What made Maxim Gorky’s reminiscences of Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov distinctive?

Maxim Gorky’s reminiscences of Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov are considered among his most admired works because they are exceptionally lively and avoid the traditional, hagiographic approach common in Russian literary studies of leading authors.1

His memoir of Tolstoy, in particular, is often acclaimed as a masterpiece for its candid and vivid portrayal of the writer. Gorky’s study of Chekhov is regarded as being almost equally impressive. These memoirs reflect Gorky’s broader talent as an acute observer of detail and his ability to bring characters to life, a skill that defined much of his literary career.12