“Points to Follow”. On the History of Relations between M. Gorky and “Samarsky Vestnik” and R.E. Zimmerman

Making corrections to his biography written by I.A. Gruzdev, M. Gorky in 1933 paid special attention to how it covered the Samara period of his activity and his relationship with the “Samarsky Vestnik” newspaper, one of the most prominent employees of which was a publicist and writer R.E. Zimmerman. Drawing on the memoirs and testimonies of contemporaries M. Gorky and R.E. Zimmerman — N.A. Samoilova and A.A. Sanin, the authors of the article suggest that the picture painted by M. Gorky was somewhat one-sided and in places contradicted the truth. Further, the reasons that could make M. Gorky too subjective in assessing both “Samarsky Vestnik” as a whole and its employees are considered. Among these reasons were, in particular, the accusations leveled against M. Gorky by the Marxists who collaborated with “Vestnik” that he defended, in their opinion, the positions of the populists “leaving the stage.” The envy of the latter, who worked in a conservative populist organ, to the young, educated, and progressive-minded employees of the rival newspaper, “Samarsky Vestnik”; and also — the education of competitors, who seemed to the more naive and “holding on with a challenge” M. Gorky excessively arrogant and arrogant. Separately, the reason for the special “dislike” of Gorky for Zimmerman, chosen by Gorky, making corrections to his biography, as the main character of the conflict with “undemocratic” leading Marxists: Zimmerman was more suitable than others for the role of an ideological opponent of Gorky, who was looking for his ways.