"The Short Story," in Maxim Gorky the Writer, Oxford University Press, 1967, pp. 59-94. In the following essay, Borras studies the range of Gorky's short stories from those inspired by folk legends and the lives of vagabonds to his later tales concerned with "the disintegration of human personality."

"Gor'kii's 'Twenty-six and One'," in Moral Apostasy in Russian Literature, Northern Illinois University Press, 1986, pp. 99-116. In the following essay, Gutsche undertakes a psychological, thematic, and symbolic analysis of Gorky's story generally translated as "Twenty-six Men and a Girl."

"The Symbolist Contamination of Gor'kii's 'Realistic' Style," in Slavic Review, Vol. 47, No. 2, Summer, 1988, pp. 227-38. In the following essay, Brown argues that Gorky's stories bear closer affinities to modernist/symbolist literature than to the realist works with which they are typically associated.

"Literary Beginnings: The Short Story," in Maxim Gorky, Twayne Publishers, 1988, pp. 21-36. In the following essay, Scherr offers a thematic and stylistic survey of Gorky's short fiction from the 1890s.

"The Human Comedy of Pre-Revolutionary Russia," in Studies in European Realism: A Sociological Survey of the Writings of Balzac, Stendhal, Zola, Tolstoy, Gorki and Others, translated by Edith Bone, Hillway Publishing Co., 1950, pp. 206-41. In the following excerpt, Lukács examines Gorky's portrayal in his short stories of the erosion of personality and society caused by capitalism.

"Plot, Pushkin: 'The Pistol Shot,' Gorky: Twenty-six Men and a Girl'," in Structure, Style and Interpretation in the Russian Short Story, Yale University Press, 1982, pp. 113-41. In the following excerpt, O'Toole focuses on plot, theme, and technique in Gorky's "Twenty-six Men and a Girl," calling it "a brilliant and pessimistic revelation of the death in life of the collective consciousness."

"The Lure of the Vagabond," in Maxim Gorky: Romantic Realist and Conservative Revolutionary, Greenwood Press, 1962, pp. 25-37. In the following essay, Hare explores Gorky's varied depiction of the tramp figure in his early short stories.

"Maxim Gorky," in Contemporary Russian Literature 1881-1925, Alfred A. Knopf, Reprint, 1972, pp. 106-20. In the following excerpt, originally published in 1926, Mirsky examines Gorky's life and literary reputation, as well as his short stories from the years 1892 to 1899.

"Gorky," in Modern Russian Literature from Chekhov to the Present, Oxford University Press, 1953, pp. 125-52. In the following excerpt, Slonim surveys the style and subject matter of Gorky's short stories.

"Gorky Stories," in Collected Impressions, Alfred A. Knopf, 1950, pp. 153-56. In the following review, originally published in 1939, Bowen presents a balanced assessment of style, technique, and theme in Gorky's collected short fiction.

"Maxim Gorky's Twenty-six Men and a Girl': The Destruction of an Illusion," in Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. X, No. 3, Summer, 1973, pp. 287-88. In the following essay, Bartkovich briefly observes the themes of idealization and disillusionment in Gorky's "Twenty-six Men and a Girl."

"The Russian Short Story 1880-1917," in The Russian Short Story: A Critical History, edited by Charles A. Moser, Twayne Publishers, 1986, pp. 103-46. In the following excerpt, Connolly summarizes Gorky's most well-known short stories.