the kringle bakers who are virtual prisoners in a basement kitchen. They are considered the lowest of the low, looked down even by the bun bakers one step above them, and in their misery shines just one beam of sunlight.
Tanya, a friendly, coquettish 16 year old girl who works in the same building an visits the bakers daily for kringles is worshipped by these miserable men. An arrogant young man, a soldier and higher level of baker, also visits them and boasts that he can seduce Tanya. When he does, they revile the girl who is furious with them for interfering in her private business and idolising her. She never returns and the men understand what they have lost. One might say, is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all especially when you know that what you've lost, you did to yourself, by your own words you forfeited your only pleasure.
Look into the heart of the story though, not one so directed at the men. Look at what they did to Tanya. They idolised her because she was a pretty, innocent your girl. Once she had been seduced by a man which they all wanted to do but were prevented from circumstances from even trying, once she has lost her innocence, then she's a slut. The only good girl is the virgin who never gives in until marriage.
Any woman stupid enough to fall for the line everyman spins and lets him have sex with her, gives into him is therefore soiled goods, a whore, a slut. Not deserving of respect in any way. And as soon as they see her they are nasty to her, calling out details and calling her names. We all can envisage this scene with perfect accuracy.
They didn't think she'd defend herself but be humiliated by their words, brought low, lower than them as men can elevate women to worship, or degrade them to insult, but never have them as equals. She didn't defend herself either, instead she told it as it was. She told them that what she did - meaning not what was done to her, or what she let him do, she did as a willing partner, both of them wanted. And her decisions were her business and not theirs She also told them they were stupid to project their own fantasies on her, which is what idolising someone is, and it is implied, expecting her to live up to them.
They lost her because Gorky wanted to punish the men. He was ahead of his time. I thank him for his outrage and the story he writes to show it. It really was something. Read it here.
This story is narrated by one of the kringle bakers who are virtual prisoners in a basement kitchen. They are considered the lowest of the low, looked down even by the bun bakers one step above them, and in their misery shines just one beam of sunlight.
Tanya, a friendly, coquettish 16 year old girl who works in the same building an visits the bakers daily for kringles is worshipped by these miserable men. An arrogant young man, a soldier and higher level of baker, also visits them and boasts that he can seduce Tanya. When he does, they revile the girl who is furious with them for interfering in her private business and idolising her. She never returns and the men understand what they have lost. One might say, is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all especially when you know that what you've lost, you did to yourself, by your own words you forfeited your only pleasure.
Look into the heart of the story though, not one so directed at the men. Look at what they did to Tanya. They idolised her because she was a pretty, innocent your girl. Once she had been seduced by a man which they all wanted to do but were prevented from circumstances from even trying, once she has lost her innocence, then she's a slut. The only good girl is the virgin who never gives in until marriage.
Any woman stupid enough to fall for the line everyman spins and lets him have sex with her, gives into him is therefore soiled goods, a whore, a slut. Not deserving of respect in any way. And as soon as they see her they are nasty to her, calling out details and calling her names. We all can envisage this scene with perfect accuracy.
They didn't think she'd defend herself but be humiliated by their words, brought low, lower than them as men can elevate women to worship, or degrade them to insult, but never have them as equals. She didn't defend herself either, instead she told it as it was. She told them that what she did - meaning not what was done to her, or what she let him do, she did as a willing partner, both of them wanted. And her decisions were her business and not theirs She also told them they were stupid to project their own fantasies on her, which is what idolising someone is, and it is implied, expecting her to live up to them.
They lost her because Gorky wanted to punish the men. He was ahead of his time. I thank him for his outrage and the story he writes to show it. It really was something. Read it here.
July 25, 2022
A short story first published in Russian in 1899 as “Dvadtsat shest i odna” (Twenty-six and One) and considered to be one of Maxim Gorky’s best short works.
The story is written in the first person plural narrative of one of twenty six bakers who are almost like prisoners, always in the cellar of a big stony house and working long hours of the day making kringles. The only bright spot in their dreary existence – or as they call her, "a substitute for the sun” – is sixteen year old Tanya, who works at an embroidery shop two floors above. She stops by daily asking the “prisoners” for kringles and they willingly offer her not just the pretzels but also help out in her chores. Soon, Tanya becomes an ideal girl in their minds, too pure to be teased or reprimanded or lusted after. But when an ex-soldier joins their bakery and claims he can seduce Tanya, a new tension begins and escalates. The end result of the soldier’s attempt changes many lives for the worse.
This is my first ever Maxim Gorky work and I was pretty impressed by the atmosphere he creates. His descriptions in the initial section about the gloominess and drudgery of the bakers’ lives is so well-written that even you feel one with their pain. His writing casts a brilliant spotlight on their psychology as they begin to idolise an ordinary girl even when she is just using them and later, when reality hits, the resulting repercussions. The extreme duality of their thinking is so evident when Tanya turns from goddess to slut in their eyes, though whatever she did was none of their business and whatever they had assumed about her wasn’t of her making. I loved how Gorky didn’t turn Tanya into an apologetic mess. Rather, she walks away with her head held high while the twenty six lose the only ray of sunshine in their miserable lives.
3.75 stars.
This classic story is in the public domain and hence available on various websites for free. You can read it within 30 minutes. I read it from this link:
https://short-stories.co/stories/twen...
