Life and work Mikhail Bulgakov

1 life , work

1.1 life
1.2 career
1.3 last years

life , work
early life

mikhail bulgakov born on 15 may [o.s. 3 may] 1891 in kiev, kiev governorate of russian empire, russian family. 1 of 7 children (the oldest of 3 brothers) of afanasiy ivanovich bulgakov (ru) — state councilor, assistant professor @ kiev theological academy, prominent russian orthodox essayist, thinker , translator of religious texts. mother varvara mikhailovna bulgakova (nee pokrovskaya), former teacher. both of grandfathers clergymen in russian orthodox church. afanasiy bulgakov born in bryansk oblast, russia, father priest, , moved kiev study in academy. varvara bulgakova born in karachev, russia. according edythe c. haber, in «autobiographical remarks» bulgakov stated descendant of tartar hordes, supposedly influenced of works. however, there no mention of in bulgakov s collection of works, source of claims unclear. childhood bulgakov drawn theater. @ home, wrote comedies, brothers , sisters acted out.

in 1901 bulgakov joined first kiev gymnasium, developed interest in russian , european literature (his favourite authors @ time being gogol, pushkin, dostoyevsky, saltykov-shchedrin, , dickens), theatre , opera. teachers of gymnasium exerted great influence on formation of literary taste. after death of father in 1907, mikhail s mother, well-educated , extraordinarily diligent person, assumed responsibility education. after graduation gymnasium in 1909, bulgakov entered medical faculty of kiev university, finished special commendation. took position physician @ kiev military hospital.

in 1913, bulgakov married tatiana lappa. @ outbreak of first world war, volunteered red cross medical doctor , sent directly front, badly injured @ least twice. bulgakov s suffering these wounds had deleterious long-term effects. suppress chronic pain, in abdomen, injected himself morphine. on next year addiction grew stronger. in 1918, abandoned morphine , never used again. morphine, book released in 1926, account of trying period.

in 1916, bulgakov graduated medical department of kiev university , after serving surgeon @ chernovtsy hospital, appointed provincial physician smolensk province. life in days reflected in country doctor s notebook. in september 1917 bulgakov moved hospital in vyazma, near smolensk. in february 1918, returned kiev, ukraine, opened private practice @ home @ andreyevsky descent, 13. here lived through russian civil war , witnessed ten coups. successive governments drafted young doctor service while 2 of brothers serving in white army against bolsheviks.

in february 1919 mobilised army physician ukrainian people s army , assigned northern caucasus. there, became ill typhus , barely survived. in caucasus started working journalist, when , others invited return doctors french , german governments, bulgakov refused permission leave russia because of typhus. when last saw family; after civil war , rise of soviets of relatives emigrated paris.

career

after illness bulgakov abandoned career doctor of writer. in autobiography, recalled how started writing: once in 1919 when traveling @ night train wrote short story. in town train stopped, took story publisher of newspaper published story . first book almanac of feuilletons called future perspectives, written , published same year. in december 1919 bulgakov moved vladikavkaz. wrote , saw first 2 plays, self defence , turbin brothers, being produced city theater stage great success.

bulgakov, 1910s

after travelling through caucasus, bulgakov headed moscow, intending remain here forever . difficult find work in capital, appointed secretary literary section of glavpolitprosvet (central committee of republic political education). in september 1921 bulgakov , wife settled near patriarch s ponds, on bolshaya sadovaya street, 10 (now close mayakovskaya metro station). make living, started working correspondent , feuilletons writer newspapers gudok, krasnaia panorama , nakanune, based in berlin. almanac nedra, wrote diaboliad, fatal eggs (1924), , heart of dog (1925), works combined bitter satire , elements of science fiction , concerned fate of scientist , misuse of discovery. significant features of bulgakov s satire, such skillful blending of fantastic , realistic elements, grotesque situations, , concern important ethical issues, had taken shape; these features developed further in famous novel.

