Mikhail Bulgakov

Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov was a Russian and Soviet novelist and playwright born on May 15, 1891, and passed away on March 10, 1940. He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which was published after his death and is considered one of the greatest works of the 20th century.

Bulgakov also wrote another novel called The White Guard and several famous plays including Ivan Vasilievich, Flight (also known as The Run), and The Days of the Turbins. Some of his works were banned by the Soviet government[/w/6] and even by Joseph Stalin[/w/7], who felt they supported certain groups they disliked. Interestingly, Stalin really enjoyed The Days of the Turbins and watched it many times, even asking a theater to keep performing it when Bulgakov was not in favor.

Even though Bulgakov had some success during his life, he became much more famous after he died. When The Master and Margarita was finally published in the years 1966–67, people began to see him as one of the most important Russian writers of the 20th century.

Life and work

Mikhail Bulgakov was born in 1891 in Kiev, Russian Empire. He was the oldest of seven children in a family that loved literature, music, and theater. His father was a professor, and his mother was a former teacher. Bulgakov enjoyed playing piano and loved attending opera performances, especially a show called Faust.

Bulgakov studied medicine and worked as a doctor during World War I. Later, he decided to pursue writing full-time. His first novel, The White Guard, was completed in 1924. He also wrote many plays, including The Days of the Turbins, which was popular with audiences. Bulgakov spent his last years working on his famous novel, The Master and Margarita, though it was not published during his lifetime. He passed away in 1940.

Works

See also: Category:Works by Mikhail Bulgakov

Mikhail Bulgakov was best known for his plays, especially those performed at the Moscow Art Theatre. One of his famous plays, Days of the Turbins, was based on his novel The White Guard and was favorite of Stalin.

Bulgakov also wrote novels and stories. The White Guard tells about a family during the civil war in Kiev. He wrote science fiction stories like The Fatal Eggs and Heart of a Dog. In The Fatal Eggs, a professor's experiment causes eggs to grow into huge monsters. In Heart of a Dog, a professor gives a dog human organs, and the dog starts acting like a person.

His most famous novel, The Master and Margarita, was published after he passed away. Other works include Theatrical Novel and plays like Flight, Ivan Vasilievich, and The Cabal of Hypocrites.

The Master and Margarita

Main article: The Master and Margarita

The novel The Master and Margarita looks at life in the Soviet Union and its writing world. People enjoy it for its deep ideas and beautiful writing, especially its pictures of old Jerusalem and its lovely parts. It tells two stories at once: one about events from the New Testament and another about life in Moscow.

The story starts with Satan coming to Moscow in the 1930s. He joins a talk between a critic and a poet who are arguing about how to say that Jesus Christ never existed. The book also tells the story of Pontius Pilate and the Crucifixion as part of a bigger look at problems in Soviet Russia.

This became Bulgakov's most famous book. He started writing it in 1928, but it was not published until 1966, after his death. The book added some phrases to Russian, like "Manuscripts don't burn." An important part of the story is about the Master losing his work when he had to rewrite it from memory.

Legacy

Exhibitions and museums

Several displays at the One Street Museum show items connected to Bulgakov’s family. You can see original photos of Mikhail Bulgakov, his books, personal things, and even a window frame from the house where he lived. The museum also keeps scientific works by Prof. Afanasiy Bulgakov, Mikhail’s father.

Mikhail Bulgakov Museum, Kyiv

The Mikhail Bulgakov Museum in Kyiv is a special place for fans of the writer. Some rooms are devoted to Bulgakov himself, and others show scenes from his works. This was his family home and inspired the house of the Turbin family in his play The Days of the Turbins.

The Bulgakov Museums in Moscow

In Moscow, two museums remember Mikhail Bulgakov and his famous book The Master and Margarita. Both are in the same old apartment building on Bolshaya Sadovaya street. Since the 1980s, this building has been a favorite spot for fans, though some wall drawings were removed in 2003.

The Bulgakov House

Main article: Bulgakov House (Moscow)

The Bulgakov House is on the ground floor. It began in 2004 and shows Bulgakov’s personal things, photos, and exhibitions about his life and work. The museum often hosts poetry readings and literary events. Visitors can also take tours of Bulgakov’s Moscow and see characters from The Master and Margarita come to life. There is a small theater and a café too.

The Museum M.A. Bulgakov

Main article: Bulgakov Museum in Moscow

In the same building, on the fourth floor, is another museum. It opened in 2007 and is run by the government. Like the other museum, it has Bulgakov’s personal items, photos, and exhibitions about his life and work. Poetry readings and literary events happen here often too.

Other places named after him

A minor planet, 3469 Bulgakov, discovered in 1982, is named after him.

Works inspired by him

Literature

Salman Rushdie said that The Master and Margarita inspired his novel The Satanic Verses.

John Hodge wrote a play called Collaborators (2011) about Bulgakov and Joseph Stalin. It was inspired by The Days of the Turbins and The White Guard.

Music

The Rolling Stones said that The Master and Margarita inspired their song "Sympathy for the Devil".

The lyrics of Pearl Jam’s song "Pilate" were inspired by Master and Margarita.

Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand used the book as inspiration for his song "Love and Destroy".

Film

The Flight (1970) is a Soviet film based on Bulgakov’s Flight, The White Guard, and Black Sea.

The Master and Margaret (1972) is a Yugoslav-Italian film, the first adaptation of the novel.

Pilate and Others (1972) is a German TV drama based on The Master and Margarita.

Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (1973) is a Soviet comedy film about a visit by Ivan the Terrible to modern Moscow.

Dog's Heart (1976) is an Italian-German film based on Bulgakov’s novel Heart of a Dog.

The Days of the Turbins (1976) is a Soviet TV drama based on Bulgakov’s play of the same name.

Heart of a Dog (1988) is a Soviet TV film, a close adaptation of Bulgakov’s novel.

The Master and Margarita (1989) is a Polish TV drama.

After the Revolution (1990) is a Hungarian film loosely based on Bulgakov’s novel.

Incident in Judaea (1991) focuses on the biblical parts of The Master and Margarita.

The Master and Margarita (1994) is a Russian film that faced many production problems.

The Master and Margarita (2005) is a very popular Russian TV series.

Morphine (2008) is a Russian film loosely based on Bulgakov’s stories.

The White Guard (2012) is a Russian TV mini-series.

A Young Doctor's Notebook (2012–2013) is a British comedy series with Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe.

The Master and Margarita (2024) is an upcoming film.

Medical eponym

After finishing medical school in 1909, Bulgakov worked with people who had a health problem that was very common at the time. During this time, he noticed special changes in the bones of some patients. He described how the bones of the lower leg could look unusual and develop extra growths. This observation is called "Bulgakov's Sign" in some places, but in other areas it is known as the "Bandy Legs Sign."