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
The story is written in the first person plural narrative of one of twenty six bakers who are almost like prisoners, always in the cellar of a big stony house and working long hours of the day making kringles. The only bright spot in their dreary existence – or as they call her, "a substitute for the sun” – is sixteen year old Tanya, who works at an embroidery shop two floors above. She stops by daily asking the “prisoners” for kringles and they willingly offer her not just the pretzels but also help out in her chores. Soon, Tanya becomes an ideal girl in their minds, too pure to be teased or reprimanded or lusted after. But when an ex-soldier joins their bakery and claims he can seduce Tanya, a new tension begins and escalates. The end result of the soldier’s attempt changes many lives for the worse.
This is my first ever Maxim Gorky work and I was pretty impressed by the atmosphere he creates. His descriptions in the initial section about the gloominess and drudgery of the bakers’ lives is so well-written that even you feel one with their pain. His writing casts a brilliant spotlight on their psychology as they begin to idolise an ordinary girl even when she is just using them and later, when reality hits, the resulting repercussions. The extreme duality of their thinking is so evident when Tanya turns from goddess to slut in their eyes, though whatever she did was none of their business and whatever they had assumed about her wasn’t of her making. I loved how Gorky didn’t turn Tanya into an apologetic mess. Rather, she walks away with her head held high while the twenty six lose the only ray of sunshine in their miserable lives.
3.75 stars.
This classic story is in the public domain and hence available on various websites for free. You can read it within 30 minutes. I read it from this link:
https://short-stories.co/stories/twen...
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
December 4, 2017
If you want a review, go straight to my friend Petra’s review, as she is far more eloquent than I. I’d like to share two quotes from this excellent short story:
“Painful and terrible It is when a man goes on living, while nothing changes around him; and when such an existence does not finally kill his soul, then the monotony becomes, with time, ever more and more painful.”
And:
“There are men to whom the most precious and best thing in their lives appears to be some disease of their soul or body. They spend their whole life in relation to it, and only living by it, suffering from it, they sustain themselves on it, the complain of it to others, and so draw the attention of their fellows to themselves. For that they extract sympathy from people, and apart from it they have nothing at all. Take from them that disease, cure them, and they will be miserable, because they have lost their one resource in life - they are then left empty. Sometimes a man’s life is so poor, and he is driven instinctively to prize his vice and to live by it; one may say for a fact that often men are vicious from boredom.
“Painful and terrible It is when a man goes on living, while nothing changes around him; and when such an existence does not finally kill his soul, then the monotony becomes, with time, ever more and more painful.”
And:
“There are men to whom the most precious and best thing in their lives appears to be some disease of their soul or body. They spend their whole life in relation to it, and only living by it, suffering from it, they sustain themselves on it, the complain of it to others, and so draw the attention of their fellows to themselves. For that they extract sympathy from people, and apart from it they have nothing at all. Take from them that disease, cure them, and they will be miserable, because they have lost their one resource in life - they are then left empty. Sometimes a man’s life is so poor, and he is driven instinctively to prize his vice and to live by it; one may say for a fact that often men are vicious from boredom.
April 11, 2015
One of those short stories I never get tired of reading. Gorky's a better writer than Tolstoy when it comes to short stories because of the realistic manner he depicts the pain and suffering of his characters. He often writes about poor wretched human beings, like the 26 men in this story, who often get thrashed and smashed by the upper class.
November 21, 2015
How must you live your life?
You can’t put your happiness and love to the test. You cannot live with an arrogant certainty that whoever loves you does so under no implicit conditions or even in the absence of respect. Love must always be received with humility.
That, to me, was what Gorky is saying in this little story of his.
You can’t put your happiness and love to the test. You cannot live with an arrogant certainty that whoever loves you does so under no implicit conditions or even in the absence of respect. Love must always be received with humility.
That, to me, was what Gorky is saying in this little story of his.
December 1, 2022
I remember reading this short story as a teenager. A classic tale of misplaced faith and the perils of imputing into people qualities they may not have, or values they may not subscribe to.
September 12, 2015
I have arranged my thoughts on this short story into a haiku:
"Unassailable.
One that is above your love,
Is the same with hate."
"Unassailable.
One that is above your love,
Is the same with hate."
May 11, 2025
Predictable and a bit heavy-handed, but good all the same. The world would be a lesser place without these kind of short stories.
December 27, 2024
Числа 26 не грех было прочесть
поэму Горького.
12 в ней всего страниц,
все на бумаге №2.
Тираж внушителен,
в сравнении с московским Гегелем -
во 30000 шире.
По Гоголевской №7
издательство скрывается
(кто скажет, не поныне ли?)
от перевоплощения народных мастеров
книг - под нужды брезжущих (каких-каких?) военных.
Чудна поэма, чуден созданья год,
небось, опыт Казани чуден был
на 10-с-ножкой-табурета раньше лет.
Другие отзывались о рассказе
бла-гоже-ла-тель-но (какое, право, слово-не-на-шутка)
, но кто в состав "Других" входил
и почему их мнение должно нас, беспокоя, вдохновлять?
Тем более - мы сами таковы,
бла-гоже-лате-льны (и всё-таки, когда и кто так не-на-шутку-пошу-тил?)
сиречь.
Кроме того, рассказ ведь не рассказ - поэма,
что автор прописал;
ведь Горькому в доверии отказывать -
фору давать пейзажным Дерешу и Жадану,
Сафронов-Андрухович иже с ними.
В общем, поэма хороша
(и ударение на слог последний не смущает)
. Во многом антиутопична:
мир Булки миру Кренделя
про-ти-вень, нет, не то -
про-тивос-тавле-ны (диву не даться как, 15 вновь!)