between 1922 , 1926 bulgakov wrote several plays (including zoyka s apartment), none of allowed production @ time. run, treating horrors of fratricidal war, banned joseph stalin after glavrepertkom (department of repertoire) decided glorified emigration , white generals . in 1925 bulgakov divorced first wife , married lyubov belozerskaya.

when 1 of moscow s theatre directors severely criticised bulgakov, stalin protected him, saying writer of bulgakov s quality above party words left , right . stalin found work playwright @ small moscow theatre, , next moscow art theatre (mat). on 5 october 1926, days of turbins, play continued theme of white guard (the fate of russian intellectuals , officers of tsarist army caught in revolution , civil war) premiered @ mat. stalin liked , reportedly saw @ least 15 times.

ivan vasilievich, last days (pushkin), , don quixote banned. premier of another, moliere (the cabal of hypocrites), in bulgakov plunged fairy paris of xvii century , received bad reviews in pravda , play withdrawn theater repertoire. in 1928, zoyka s apartment , purple island staged in moscow; both comedies accepted public great enthusiasm, critics again gave them bad reviews. march 1929 bulgakov s career ruined when government censorship stopped publication of of work , plays.

in despair, bulgakov first wrote personal letter joseph stalin (july 1929), on 28 march 1930, letter soviet government. requested permission emigrate if soviet union not find use him writer. in autobiography, bulgakov claimed have written stalin out of desperation , mental anguish, never intending post letter. received phone call directly soviet leader, asked writer whether desired leave soviet union. bulgakov replied russian writer cannot live outside of homeland. stalin gave him permission continue working @ art theater; on 10 may 1930, re-joined theater, stage director s assistant. later adapted gogol s dead souls stage.

in 1932, bulgakov married third time, yelena shilovskaya, prove inspiration character margarita in famous novel, started working on in 1928. during last decade of life, bulgakov continued work on master , margarita, wrote plays, critical works, stories, , made several translations , dramatisations of novels, librettos. many of them not published, other ones torn pieces critics. of work (ridiculing soviet system) stayed in desk drawer several decades. refusal of authorities let him work in theatre , desire see family living abroad, whom had not seen many years, led him seek drastic measures. despite new work, projects worked on @ theatre prohibited, , strained , unhappy.

last years

in late 1930s joined bolshoi theatre librettist , consultant. left after perceiving none of works produced there. stalin s favor protected bulgakov arrests , execution, not writing published. novels , dramas subsequently banned and, second time, bulgakov s career playwright ruined. when last play batum (1939), complimentary portrayal of stalin s revolutionary days, banned before rehearsals, bulgakov requested permission leave country refused.

gravestone of mikhail bulgakov , yelena bulgakova.

in poor health, bulgakov devoted last years called sunset novel. 1937–1939 bulgakov stressful years veered glimpses of optimism, believing publication of masterpiece still possible, bouts of depression, when felt if there no hope. on 15 june 1938, when manuscript finished, bulgakov wrote in letter wife:

in front of me 327 pages of manuscript (about 22 chapters). important remains – editing, , s going hard, have pay close attention details. maybe re-write things... s future? ask? don t know. possibly, store manuscript in 1 of drawers, next killed plays, , in thoughts. again, don t know future. own judgement of book made , think deserves being hidden away in darkness of chest...

in 1939 mikhail bulgakov organized private reading of master , margarita close circle of friends. yelena bulgakova remembered 30 years later, when finished reading night, said: well, tomorrow taking novel publisher! , silent , ...everyone sat paralyzed. scared them. p. (p. a. markov, in charge of literature division of mat) later @ door fearfully tried explain me trying publish novel cause terrible things , wrote in diary (14 may 1939).

mikhail bulgakov died nephrosclerosis (an inherited kidney disorder) on 10 march 1940. buried in novodevichy cemetery in moscow. father had died of same disease, , youth bulgakov had guessed future mortal diagnosis.