Some of his works (Flight, all his works between 1922 and 1926, and others) were banned by theSoviet government, and personally byJoseph Stalin, after it was decided by them that they "glorifiedemigration andWhite generals".[2] On the other hand, Stalin loved Bulgakov's dramatization ofThe White Guard, anodynely renamedThe Days of the Turbins. The Soviet leader reportedly attended the play at least 15 times, even calling a theater to personally demand its production after the playwright's fall from favor.[3][4] Despite Stalin's intercession in this and other matters Bulgakov was only briefly successful during his lifetime. After his death, especially once the publication ofThe Master and Margarita had been accomplished in 1966-67, his work was reassessed. He is now widely regarded as one of the great Russian authors of the 20th century.
The house in Kyiv'sAndriivskyi Descent, where the Bulgakov family resided during the writer's childhood and youth, now Mikhail Bulgakov Museum
Mikhail Bulgakov was born on 15 May [O.S. 3 May] 1891 inKiev,Kiev Governorate of theRussian Empire, at 28 Vozdvishenskaya Street, into a Russian family, and baptized on 18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1891.[5] He was the oldest of the seven children ofAfanasiy Bulgakov [ru] – astate councilor, a professor at theKiev Theological Academy, as well as a prominent RussianOrthodox essayist, thinker and translator of religious texts. His mother was Varvara Mikhailovna Bulgakova (nee Pokrovskaya), a former teacher at a women's gymnasium.[6][7] The academicianNikolai Petrov was his godfather,[8] while his godmother was his paternal grandmother, Olympiada.[9]
Afanasiy Bulgakov (1859 - 1907) was born inOryol,Oryol Governorate, the oldest son of Ivan Avraamovich Bulgakov, a priest, and his wife Olympiada Ferapontovna.[10][11] He first studied in a seminary in Oryol, and then studied in Kiev Theological Academy from 1881 to 1885, and was named a docent of the Academy in 1886.[12] Varvara Bulgakova (1869 - 1922) was born inKarachev; her father, Mikhail Pokrovsky, was aprotoiereus.[10][7] Afanasiy and Varvara married in 1890.[13] Their other children were Vera (b. 1892), Nadezhda (b. 1893), Varvara (b. 1895), Nikolai (b. 1898), Ivan (b. 1900), and Yelena (b. 1902).[14]
All the children received a good education; they read the classics of Russian and European literature, studied music, and went to concerts. Mikhail played piano, sang baritone, and enjoyed opera. In particular, he enjoyedFaust byGounod; according to his sister Nadezhda, he attended showings ofFaust at least 40 times.[15] At home, Mikhail and his siblings acted out plays that they enjoyed; the family also had adacha inBucha.[16][17]
In 1906, Afanasy Bulgakov fell ill with malignantnephrosclerosis; he died of the illness in 1907. The loss of his father caused Mikhail to turn away from the Orthodox faith. His sister Nadezhda observed that he showed a great interest in the theories of Darwin, and had turned to "non-belief".[19] After Afanasy's death, Mikhail's mother, a well-educated and extraordinarily diligent person, assumed responsibility for his education.
In the summer of 1908, Bulgakov met Tatyana Lappa. Lappa, who lived in Saratov, had arrived in Kiev to visit her relatives; her aunt was a friend of Varvara Bulgakova and thus introduced her to the young Bulgakov.[20][21] In 1909, Bulgakov began to study medicine at the Kiev University. In 1912, Lappa arrived in Kiev to study. The two married in April 1913.[22]
Bulgakov was staying with Lappa's parents inSaratov at the outbreak of theFirst World War. Her mother opened a field hospital for wounded soldiers, where Bulgakov worked as a doctor.[23][24][25] The couple returned to Kiev in the autumn.[23] In 1916, Bulgakov graduated from the university, after which he volunteered for theRed Cross.[26] His wife volunteered as a nurse.[24] He first worked inKamianets-Podilskyi, then he was transferred toChernivtsi in the same year.[27][28][29] In September of that year he was transferred to Moscow; and then to the village of Nikolskoye in theSmolensk Oblast.[27][25] The time he spent working as a doctor would be the inspiration for his short story cycle,A Young Doctor's Notebook and his short story,Morphine.[30]Morphine is based on the author's actual addiction tomorphine, which he started taking to alleviate the allergic effects of an anti-diphtheria drug, after accidentally infecting himself with the disease while treating a child with the same condition. While visiting Kiev with his wife, they received advice from Bulgakov's stepfather on countering his addiction in the form of injecting distilled water instead of morphine, which gradually helped Bulgakov to end his addiction.[31]: 22–25
In the autumn of 1917 he was transferred to the town ofVyazma, but left for Moscow in either November or December of that year in an unsuccessful attempt to gain a military discharge.[32] After briefly visiting Lappa's parents inSaratov, they returned to Kiev in February 1918.[33][34] Upon returning Bulgakov opened a private practice at his home at Andreyevsky Descent, 13.[35] Here he lived through theCivil War and witnessed ten coups. Successive governments drafted the young doctor into their service while two of his brothers were serving in theWhite Army against the Bolsheviks.
