How did Maxim Gorky’s grandmother influence his early life?

Following the death of his father, Maxim Gorky was raised by his maternal grandparents in Nizhny Novgorod. While his grandfather was a harsh figure who treated him with cruelty, his grandmother provided a vital source of warmth and affection during his difficult upbringing.1

In his autobiographical work My Childhood, Gorky depicts his grandmother as an unlearned but deeply loving woman. She served as a compassionate presence in his life, offering him the majority of the kindness he experienced as a child amidst an otherwise harsh and impoverished environment.21