, как арестантам - солдафон;
все разом - сдоба, впрочем, и в - расход.
Швея, на крендель вдохновляя,
плод вдохновения съедает,
а ложного стыда чужда.
Солдат, чрез крендель утверждаясь,
готов внушить и ложный стыд швее.
А кренделя,
печь разобрав на новостройки и шелкопрядов распустив,
сплетя иголки кандалами, пребудут в здравии и зависти труда.
Не даром горек олдос Хаксли!
"Изо дня в день в мучной пыли, в грязи, натасканной нашими ногами со двора, в густой пахучей духоте мы рассучивали тесто и делали крендели, смачивая их нашим потом, и мы ненавидели нашу работу острой ненавистью, мы никогда не ели того, что выходило из-под наших рук, предпочитая кренделям чёрный хлеб"
"Рожденье человека", например,
отлично в том, что, выпятив мучения
желтоплаточной "бабы берестою на огне"
- рожденье человека обрекло заглавию.
Все двадцать шесть бесстрастны и бестактны
(такт поэтический имеется я виду,
страсть - лишь рождённая заботой,
не долгом, маскирующим каприз)
, хотя их ненависть, быть может,
в этот самый миг рождает где-то за,
а может посреди, на самом дне и в шторм, однако -
человека.
"Любовь наша не менее тяжела, чем ненависть, и, может быть, именно поэтому некоторые гордецы утверждают, что наша ненависть более лестна, чем любовь. Но почему же они не бегут от нас, если это так?"
Горький рисует автаркию.
Непроизвольно к ней стремятся
популисты поголовно.
Горький рисует дух армейский,
тыл в форму облачив.
Война - огромный крендель.
Мир, по стопам за ней спешащий - булка.
Союз их - сдоба, и - в расход.
поэму Горького.
12 в ней всего страниц,
все на бумаге №2.
Тираж внушителен,
в сравнении с московским Гегелем -
во 30000 шире.
По Гоголевской №7
издательство скрывается
(кто скажет, не поныне ли?)
от перевоплощения народных мастеров
книг - под нужды брезжущих (каких-каких?) военных.
Чудна поэма, чуден созданья год,
небось, опыт Казани чуден был
на 10-с-ножкой-табурета раньше лет.
Другие отзывались о рассказе
бла-гоже-ла-тель-но (какое, право, слово-не-на-шутка)
, но кто в состав "Других" входил
и почему их мнение должно нас, беспокоя, вдохновлять?
Тем более - мы сами таковы,
бла-гоже-лате-льны (и всё-таки, когда и кто так не-на-шутку-пошу-тил?)
сиречь.
Кроме того, рассказ ведь не рассказ - поэма,
что автор прописал;
ведь Горькому в доверии отказывать -
фору давать пейзажным Дерешу и Жадану,
Сафронов-Андрухович иже с ними.
В общем, поэма хороша
(и ударение на слог последний не смущает)
. Во многом антиутопична:
мир Булки миру Кренделя
про-ти-вень, нет, не то -
про-тивос-тавле-ны (диву не даться как, 15 вновь!)
, как арестантам - солдафон;
все разом - сдоба, впрочем, и в - расход.
Швея, на крендель вдохновляя,
плод вдохновения съедает,
а ложного стыда чужда.
Солдат, чрез крендель утверждаясь,
готов внушить и ложный стыд швее.
А кренделя,
печь разобрав на новостройки и шелкопрядов распустив,
сплетя иголки кандалами, пребудут в здравии и зависти труда.
Не даром горек олдос Хаксли!
"Изо дня в день в мучной пыли, в грязи, натасканной нашими ногами со двора, в густой пахучей духоте мы рассучивали тесто и делали крендели, смачивая их нашим потом, и мы ненавидели нашу работу острой ненавистью, мы никогда не ели того, что выходило из-под наших рук, предпочитая кренделям чёрный хлеб"
"Рожденье человека", например,
отлично в том, что, выпятив мучения
желтоплаточной "бабы берестою на огне"
- рожденье человека обрекло заглавию.
Все двадцать шесть бесстрастны и бестактны
(такт поэтический имеется я виду,
страсть - лишь рождённая заботой,
не долгом, маскирующим каприз)
, хотя их ненависть, быть может,
в этот самый миг рождает где-то за,
а может посреди, на самом дне и в шторм, однако -
человека.
"Любовь наша не менее тяжела, чем ненависть, и, может быть, именно поэтому некоторые гордецы утверждают, что наша ненависть более лестна, чем любовь. Но почему же они не бегут от нас, если это так?"
Горький рисует автаркию.
Непроизвольно к ней стремятся
популисты поголовно.
Горький рисует дух армейский,
тыл в форму облачив.
Война - огромный крендель.
Мир, по стопам за ней спешащий - булка.
Союз их - сдоба, и - в расход.
November 9, 2020
Twenty-six Men and a Girl (Russian: Двадцать шесть и одна, Dvadtsat' shest' i odna/Dvadcatj šestj i odna) was published in Russian in 1899. It is a short story by Maxim Gorky, A story about Social Realism (predating Soviet socialist realism). This story is about 26 men kringle bakers that is long suffering in the basement kitchen, they are considered as lowest of the low that idolize Tanya (a friendly girl that visit to buy some kringles).