In 1919, he was mobilised as an army physician by theWhite Army.[36] In September 1919, Bulgakov was inGrozny with his wife.[37] While there, he observed the fighting between the forces ofAnton Denikin andUzun-Hajji in the city ofChechen-Aul; this became part of one of his earliest works, "Unusual Adventures" (Russian:Необыкновенные приключения).[38] There, he became seriously ill withtyphus, and was bedridden for several weeks.[39][29] Around this time, both his brothers Nikolai and Ivan emigrated. The family lost contact with them, and Bulgakov never saw his brothers again.[39]
Bulgakov had expressed his desire to be a writer as early as 1912 or 1913, when he showed his sister Nadezhda his first attempt at a story, calledThe Fiery Serpent (Russian:Огненный змий), about an alcoholic who dies in a fit ofdelirium tremens, and stated to her that he planned to be a writer.[40][41] According to his first wife, he first began to consistently write inVyazma, where at night he would work on a story calledThe Green Serpent (Russian:Зеленый змий).[41]
After his illness, Bulgakov abandoned his medical practice to pursue writing. Bulgakov in his autobiography wrote that he abandoned medicine for writing in early 1920; according to his friendPavel Popov [ru], Bulgakov abandoned medicine for good on 15 February 1920. At this time, he was inVladikavkaz.[42] His first book was analmanac offeuilletons calledFuture Perspectives, written and published the same year.
Bulgakov in 1916
Bulgakov considered emigration; he made his way to the city ofBatum in 1921 to attempt to emigrate. His attempts failed; he then decided to move to Moscow and attempt a career as a writer.[43] He arrived in Moscow in September 1921; his wife had arrived three weeks prior.[44] He was appointed secretary to the literary section ofGlavpolitprosvet, where he worked until November, when the literary section closed. He began work on a novel there, which ultimately turned into his storyMorphine. The story was published only once in his lifetime - in 1927.[45] To make a living, he started working as afeuilleton writer for the newspapersGudok andNakanune. His workDiaboliad was written in 1923.[46]
The death of Bulgakov's mother from typhus on 1 February 1922 influenced the writing ofThe White Guard. He completed the novel in 1924.[47][48] Early in 1924, Bulgakov attended a party hosted byAleksey Tolstoy, where he met Lyubov Belozerskaya. The same year, Bulgakov divorced Tatyana Lappa. In April of the next year, he married Belozerskaya.The White Guard began serialization in 1925; he dedicated the work to Belozerskaya.[49][50]
The White Guard caught the attention of theMoscow Art Theatre. Bulgakov was invited in April 1925 to turn his work into a play, to be staged at the theater. The play was staged under the nameThe Days of the Turbins in October 1926, and met with success. Also in 1925 Bulgakov was approached by theVakhtangov Theatre to write a play for them based onThe White Guard. Bulgakov offered to write them another play. The resulting play,Zoyka's Apartment, was also staged in October 1926, and a third play,The Crimson Island [ru], was staged at theKamerny Theatre in December 1928.[51][52] His plays were popular with viewers, but attracted negative reviews from critics.[53]
Bulgakov began work on the playFlight in 1926, and completed it in 1928. He had planned to stage it at the Moscow Art Theatre.Glavrepertkom, the government organ responsible for censoring and approving theatrical works, published a resolution on 9 May, stating that the play had been written to glorify emigration andWhite Army generals, and therefore, it was banned.Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, wanting to save the play, invitedMaxim Gorky, several theater critics and several members of Glaviskusstvo (Central Arts Administration) and Glavrepertkom to a reading ofFlight on 9 October. Gorky, as well as most of those attending, was impressed by the play. Nemirovich-Danchenko began rehearsals the next day, withNikolai Khmelyov,Viktor Stanitsyn,Alla Tarasova andMark Prudkin in the main roles. However, Glavrepertkom showedFlight toJoseph Stalin, who agreed with the committee that it should be banned.Flight would only be staged again in 1957, 17 years after Bulgakov's death.[54]
