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| Bulgakov as a Student (c. 1910) |
Biographical Background
Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940) was born in Kiev of the Russian Empire (modern day Ukraine). The author possessed strong religious roots as his father was a professor at the Kiev Theological Academy and both of his grandparents were clergymen in the Russian Orthodox Church. Literature was not a part of Bulgakov's initial career path. As a young man, Bulgakov pursued medicine; he enlisted in 1913 as a Red Cross medical doctor during WWI. Bulgakov eventually served on the front-line and suffered from several injuries. It was not until 1919 that Bulgakov abandoned medicine for his love of literature and theater which he had first studied much earlier. His career as an author began in 1921 when Bulgakov moved to Moscow on Sadovaya Street near Patriarch's Pond. (Edythe C. Haber. Mikhail Bulgakov: the early years. Harvard University Press. 1998.)
Literary Career
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| Bulgakov Writing |
Bulgakov quickly earned a strong reputation for his contributions to Moscow Arts Theater. One play in particular, Days of the Turbins (1926), earned the writer extreme recognition; Soviet leader Josef Stalin became Bulgakov's most notorious fan. This fondness did not last long, however, as Stalin later banned many of Bulgakov's plays, deeming them too anti-Soviet. This only increased resistance among the author. By 1929, Bulgakov's writing was considered so counter-revolutionary and anti-Soviet that it became illegal to publish or stage any of the author's work. Critics often proved as harsh as government censorship, claiming that the author wrote sensationalist filth. The hostility toward Bulgakov and his work prompted the author to consider emigrating from Russia (an act considered highly defiant at the time). It also compelled Bulgakov to temporarily forsake many of his writings. Bulgakov notoriously ordered that his manuscripts be burnt; Bulgakov rewrote a portion of The Master and Margarita 1966 (long after the death of the author and Stalin). However, as more and more of Bulgakov's censored works reached the public, critics and readers began to realize that Mikhail Bulgakov was one of the most important and talented authors of the 20th century.
Bulgakov's Masterpiece
The story of the Master and Margarita revolves around details and themes clearly relevant to Bulgakov's own life. Let's take a look at a few of them:
Censorship-Click on the video to watch a 56-minute documentary, Manuscript's Don't Burn about the uncovering of lost works by Bulgakov and other censored Soviet writers
The Master, who Bulgakov deems the hero of his novel, is plagued by governmental and societal censorship of his controversial story about Pontius Pilate. The writer is so beaten down by censorship that he attempts to burn his writings in frustration. It is at this moment that The Master learns that "manuscripts don't burn." Bulgakov learned this same truth after burning the original manuscript to his masterpiece only to rewrite the scandalous novel.
"Remove the document-and you remove the man"
Margarita
Bulgakov drew inspiration for The Master's beloved Margarita from his third wife Elena Sergeevna Shilovskaya. Elena entered Bulgakov's life as the author faced constant threats from paranoid governmental authorities. Like Margarita, Elena compelled the shunned author to resist censorship and keep writing. Elena refused to comply with Bulgakov's request that she destroy all his manuscripts. Elena was even responsible for completing major sections of the novel as Bulgakov became too weak at the end of his life to write.
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| Bulgakov and his inspiration for Margarita |
Additional Web Resources
The online home of the Bulgakov Museum offers photos and descriptions of its exhibitions. Highlights include
images of Bulgakov's home on Sadovaya Street, rare photographs of the author, and countless other artifacts offering a glimpse into the personal and professional life of Bulgakov.
Bulgakov Birthday Tribute Video
This video offers a short Russian program created to honor Bulgakov on his 118th birthday.
The video provides biographical details and the literary history of Bulgakov. The viewer is sure to enjoy
video clips from stage performances of the author's stories in addition to archive footage of Moscow at the time of Bulgakov's life.
Stalin Propaganda Film
This video displays a Stalin propaganda film as shown on "A Brave New World" an episode from
The People's Century aired on BBC. The clip exemplifies Stalin's ability to manipulate media in order to create an ideal image of himself and Soviet Russia. Stalin's concern for the Soviet image compelled the dictator to censor works that criticized, or negatively portrayed, the Russian Empire. Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita represented a major casualty of Stalin's attempt to control the media.
Related Readings
J. A. E. Curtis, Manuscripts Don't Burn: Mikhail Bulgakov, a Life in Letters and Diaries, Overlook Press, 1992. This biography is fascinating in that it discusses Bulgakov's life and work in his own words. Although this resource offers some new details regarding Bulgakov's life, its true value stems from the inclusion of long-forgotten papers penned by the classic author.
Wright, Anthony Colin. Mikhail Bulgakov: Life and Interpretations. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1978.J. A. E. Curtis, Manuscripts Don't Burn: Mikhail Bulgakov, a Life in Letters and Diaries, Overlook Press, 1992. This biography is fascinating in that it discusses Bulgakov's life and work in his own words. Although this resource offers some new details regarding Bulgakov's life, its true value stems from the inclusion of long-forgotten papers penned by the classic author.
This biography offers unique interpretations of Bulgakov's work that appear heavily informed by an intimate understanding of Bulgakov's life and its sociopolitical influences. The author spends a good amount of time discussing the development of The Master and Margarita during the tumultuous period of its author's life.
