Orlóff and His Wife: Tales of the Barefoot Brigade

** "Orlóff and His Wife: Tales of the Barefoot Brigade" by Maksim Gorky is a gritty collection of stories set in Russia, chronicling the lives of Grigóry Orlóff and his wife, Matréna, as they navigate a destructive relationship amidst poverty and backbreaking labor. The reader is thrown into the middle of their turbulent existence in a cramped cellar, witnessing fiery arguments and the raw despair of their daily grind, with neighbors as onlookers to their drama. As Grigóry battles his inner demons and Matréna struggles with her feelings of powerlessness, their story becomes a symbol of the challenges faced by the working class, revealing the endless cycle of poverty and the impacts of addiction and conflict on their lives. **