On 6 December 1929, Bulgakov completed his playThe Cabal of Hypocrites. However, the play was banned by Glavrepertkom on 18 March 1930. In despair, Bulgakov wrote personally to Joseph Stalin, requesting aid. He received a phone call directly from Stalin on 18 April, who asked him whether he really desired to leave the Soviet Union. Bulgakov replied that he did not want to leave his homeland. Stalin told him to apply for work as a director at the Moscow Art Theatre. In May 1930, he became a director at the MAT, andThe Cabal of Hypocrites was permitted in October 1931 by Glavrepertkom to be staged, under the title ofMolière.[55] Bulgakov began work on an adaptation ofGogol'sDead Souls for the stage that month. The play was complete by 1932. As with his earlier plays, it received a positive reaction among general viewers, and a negative reaction with critics.[56]
In 1929, Bulgakov metElena Shilovskaya. The two married in October 1932. Elena's younger son from her previous marriage, Sergey, came to live with them.[57] During the last decade of his life, Bulgakov continued to work onThe Master and Margarita, wrote plays, critical works, and stories and made several translations and dramatisations of novels. Many of them were not published, others were "torn to pieces" by critics. Much of his work (ridiculing the Soviet system) stayed in his desk drawer for several decades.
Bulgakov began work onThe Master and Margarita in either 1928 or 1929. He burnt the first draft in 1930. The first version of the novel was very different from the final version: there was no Master or Margarita, and the novel was called "The Engineer's Hoof" (Russian:Копыто инженера,romanized: Kopyto inzhenera).[58]
In the late 1930s, he joined theBolshoi Theatre as alibrettist and consultant. He left after perceiving that none of his works would be produced there. Stalin's favor protected Bulgakov from arrests and execution, but he could not get his writing published. When his last playBatum (1939), a complimentary portrayal of Stalin's early revolutionary days,[59] was banned before rehearsals, Bulgakov requested permission to leave the country but was refused.
In poor health, Bulgakov devoted his last years to what he called his "sunset" novel. The years 1937 to 1939 were stressful for Bulgakov, veering from glimpses of optimism, believing the publication of his masterpiece could still be possible, to bouts of depression, when he felt as if there were no hope. On 15 June 1938, when the manuscript was nearly finished, Bulgakov wrote in a letter to his wife:
"In front of me 327 pages of the manuscript (about 22 chapters). The most important remains – editing, and it's going to be hard, I will have to pay close attention to details. Maybe even re-write some things... 'What's its future?' you ask? I don't know. Possibly, you will store the manuscript in one of the drawers, next to my 'killed' plays, and occasionally it will be in your thoughts. Then again, you don't know the future. My own judgement of the book is already made and I think it truly deserves being hidden away in the darkness of some chest..."
In 1939, Bulgakov organized a private reading ofThe Master and Margarita to his close circle of friends.Elena Bulgakova remembered 30 years later, "When he finally finished reading that night, he said: 'Well, tomorrow I am taking the novel to the publisher!' and everyone was silent", "...Everyone sat paralyzed. Everything scared them. P. (P. A. Markov, in charge of the literature division of MAT) later at the door fearfully tried to explain to me that trying to publish the novel would cause terrible things", she wrote in her diary (14 May 1939).