The story is narrated by one of the kringle baker, he described the surrounding that looks like a basement kitchen or cellar bakery that is surrounded by closed iron grating and glass wherein they're labored to make some kringles. They’re underpaid and mistreated by their boss and others, working 6AM to 10PM. They often sing the song of their misery. Every day is same old working but then there's a girl who named Tanya that is adored by these miserable men. Tanya is the only one who talks to them even though they're the lowest of the low. One day an arrogant young man, a soldier who works higher level of baker visits and boast about his experiences with women. At first they find him okay but then later on they find him annoying. The arrogant man said he will seduce Tanya within 2 weeks. They believed that Tanya will never caught by the arrogant man but then she does, so they were so angry about it because they think they know her very well and she's so innocent to have a man. They condemn her for being with him so Tanya was furious about it and never visit the bakery again and the men realised what they did.
Gorky's Twenty six men and a girl convey powerful feelings and messages wherein his purpose in writing is to educate, amuse, inspire others etc. His short story reveals the what is society under the capitalism (eg. the 26 men miserably working underpaid and mistreated by the boss and other working class considering they're the lowest of low), how the system works on the people below striving to make a living and how the humanity change by simple acts(eg. the friendly and warmth of Tanya towards them). Uniting for the same purpose to lessen the burden of what they have, silence that heard and vocal to others.(eg. singing while working). It also tackles how the society thinks about women(eg. The arrogant young man that tells story on how women fighting over him, toying them and also on how the 26 men thought they have the decision over Tanya's life because they worshipped her and thinks she's an innocent and thought her as possession). The author expose and establish particular problems but also universal.
I have my writers block after I read it, I was so excited to write about it since it was really good story knowing its written by Maxim Gorky. I read it few times and see some others perspective online that also gives me ideas and realised some parts that I didn't get. It reveals society works before and capitalism existing till now. What I really like in the story is how Tanya change the mood from the suffering of the 26 men on rugged capitalism for the poor and socialism to the rich, intriguing part how it ended just like that. I'm dumbfounded on how Tanya represent the story like the 26 men represent the rotten society but also the thinking about women.
The story is narrated by one of the kringle baker, he described the surrounding that looks like a basement kitchen or cellar bakery that is surrounded by closed iron grating and glass wherein they're labored to make some kringles. They’re underpaid and mistreated by their boss and others, working 6AM to 10PM. They often sing the song of their misery. Every day is same old working but then there's a girl who named Tanya that is adored by these miserable men. Tanya is the only one who talks to them even though they're the lowest of the low. One day an arrogant young man, a soldier who works higher level of baker visits and boast about his experiences with women. At first they find him okay but then later on they find him annoying. The arrogant man said he will seduce Tanya within 2 weeks. They believed that Tanya will never caught by the arrogant man but then she does, so they were so angry about it because they think they know her very well and she's so innocent to have a man. They condemn her for being with him so Tanya was furious about it and never visit the bakery again and the men realised what they did.
Gorky's Twenty six men and a girl convey powerful feelings and messages wherein his purpose in writing is to educate, amuse, inspire others etc. His short story reveals the what is society under the capitalism (eg. the 26 men miserably working underpaid and mistreated by the boss and other working class considering they're the lowest of low), how the system works on the people below striving to make a living and how the humanity change by simple acts(eg. the friendly and warmth of Tanya towards them). Uniting for the same purpose to lessen the burden of what they have, silence that heard and vocal to others.(eg. singing while working). It also tackles how the society thinks about women(eg. The arrogant young man that tells story on how women fighting over him, toying them and also on how the 26 men thought they have the decision over Tanya's life because they worshipped her and thinks she's an innocent and thought her as possession). The author expose and establish particular problems but also universal.
I have my writers block after I read it, I was so excited to write about it since it was really good story knowing its written by Maxim Gorky. I read it few times and see some others perspective online that also gives me ideas and realised some parts that I didn't get. It reveals society works before and capitalism existing till now. What I really like in the story is how Tanya change the mood from the suffering of the 26 men on rugged capitalism for the poor and socialism to the rich, intriguing part how it ended just like that. I'm dumbfounded on how Tanya represent the story like the 26 men represent the rotten society but also the thinking about women.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2018
Twenty-six Men and a Girl, is a short story by Maxim Gorky, published in Russian in 1899 as “Dvadtsat shest i odna” (“Twenty-six and One”). It is a psychological profile of a group of long-suffering bakers who idolize a local seamstress. Critics praised Gorky’s sympathetic tone and rhythmic prose, particularly evident in the emotional folk songs of the bakers.
The story is narrated by one of the bakers, whose only respite from misery is the daily visit of Tanya, a local girl whom the bakers gradually begin to worship. When the men learn that she has been seduced by a young man who works nearby, they revile Tanya. Her initial surprise soon gives way to anger as she upbraids the bakers for intruding upon her affairs and for making her an object of their worship. Only when she permanently takes leave of them do they realize their loss.
The story is narrated by one of the bakers, whose only respite from misery is the daily visit of Tanya, a local girl whom the bakers gradually begin to worship. When the men learn that she has been seduced by a young man who works nearby, they revile Tanya. Her initial surprise soon gives way to anger as she upbraids the bakers for intruding upon her affairs and for making her an object of their worship. Only when she permanently takes leave of them do they realize their loss.
