Tufts & Co. Pocket Essentials Maxim Gorky’s The Outcasts ( Бывшие люди , 1897) is a stark, unforgettable portrait of those living on the very margins of Russian society. Set in a decaying provincial inn, the story unfolds among beggars, vagrants, and broken men who gather to drink, quarrel, dream, and despair. Their conversations —by turns bitter, humorous, and heartbreaking— reveal a world where dignity and hope struggle against poverty, disillusion, and the relentless weight of circumstance. This early work established Gorky’s reputation as the great chronicler of the downtrodden, giving voice to those excluded from “respectable” society yet rich with human vitality. With its raw realism, poetic cadences, and deep compassion, The Outcasts is both social critique and timeless human drama. This edition restores the classic 1898 English translation by Dora B. Montefiore and Emily Jakowleff, among the first to introduce Gorky’s revolutionary prose to the English-speaking world. Why Adult Readers Will Love This Edition: A gritty yet lyrical exploration of human survival and resilience. - Perfect for readers of Dostoevsky, Zola, and Chekhov, but with Gorky’s unique blend of realism and political fire. - A window into Russia’s underclass at the dawn of revolution—a world both distant and strikingly familiar today. What Scholars Say: “In Gorky’s outcasts, we hear for the first time the authentic voices of those Russia had tried to silence. His compassion and truth-telling changed literature forever.” — Orlando Figes , Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia (2002) “The inn in The Outcasts is a microcosm of human misery, but also of stubborn vitality. Gorky turns degradation into drama and despair into a kind of fierce poetry.” — Henri Troyat , Russian Writers (1987) “With The Outcasts , Gorky inaugurated a new kind of realism— neither romanticized nor nihilistic, but pulsing with the rhythm of life itself.” — Victor Terras , A History of Russian Literature (1991)