Makarenko, His Life and Work: Articles, Talks and Reminiscences

Abstract

Anton Makarenko's book The Road to Life has been read by millions of people in fifty-four languages. In the Soviet Union alone it has run into eighty-five editions totalling two and a half million copies. The name of this distinguished educator, who broke new ground in pedagogics, is familiar to the English reader. Translations of his books The Road to Life (in three volumes), Learning to Live, and A Book for Parents have been published in English by the Foreign Languages Publishing House in Moscow. The object of the present book is to acquaint the reader more fully with the life and remarkable work of this Knight of Education. The volume is in two sections. The first opens with a short biographical sketch of Makarenko by Academician Medinsky, a leading personality in Soviet education. This is followed by stories and reminiscences by people who knew Makarenko closely -his wife and great friend Galina Stakhiyevna, the colonists' patron Maxim Gorky, and numerous ex-pupils of the Colony, themselves the chief characters in the books The Road to Life and Learning to Live. In the second section Makarenko speaks to the readers himself. He discusses his pedagogical experience and practice, gives his views on education, quotes numerous interesting examples from his own practice, gives advice to parents, and answers questions from listeners and readers. This collection, based on the numerous publications dealing with Makarenko issued in the Russian language, has been prepared for the press with the co-operation of the late Galina Stakhiyevna Makarenko.