May 13, 2019
Снова Горький вспомнил, как трудился в пекарне. На этот раз не в таких пессимистически-радужных тонах, согласно текста “Коновалова”. Теперь в повествовании сообщалось об адских условиях. Приходилось трудиться в подвальном помещении, практически не имея доступа к свежему воздуху. Было их двадцать шесть, кто занимался пекарским делом, чаще им доверяли печь крендели. И иногда к ним заходила девушка – единственный луч света в доступном им подземном царстве. Они её любили, всегда потакали желаниям и оказывались готовыми на всё, невзирая не присущий девушке гордый нрав. Она требовала лишь кренделей, ничего не давая взамен. Однажды пекари пожелали вкусить запретного плода, разменяв непорочность девушки на солдатский порок. Так случилась поэма в прозе, опубликованная Горьким в декабрьском номере журнала “Жизнь”.
(c) Trounin
(c) Trounin
November 16, 2023
First of all, I really did like Gorky's writing style (through the English translation) and how he creates this interesting atmosphere with the basement bakery and how the 26 men work there. The story though, overall, was kinda generic and somewhat weak right after finishing. After reading some of the reviews here on the story's theme, I do think the story's theme have more merit. I do think if Gorky have written a few more pages for this short story, the theme would have come more clearly and be more refined in narrative.
March 25, 2015
I was introduced to Russian literature through Tolstoy and after reading this book, I am already a fan. I plan to read a lot more of these short stories in the future.
September 27, 2018
Well written but sad ending.
December 26, 2018
Gorky speaks the language of gods. His words are pouring and deep in the cracks of one's soul, it makes you want to study the man himself.
December 31, 2020
My review of: Twenty-six Men and a Girl by Maxim Gorky
December 12, 2023
Depressing af
December 26, 2024
‘There were six-and-twenty of us — six-and-twenty living machines in a damp, underground cellar, where from morning till night we kneaded dough and rolled it into kringels. Opposite the underground window of our cellar was a bricked area, green and mouldy with moisture. The window was protected from outside with a close iron grating, and the light of the sun could not pierce through the window panes, covered as they were with flour dust….’
Thus begins a blatant, redolent story that captures the kernel of human sorrow, confidence, and disenchantment. Set in a dark, cruel bakery cellar, the story delves into the lives of 26 workhands slogging under desensitizing circumstances, their spirits sustained only by the presence of a guiltless, lovely girl named Tanya. Gorky’s evocative style intensely paints the dirty, stifling bakery where the men work and live. The setting becomes a metaphor for their ensnared existence — physically, socially, and emotionally. The men, unvarnished of all shreds of individualism, form a cooperative character defined by their common misery. Gorky’s depiction of their solidarity is both gentle and heartrending, as their harmony stems from harassment rather than honest connection. Tanya, the titular “girl,” is a glimmer of grace in the men’s unwelcoming lives. Her transitory visits, her attractiveness, and her professed purity offer them a veneer of faith and something to respect. She is venerated, almost sanctified, by the men, symbolizing a reverie that surpasses their gray reality. At its foundation, the story explores leitmotifs of romanticism, infidelity, and the delicateness of human hope. Tanya’s importance lies not in her real character but in what she epitomizes—a representation of incorruptibility and escape. The men’s love of her is not rooted in adoration but in their need to believe in something faultless. Gorky’s narrative takes a sharp turn with the introduction of an impetuous soldier who wins Tanya’s consideration. This disturbs the men’s delicate imagination, devastating their romanticized discernment of her. The understanding that Tanya is a defective individual, like any other, not the unattainable figure they made up, leaves the men severely disenchanted. Gorky captures the demonstrative chaos of disloyalty—not by Tanya, but by their own impractical anticipations. Gorky’s prose reflects his profound compassion for the relegated and beleaguered. His aptitude to transport reflective emotions through a most simple, unadorned language is one of the story’s greatest fortes. The narrative is rich with allegory, with the tyrannical bakery cellar echoing the stifling lives of the workers, and Tanya’s departure representing the breakdown of their insubstantial dreams. As a final point, this gem of a short story is a moving probe of the human condition. It sheds light on the interaction between hope and despair, the power of collective imagination, and the pain of disenchantment. Gorky’s story remains everlasting in its representation of the universal longing for beauty, meaning, and escape in a world often pigeonholed by suffering. The plot will leave a lasting impression, challenging you to reflect on your own ideals and the realities they may obscure. A must read.
Thus begins a blatant, redolent story that captures the kernel of human sorrow, confidence, and disenchantment. Set in a dark, cruel bakery cellar, the story delves into the lives of 26 workhands slogging under desensitizing circumstances, their spirits sustained only by the presence of a guiltless, lovely girl named Tanya. Gorky’s evocative style intensely paints the dirty, stifling bakery where the men work and live. The setting becomes a metaphor for their ensnared existence — physically, socially, and emotionally. The men, unvarnished of all shreds of individualism, form a cooperative character defined by their common misery. Gorky’s depiction of their solidarity is both gentle and heartrending, as their harmony stems from harassment rather than honest connection. Tanya, the titular “girl,” is a glimmer of grace in the men’s unwelcoming lives. Her transitory visits, her attractiveness, and her professed purity offer them a veneer of faith and something to respect. She is venerated, almost sanctified, by the men, symbolizing a reverie that surpasses their gray reality. At its foundation, the story explores leitmotifs of romanticism, infidelity, and the delicateness of human hope. Tanya’s importance lies not in her real character but in what she epitomizes—a representation of incorruptibility and escape. The men’s love of her is not rooted in adoration but in their need to believe in something faultless. Gorky’s narrative takes a sharp turn with the introduction of an impetuous soldier who wins Tanya’s consideration. This disturbs the men’s delicate imagination, devastating their romanticized discernment of her. The understanding that Tanya is a defective individual, like any other, not the unattainable figure they made up, leaves the men severely disenchanted. Gorky captures the demonstrative chaos of disloyalty—not by Tanya, but by their own impractical anticipations. Gorky’s prose reflects his profound compassion for the relegated and beleaguered. His aptitude to transport reflective emotions through a most simple, unadorned language is one of the story’s greatest fortes. The narrative is rich with allegory, with the tyrannical bakery cellar echoing the stifling lives of the workers, and Tanya’s departure representing the breakdown of their insubstantial dreams. As a final point, this gem of a short story is a moving probe of the human condition. It sheds light on the interaction between hope and despair, the power of collective imagination, and the pain of disenchantment. Gorky’s story remains everlasting in its representation of the universal longing for beauty, meaning, and escape in a world often pigeonholed by suffering. The plot will leave a lasting impression, challenging you to reflect on your own ideals and the realities they may obscure. A must read.
