Information about the author:
Evgeniy N. Nikitin
Evgenii N. Nikitin (1950–2023), PhD in Philology, Senior Researcher, А.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Povarskaya 25 а, 121069 Moscow, Russia.
Abstract:
The purpose of the report is to show what place among the outstanding works of European literature of the 20th century is The Life of Klim Samgin, as Gorky came to the creation of this large-scale work, what tools he used. During the work, we have used the historical-comparative method. The Life of Klim Samgin is associated with the works of M. Proust, J. Joyce, I. Svevo, T. Mann, R. Musil. Leading European writers who are familiar with the work of each other, adopting the methods of literary work. There was another point: each of these writers reflect in their works what is called “Zeitgeist”. So there was a literary roll call. Conclusion: The Life of Klim Samgin is one of the pinnacles of European literature of the first half of the 20th century, is pretty much the same as the cycle of novels In Search of Lost Time, like Ulysses, Zeno’s Conscience, The Magic Mountain, and The Person without Properties.
Keywords: literature, novel, M. Gorky, J. Joyce, I. Svevo, T. Mann, R. Musil, M. Proust.