About the work
Play in four acts by Maxim Gorky, written over the winter of 1901–02 and first performed in December 1902 at the Moscow Art Theatre under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski. Its subtitle, "Scenes from the Depths," points to its setting, a Russian basement flophouse for the homeless; the German-language premiere followed on 23 January 1903 at the Deutsches Theater Berlin.
Plot
In the lodging house run by Kostylyov and his wife Vasilisa, a group of outcasts lives with no prospect of a better life — a ruined baron, a dying locksmith, a thief, a prostitute, an alcoholic actor. The mysterious wanderer Luka moves in and comforts the residents with hopeful illusions about the future, then vanishes as suddenly as he arrived. After he leaves, their brief hope collapses: the landlord is killed, one resident dies, and the actor hangs himself.
Cultural significance
Gorky was among the first to put beggars, thieves and day labourers at the centre of a major European drama, a move that established his international reputation. After reading the play, Anton Chekhov jokingly warned Gorky he would lose his reputation as an optimist; Gorky himself later distanced himself from the comforting figure of Luka, feeling the play had not made the danger of his illusions clear enough.