Maxim Gorky (March 28, 1868-June 18, 1936) was a Soviet-born writer, loyal friend of the Bolsheviks, founder of the Socialist Realism literary method, and a Soviet political activist. In his later years, he was decorated with the Order of Lenin by Joseph Stalin. He became one of Stalin's closest friends and allies. Among his most famous works were The Mother (1907) and Creatures That Once Were Men (1905).