In the last month of his life, friends and relatives were constantly on duty at his bedside. On 10 March 1940, Bulgakov died fromnephrotic syndrome[60] (an inherited kidney disorder). His father had died of the same disease, and from his youth Bulgakov had guessed his future mortal diagnosis. On 11 March, acivil funeral was held in the building of theUnion of Soviet Writers. Before the funeral, the Moscow sculptorSergey Merkurov cast adeath mask of his face. He was buried in theNovodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
During his life, Bulgakov was best known for the plays he contributed toKonstantin Stanislavski's andNemirovich-Danchenko's Moscow Art Theatre. Stalin was known to be fond of the playDays of the Turbins (Дни Турбиных, 1926), which was based on Bulgakov's novelThe White Guard. Even after his plays were banned from the theatres, Bulgakov wrote a comedy aboutIvan the Terrible's visit into 1930sMoscow. His playBatum (Батум, 1939) about the early years of Stalin was prohibited by the premier himself. Bulgakov later reflected his experience of being a Soviet playwright inTheatrical Novel (Театральный роман, 1936, unfinished).
His prose remained unprinted from the late 1920s to 1961; his plays likewise remained mostly unstaged - only in 1954 would his playDay of the Turbins be staged again at theStanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre.[61] In 1962, hisLife of Monsieur de Molière was published; in 1963,Notes of a Young Doctor; in 1965,Theatrical Novel and a collection of his plays, includingFlight,Ivan Vasilievich, andThe Cabal of Hypocrites were published; in 1966, a collection of his prose includingThe White Guard; and in 1967The Master and Margarita was published.[62][63]
Bulgakov began writing novels withThe White Guard (Белая гвардия) (1923, partly published in 1925, first full edition 1927–1929, Paris) – a novel about a life of aWhite Army officer's family incivil warKiev. In the mid-1920s, he came to admire the works ofAlexander Belyaev andH. G. Wells and wrote several stories and novellas with elements ofscience fiction, notablyThe Fatal Eggs (Роковые яйца) (1924) andHeart of a Dog (Собачье сердце) (1925). He intended to compile his stories of the mid-twenties (published mostly in medical journals) that were based on his work as a country doctor in 1916–1918 into a collection titledNotes of a Young Doctor (Записки юного врача), but the book came out only in 1963.[64]
The Fatal Eggs tells of the events of a Professor Persikov, who, in experimentation with eggs, discovers a red ray that accelerates growth in living organisms. At the time, an illness passes through the chickens of Moscow, killing most of them, and to remedy the situation, the Soviet government puts the ray into use at a farm. Due to a mix-up in egg shipments, the Professor ends up with chicken eggs, while the government-run farm receives the shipment of ostrich, snake and crocodile eggs ordered by the Professor. The mistake is not discovered until the eggs produce giant monstrosities that wreak havoc in the suburbs of Moscow and kill most of the workers on the farm. The propaganda machine turns on Persikov, distorting his nature in the same way his "innocent" tampering created the monsters. This tale of a bungling government earned Bulgakov his label of counter-revolutionary.
Heart of a Dog features a professor who implants human testicles and apituitary gland into a dog named Sharik (means "Little Balloon" or "Little Ball" – a popular Russian nickname for a male dog). The dog becomes more and more human as time passes, resulting in all manner of chaos. The tale can be read as a critical satire of liberal nihilism and the communist mentality. It contains a few bold hints to the communist leadership; e.g. the name of the drunkard donor of the human organ implants is Chugunkin[b] which can be seen as a parody on the name of Stalin ("stal'" is steel). It was adapted as a comicopera calledThe Murder of Comrade Sharik byWilliam Bergsma in 1973. In 1988, an award-winning film versionSobachye Serdtse was produced byLenfilm, starringYevgeniy Yevstigneyev, Roman Kartsev andVladimir Tolokonnikov.
The novelThe Master and Margarita is a critique of Soviet society and its literary establishment. The work is appreciated for its philosophical undertones and for its high artistic level, thanks to its picturesque descriptions (especially of old Jerusalem), lyrical fragments and style. It is aframe narrative involving two characteristically related time periods, or plot lines: a retelling in Bulgakov's interpretation of theNew Testament and a description of contemporary Moscow.
The novel begins withSatan visiting Moscow in the 1930s, joining a conversation between a critic and a poet debating the most effective method of denying the existence ofJesus Christ. It develops into an all-embracing indictment of the corruption of communism and Soviet Russia. A story within the story portrays the interrogation of Jesus Christ byPontius Pilate and theCrucifixion.
