It was necessary to enter into the spiritual springs of Gorky himself, just as we had done in the case of Chekhov, and find the current of the action in the soul of the writer. Having made our own a part of the Gorky soul, we would have the right to speak, to interpret the contents, the thoughts, the plot of the play [The Lower Depths], to act simply, without any unnecessary strain or effort, without the necessity of persuading someone, of propagating something. (MLIA)