May 17, 2025
EXCERPT: At first one sang by himself, and we others sat in silence listening to his solitary song, which, under the heavy vaulted roof of the cellar, died gradually away, and became extinguished, like a little fire in the steppes, on a wet autumn night, when the gray heaven hangs like a heavy mass over the earth.
Then another would join in with the singer, and now two soft, sad voices would break into song in our narrow, dull hole of a cellar. Suddenly others would join in, and the song would roll forward like a wave, would grow louder and swell upward, till it would seem as if the damp, foul walls of our stone prison were widening out and opening. Then, all six-and-twenty of us would be singing; our loud, harmonious song would fill the whole cellar, our voices would travel outside and beyond, striking, as it were, against the walls in moaning sobs and sighs, moving our hearts with soft, tantalizing ache, tearing open old wounds, and awakening longings.
The singers would sigh deeply and heavily; suddenly one would become silent and listen to the others singing, then let his voice flow once more in the common tide. Another would exclaim in a stifled voice, "Ah!" and would shut his eyes, while the deep, full sound waves would show him, as it were, a road, in front of him -- a sunlit, broad road in the distance, which he himself, in thought wandered along.
ABOUT 'TWENTY-SIX MEN AND A GIRL': Twenty-six Men and a Girl is a story of twenty-six men labouring in a cellar, making kringles in an effective prison. They are looked down upon by all around them, including the bun bakers. Their only seeming solace is the sixteen-year-old Tanya who visits them every morning for the kringles they give her.
MY THOUGHTS: With the exception of the passage quoted above, I found this to be a depressing read. Depressing and unsettling. The men are virtual prisoners in their occupation as bakers assistants, their workplace situated in a cellar. They idolise Tanya, a maid-servant from several floors up. She is their substitute sunshine, and they place her on a pedestal, always a dangerous place to be.
But Tanya uses them, these misfits and cripples. She gets them to perform tasks for her as well as keeping her supplied with Kringles. The men do this willingly, but when one of them asks her to do a simple task for him, she laughs at them. I felt her to be cruel and unfeeling, only out for what she could get.
The great test of character comes when a new baker joins their ranks, an ex-soldier who wears a satin waistcoat and a watch and gold chain; a dandy who declares that he can seduce any woman, including Tanya, within a fortnight.
What happens? Not telling. But it disturbed and disappointed me.
I keep thinking about this little story, easily read in a half-hour. It haunts me like an earworm and I am unsure whom, amongst this cast of characters, I dislike the most.
⭐⭐.5
#TwentySixMenandaGirl
https://short-stories.co/@maximgorky/...
MEET THE AUTHOR: This Soviet author founded the socialist realism literary method and was 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.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you again to Maureen for sharing the link.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Then another would join in with the singer, and now two soft, sad voices would break into song in our narrow, dull hole of a cellar. Suddenly others would join in, and the song would roll forward like a wave, would grow louder and swell upward, till it would seem as if the damp, foul walls of our stone prison were widening out and opening. Then, all six-and-twenty of us would be singing; our loud, harmonious song would fill the whole cellar, our voices would travel outside and beyond, striking, as it were, against the walls in moaning sobs and sighs, moving our hearts with soft, tantalizing ache, tearing open old wounds, and awakening longings.
The singers would sigh deeply and heavily; suddenly one would become silent and listen to the others singing, then let his voice flow once more in the common tide. Another would exclaim in a stifled voice, "Ah!" and would shut his eyes, while the deep, full sound waves would show him, as it were, a road, in front of him -- a sunlit, broad road in the distance, which he himself, in thought wandered along.
ABOUT 'TWENTY-SIX MEN AND A GIRL': Twenty-six Men and a Girl is a story of twenty-six men labouring in a cellar, making kringles in an effective prison. They are looked down upon by all around them, including the bun bakers. Their only seeming solace is the sixteen-year-old Tanya who visits them every morning for the kringles they give her.
MY THOUGHTS: With the exception of the passage quoted above, I found this to be a depressing read. Depressing and unsettling. The men are virtual prisoners in their occupation as bakers assistants, their workplace situated in a cellar. They idolise Tanya, a maid-servant from several floors up. She is their substitute sunshine, and they place her on a pedestal, always a dangerous place to be.
But Tanya uses them, these misfits and cripples. She gets them to perform tasks for her as well as keeping her supplied with Kringles. The men do this willingly, but when one of them asks her to do a simple task for him, she laughs at them. I felt her to be cruel and unfeeling, only out for what she could get.
