LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2006 October Grand Format Autographs #629  / 

25408

Maxim Gorky Signed Photograph

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:400.00 - 500.00 USD
Maxim Gorky Signed Photograph
<B>Maxim Gorky Photograph Signed</B></I> "<I>Maxim</B></I>" (in Cyrillic), black and white photograph, 3.5" x 5.5", np, nd. Gorky was born Aleksei Maksimovich Peshkov, in 1868, was soon orphaned and then raised by his grandmother, who was an old woman who loved telling stories and tall tales; an influence Gorky would not soon forget. He began using the pseudonym "Gorky" while he was working as a journalist in provincial newspapers, "Gorky" literally means "Bitter" in Russian. His work in literature and essays set him up as the father of socialist realism; a style of writing very deeply rooted in socialist and communist teachings. Gorky suffered for his art, and was even imprisoned for a short time, during which he wrote his famous play <I>Children of the Sun.</B></I> After the Bolshevik revolution he was freed and befriended many of the future Communist juggernauts. Later in life, he would fall out of grace and eventually be killed under mysterious circumstances in his own home. This photograph features a rather distinguished looking Gorky, posing with his arms folded and a pensive expression on his face. The true novelty of this item is not the photograph of the great writer, but the inscription on the back. He inscribed the photo to Yelena Pavlovna with the following pun: "<I>To Yelena Pavlovna Tarakanova from Extra Bitter Maxim.</B></I> His whole life, Gorky had been an advocate for social reform, and equality, his bitter moniker was a response to how he viewed the world as a place needing repair and he was ultimately a pessimist and finally a victim of the very regime he hoped would save his country. The photograph is in fine condition; mounting paper present on verso; several creases on the photo itself, cracking the emulsion slightly. <BR><BR><B>Important notice:<
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