It became the best known novel by Bulgakov. He began writing it in 1928, but the novel was finally published by his widow only in 1966, twenty-six years after his death. The book contributed a number of sayings to the Russian language, for example, "Manuscripts don't burn" and "second-grade freshness". A destroyed manuscript of the Master is an important element of the plot. Bulgakov had to rewrite the novel from memory after he burned the draft manuscript in 1930, as he could not see a future as a writer in the Soviet Union at a time of widespread political repression.
Several displays at theOne Street Museum are dedicated to Bulgakov's family. Among the items presented in the museum are original photos of Mikhail Bulgakov, books and his personal belongings, and a window frame from the house where he lived. The museum also keeps scientific works of Prof. Afanasiy Bulgakov, Mikhail's father.
Statue of Bulgakov in Kyiv on Andriivskij Descent, where he once lived
TheMikhail Bulgakov Museum (Bulgakov House) inKyiv has been converted to a literary museum with some rooms devoted to the writer, as well as some to his works.[65] This was his family home, the model for the house of the Turbin family in his playThe Days of the Turbins.
In Moscow, two museums honour the memory of Mikhail Bulgakov andThe Master and Margarita. Both are situated in Bulgakov's old apartment building on Bolshaya Sadovaya street nr. 10, in which parts ofThe Master and Margarita are set. Since the 1980s, the building has become a gathering spot for Bulgakov's fans, as well as Moscow-basedSatanist groups, and had various kinds ofgraffiti scrawled on the walls. The numerous paintings, quips, and drawings were completely whitewashed in 2003. Previously the best drawings were kept as the walls were repainted, so that several layers of different colored paints could be seen around the best drawings.[66]
Bulgakov House in Moscow. Bulgakov's novelMaster and Margarita was written here.
TheBulgakov House (Russian: Музей – театр "Булгаковский Дом") is situated at the ground floor. This museum has been established as a private initiative on 15 May 2004.
TheBulgakov House contains personal belongings, photos, and several exhibitions related to Bulgakov's life and his different works. Various poetic and literary events are often held, and excursions toBulgakov's Moscow are organised, some of which are animated with living characters ofThe Master and Margarita. TheBulgakov House also runs theTheatre M.A. Bulgakov with 126 seats, and theCafé 302-bis.
In the same building, in apartment number 50 on the fourth floor, is a second museum that keeps alive the memory of Bulgakov, theMuseum M.A. Bulgakov (Russian: Музей М. А. Булгаков). This second museum is a government initiative, and was founded on 26 March 2007.
The Museum M.A. Bulgakov contains personal belongings, photos, and several exhibitions related to Bulgakov's life and his different works. Various poetic and literary events are often held.
John Hodge's playCollaborators (2011) is a fictionalized account of the relationship between Bulgakov andJoseph Stalin, inspired byThe Days of the Turbins andThe White Guard.
The lyrics ofPearl Jam's song "Pilate", featured on their albumYield (1998), were inspired byMaster and Margarita.[70] The lyrics were written by the band's bassistJeff Ament.
Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand based "Love and Destroy" on the same book.
The Flight (1970) — a two-part historical drama based on Bulgakov'sFlight,The White Guard andBlack Sea. It was the first Soviet adaptation of Bulgakov's writings directed byAleksandr Alov andVladimir Naumov, with Bulgakov's third wife Elena Bulgakova credited as a "literary consultant". The film was officially selected for the1971 Cannes Film Festival.
Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (1973) — an adaptation of Bulgakov's science fiction/comedy playIvan Vasilievich about an unexpected visit ofIvan the Terrible to the modern-day Moscow. It was directed by one of the leading Soviet comedy directorsLeonid Gaidai. With 60.7 million viewers on the year of release it became the 17th most popular film ever produced in the USSR.[71]
Dog's Heart (1976) — a joint Italian-German science fiction/comedy film directed byAlberto Lattuada. It was the first adaptation of theHeart of a Dog satirical novel about an old scientist who tries to grow a man out of a dog.
Heart of a Dog (1988) — a Soviet black-and-white TV film directed byVladimir Bortko, the second adaptation of the novel of the same name. Unlike the previous version, this film follows the original text closely, while also introducing characters, themes and dialogues featured in other Bulgakov's writings.