The great test of character comes when a new baker joins their ranks, an ex-soldier who wears a satin waistcoat and a watch and gold chain; a dandy who declares that he can seduce any woman, including Tanya, within a fortnight.
What happens? Not telling. But it disturbed and disappointed me.
I keep thinking about this little story, easily read in a half-hour. It haunts me like an earworm and I am unsure whom, amongst this cast of characters, I dislike the most.
⭐⭐.5
#TwentySixMenandaGirl
https://short-stories.co/@maximgorky/...
MEET THE AUTHOR: This Soviet author founded the socialist realism literary method and was 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.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you again to Maureen for sharing the link.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
January 19, 2026
What happens when you only choose to see what you want to see in a person, disregarding the person for the matter?
The story speaks for that!
Twenty-six men and their struggle through the oppression, working hard to make kringles. And their girl, Tanya, their sunlight through the walls that have no aperture.
The men have adored the girl like their own but shunned her when they realized the girl can talk and can take more than their world offers, the kringles—I mean, their love and admiration.
What kind of love is conditioned and blinded by their own rules and fed with their opinions? Well, it's called idealization.
"A man always wishes to lay his love on someone, although sometimes he chokes, sometimes sullies, perhaps he poisons the life of one close, when in loving, does not respect her. We had to love Tanya, for there was no one else for us to love."
A few quotes from the story:
"We always spoke so crudely of women that at times we ourselves were disgusted at our shameless words, and this is clear, for the women we knew maybe didn’t merit different speech."
"He honestly seemed insulted. It appeared his self-respect was founded on his ability to seduce women, and maybe, outside that skill there was nothing alive in him, and it alone let him feel a living man. There are people whose most valued possession in life is some disease of the soul or flesh. They carry it at all times, and live but for it; suffering from it, they feed on it. They complain of it to others and so gain attention of their fellow-humans. For it they gain sympathy, and, without it, they have nothing. Excise that disease, cure them, and they will be miserable, for they will have lost their sole sustenance—they will be empty then. At times a man’s life is so poor that he must cultivate a vice and live by it, and one may say, often some are addicted to vice out of boredom."
The story speaks for that!
Twenty-six men and their struggle through the oppression, working hard to make kringles. And their girl, Tanya, their sunlight through the walls that have no aperture.
The men have adored the girl like their own but shunned her when they realized the girl can talk and can take more than their world offers, the kringles—I mean, their love and admiration.
What kind of love is conditioned and blinded by their own rules and fed with their opinions? Well, it's called idealization.
"A man always wishes to lay his love on someone, although sometimes he chokes, sometimes sullies, perhaps he poisons the life of one close, when in loving, does not respect her. We had to love Tanya, for there was no one else for us to love."
A few quotes from the story:
"We always spoke so crudely of women that at times we ourselves were disgusted at our shameless words, and this is clear, for the women we knew maybe didn’t merit different speech."
"He honestly seemed insulted. It appeared his self-respect was founded on his ability to seduce women, and maybe, outside that skill there was nothing alive in him, and it alone let him feel a living man. There are people whose most valued possession in life is some disease of the soul or flesh. They carry it at all times, and live but for it; suffering from it, they feed on it. They complain of it to others and so gain attention of their fellow-humans. For it they gain sympathy, and, without it, they have nothing. Excise that disease, cure them, and they will be miserable, for they will have lost their sole sustenance—they will be empty then. At times a man’s life is so poor that he must cultivate a vice and live by it, and one may say, often some are addicted to vice out of boredom."
September 8, 2021
What rhythmic prose! The entire story written as though it's simply one of the emotional folk songs of the bakers portrayed. Gorky is such an excellent story-teller.
Some favourite quotations:
"We had nothing to say, we were used to that, were all times silent, unless swearing – for one can always find a reason to rail at a man, especially a comrade. But we rarely swore – how can a man be guilty, if he is half-dead, if he is like a stone idol, if all feelings in him are stifled under the weight of toil? Silence is terrible and torturous to only those who have no more to say, but, to those who have not started to speak – to them silence is simple and light."
"Painful and terrible It is when a man goes on living, while nothing changes around him; and when such an existence does not finally kill his soul, then the monotony becomes, with time, ever more and more painful."
"The man who had chosen to so speak was quickly silenced – we had to love someone, we found her and loved her. That which we twenty-six loved had to be unshakable for each of us, as our holy relic, and all who opposed this was Our love is no easier than hate, and maybe that’s why some arrogant men believe hate more flattering than love – but why do they not reject us, if that is so?"
"There are people whose most valued possession in life is some disease of the soul or flesh. They carry it at all times, and live but for it; suffering from it, they feed on it. They complain of it to others and so gain attention of their fellow-humans. For it they gain sympathy, and, without it – they have nothing. Excise that disease, cure them, and they will be miserable, for they will have lost their sole sustenance – they will be empty then. At times a man’s life is so poor that he must cultivate a vice and live by it, and one may say, often some are addicted to vice out of boredom."
Some favourite quotations:
"We had nothing to say, we were used to that, were all times silent, unless swearing – for one can always find a reason to rail at a man, especially a comrade. But we rarely swore – how can a man be guilty, if he is half-dead, if he is like a stone idol, if all feelings in him are stifled under the weight of toil? Silence is terrible and torturous to only those who have no more to say, but, to those who have not started to speak – to them silence is simple and light."
