The early works of A.M. Gorky in the perception of the symbolists (the 150th anniversary of the birth of the writer)

The article is devoted to the work of the largest Russian writer Alexei Maximovich Gorky (1868-1936). The author addresses the problem, which is rarely singled out by critics and researchers - the perception of Gorky's works by representatives of the antagonistic symbolist camp. The article notes that novels and short stories by A.M. Gorky on the tramps, due to which he received wide fame, was critically acclaimed-the symbolists D. Merezhkovsky and D. Filosofov. Merezhkovsky and Filosofov saw in Gorky's tramps a radically new type of hero, bright and fresh images, previously unknown to Russian literature. At the same time, critics-symbolists stressed that these new, largely unique characters are the embodiment of extreme individualism, irreconcilable protest and rebellion, which are almost apocalyptic.