The Master and Margarita (1989) — a Polish TV drama in four parts directed byMaciej Wojtyszko. It was noted by critics as a very faithful adaptation of the original novel.
After the Revolution (1990) – a feature-length film created by András Szirtes, a Hungarian filmmaker, using a simple video camera, from 1987 to 1989. It is a very loose adaptation, but for all that, it is explicitly based on Bulgakov's novel, in a thoroughly experimental way. What you see in this film is documentary-like scenes shot in Moscow and Budapest, and New York, and these scenes are linked to the novel by some explicit links, and by these, the film goes beyond the level of being but a visual documentary which would only have reminded the viewer of The Master and Margarita.
Incident in Judaea, a 1991 film by Paul Bryers for Channel 4, focussing on the biblical parts of The Master and Margarita.
The Master and Margarita (1994) — Russian film directed byYuri Kara in 1994 and released to public only in 2011. Known for a long, troubled post-production due to the director's resistance to cut about 80 minutes of the film on the producers' request, as well as copyright claims from the descendants ofElena Bulgakova (Shilovskaya).
The Master and Margarita (2005) — Russian TV mini-series directed by Vladimir Bortko and his second adaptation of Bulgakov's writings. Screened forRussia-1, it was seen by 40 million viewers on its initial release, becoming the most popular Russian TV series.[72]
Morphine (2008) — Russian film directed byAleksei Balabanov loosely based on Bulgakov's autobiographical short storiesMorphine andA Country Doctor's Notebook. The screenplay was written by Balabanov's friend and regular collaboratorSergei Bodrov, Jr. before his tragic death in 2002.
The White Guard (2012) — Russian TV mini-series produced byRussia-1. The film was shot in Saint Petersburg andKyiv and released to mostly negative reviews. In 2014 theUkrainian Ministry of Culture banned the distribution of the film, claiming that it shows "contempt for the Ukrainian language, people and state".[73]
A Young Doctor's Notebook (2012–2013) — British mini-series produced byBBC, withJon Hamm andDaniel Radcliffe playing main parts. Unlike the Morphine film by Aleksei Balabanov that mixed drama and thriller, this version ofA Country Doctor's Notebook was made as ablack comedy.
After graduating from the Medical School in 1909, he spent the early days of his career as a venereologist, rather than pursuing his goal of being a pediatrician, assyphilis was highly prevalent during those times. It was during those early years that he described the symptoms and characteristics of syphilis affecting the bones. He described the abnormal and concomitant change of the outline of the crests of the shin-bones with a pathological worm-eaten like appearance and creation of abnormal osteophytes in the bones of those suffering from later stages of syphilis. This became known as "Bulgakov's Sign" and is commonly used in the former Soviet states, but is known as the "Bandy Legs Sign" in the west.[75][76]
^Zilberstein, Gleb; Maor, Uriel; Baskin, Emmanuil; D'Amato, Alfonsina; Righetti, Pier Giorgio (2016). "Unearthing Bulgakov's trace proteome from the Master i Margarita manuscript".Journal of Proteomics.152:102–108.doi:10.1016/j.jprot.2016.10.019.PMID27989937.
^Inna Konchakovskaia (1902–85) a daughter of the owner (who had become a hero of Bulgakov's novel) and niece of composerWitold Maliszewski preserved the house during hard soviet times.[1]Archived 15 May 2014 at theWayback Machine
^Stephen, Chris (5 February 2005). "Devil-worshippers target famous writer's Moscow flat". The Irish Times. Page 9.
Bulgakova, Elena; Lyandres, Semyon, eds. (1988).Воспоминания о Михаиле Булгакове [Memories of Mikhail Bulgakov] (in Russian). Sovetsky Pisatel. Retrieved6 January 2025.
Chudakova, Marietta (2023) [1988].Жизнеописание Михаила Булгакова [The Life and Times of Mikhail Bulgakov] (in Russian). Moscow: Azbuka-Atticus Publishing Group LLC.
Chris Hedges,Welcome to Satan's Ball,Truthdig, 10 March 2014. A comparison of the Soviet society described inMaster and Margarita and modern society in the United States and Russia
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