"Painful and terrible It is when a man goes on living, while nothing changes around him; and when such an existence does not finally kill his soul, then the monotony becomes, with time, ever more and more painful."
"The man who had chosen to so speak was quickly silenced – we had to love someone, we found her and loved her. That which we twenty-six loved had to be unshakable for each of us, as our holy relic, and all who opposed this was Our love is no easier than hate, and maybe that’s why some arrogant men believe hate more flattering than love – but why do they not reject us, if that is so?"
"There are people whose most valued possession in life is some disease of the soul or flesh. They carry it at all times, and live but for it; suffering from it, they feed on it. They complain of it to others and so gain attention of their fellow-humans. For it they gain sympathy, and, without it – they have nothing. Excise that disease, cure them, and they will be miserable, for they will have lost their sole sustenance – they will be empty then. At times a man’s life is so poor that he must cultivate a vice and live by it, and one may say, often some are addicted to vice out of boredom."
July 1, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this short story about humanity's desperate need for beauty along with one's search for the eternal feminine (a transcendental ideal). A group of prisoners, deprived of any beauty or sunlight, turn to idolizing a young female--they respect and revere Tanya. Her brief appearance in the morning infused their lives with meaning. When one braggart claims that he can make any woman fall for him, including Tanya, the prisoners all hold firmly to Tanya, believing that she will withstand his appeals.
Unfortunately, she does not, and the men feel betrayed, hurt, and angered. No, they had no right to hold her to such standards; the main point, however, is that their souls needed something to love and hold as worthy, and they turned to her.
Beauty is what awakens the soul, willing it to participate in the transcendentals: once the soul perceives beauty, it desires to participate in goodness, which leads it to acknowledge truth. Bereft of any beauty, the men worshipped the closest thing to it they knew; however, perhaps, she will be like a Beatrice who prompt them on their journey toward the Beatific vision.
Unfortunately, she does not, and the men feel betrayed, hurt, and angered. No, they had no right to hold her to such standards; the main point, however, is that their souls needed something to love and hold as worthy, and they turned to her.
Beauty is what awakens the soul, willing it to participate in the transcendentals: once the soul perceives beauty, it desires to participate in goodness, which leads it to acknowledge truth. Bereft of any beauty, the men worshipped the closest thing to it they knew; however, perhaps, she will be like a Beatrice who prompt them on their journey toward the Beatific vision.
July 30, 2022
"but one cannot always find something about which to chaff another man, especially when that man is one's mate"
"silence is only terrible and fearful for those who have said everything and have nothing more to say to each other; for men, on the contrary, who have never begun to communicate with one another, it is easy and simple."
Narrator is self aware and their way of thinking is unfortunately still seen to this day. I can see someone easily writing an essay over this, but I didn't want to think about it too much.Writing took a little getting used to, but once a pace was set it was easy to read.
I've never read the story of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, but this reminds me of the Disney movie. Tanya and the 27 Prisoners. 💯
"silence is only terrible and fearful for those who have said everything and have nothing more to say to each other; for men, on the contrary, who have never begun to communicate with one another, it is easy and simple."
Narrator is self aware and their way of thinking is unfortunately still seen to this day. I can see someone easily writing an essay over this, but I didn't want to think about it too much.Writing took a little getting used to, but once a pace was set it was easy to read.
I've never read the story of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, but this reminds me of the Disney movie. Tanya and the 27 Prisoners. 💯
August 2, 2024
“From morning till evening wood was burning in the oven, and the red glow of the fire gleamed and flickered over the walls of the bake-shop, as if silently mocking us. The giant oven was like the misshapen head of a monster in a fairy tale; it thrust itself up out of the floor, opened wide jaws, full of glowing fire, and blew hot breath upon us; it seemed to be ever watching out of it black air-holes our interminable work. Those two deep holes were like eyes—the cold, pitiless eyes of a monster. They watched us always with the same darkened glance, as if they were weary of seeing before them such slaves, from whom they could expect nothing human, and therefore scorned them with the cold scorn of wisdom.”
“But silence is only terrible and fearful for those who have said everything and have nothing more to say to each other; for men, on the contrary, who have never begun to communicate with one another, it is easy and simple.”
“Painful and terrible it is when a man goes on living while nothing changes around him; and when such an existence does not finally kill his soul, then the monotony becomes with time, even more and more painful.”
Don’t initiate a dare on something you don’t want to lose.
“But silence is only terrible and fearful for those who have said everything and have nothing more to say to each other; for men, on the contrary, who have never begun to communicate with one another, it is easy and simple.”
“Painful and terrible it is when a man goes on living while nothing changes around him; and when such an existence does not finally kill his soul, then the monotony becomes with time, even more and more painful.”
Don’t initiate a dare on something you don’t want to lose.
August 2, 2019
Classic Socialist yarn from the Bitter lad himself. In many ways it is a propaganda piece but the congealed mass of the eponymous twenty six is quite grotesque in its depiction. It channels the working class anger that Gorky was known for, even if the more nuanced dimensions to socialist literature are are not present here.
February 9, 2024
Quite loaded with symbolism. A story of how we behave like sheep often, creating idols and putting them on pedestals, and then expecting them to live up to our expectations, for no fault of those unwitting idols. And when they do not live up to our expectations, we condemn them. The story is as applicable today, in 2024, as it was in 1899 when it was published.
April 24, 2019
This story made me sad because it's so accurate. The twenty-six men loved a young girl because they saw her as perfect. As soon as they suspected that she was not as perfect as they believed, they hated her. People judge too easily.
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