Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov is one of the most beloved Russian writers. There are few people who were left indifferent by his work. Moreover, each reader has his own Bulgakov. Some love his satirical stories, others read and re-read the novel "The Master and Margarita", for the third Bulgakov is unthinkable without "White Guard" and "Theatrical novel".
"White Guard" - a novel about the Russian intelligentsia
The first major work of Mikhail Bulgakov is the novel "The White Guard". The novel takes place in Kiev in 1918. Although Bulgakov describes the events of the civil war, it is only a background for the story about the house, so similar to the writer's own home, and about family values. The main characters of the novel are the best representatives of the Russian intelligentsia, doomed to perish in the whirlwind of the civil war. The language of the novel is very beautiful and poetic, especially its sublimely solemn beginning: “The year was great and the year after the birth of Christ in 1918 was great, but the second from the beginning of the revolution…” Unfortunately, the novel “The White Guard” remained unfinished. Later, on its basis, Bulgakov created the play "Days of the Turbins".
Evil satire and good humor in the works of Bulgakov
Bulgakov's satirical story "Heart of a Dog" is very popular with the reader. Written in 1925, it was first published in the USSR only in 1987. The Soviet censorship of the 1920s simply did not allow it to be published; the satire on the “new man” born of the revolution turned out to be too harsh. Today's popularity of the story is largely due to the film adaptation, filmed in 1988 by the famous director Vladimir Bortko.
"Theatrical Novel" enjoys the greatest popularity among representatives of the creative intelligentsia, first of all - those who are directly related to the theater. But the novel is no less interesting for a wide range of readers. Perhaps, despite its second name, "Notes of a Dead Man" is the most ridiculous work of the writer. In it, Bulgakov told about the life of the theatrical backstage and about the misadventures of the novice playwright, who dared to stage his first play. Of course, behind all this one can easily guess the history of the relationship between Bulgakov himself and the leadership of the Moscow Art Theater during the period of work on the play "Days of the Turbins".
"The Master and Margarita" - the main book of the writer
And, finally, the main work of the writer is the wonderful novel The Master and Margarita. Bulgakov worked on it for 11 years, creating a whole world that unfolds on the pages of one book. It seems that the novel has combined all existing genres. There are satirical pictures of Moscow life and everyday life, and good humor, and biblical mythology, and fantasy, and a love story …
One of the main characters of the novel is the devil himself, bearing the name Woland, with his cheerful and dangerous retinue. However, the devilish forces do not carry evil, they, rather, restore justice, punishing sins and rewarding suffering and virtue.
In the images of the Master and Margarita, Bulgakov, in fact, showed himself - a talented writer who did not find understanding from the official critics - and his third wife Elena Sergeevna - faithful, devoted, ready to share any hardships of life with his beloved and supporting him in his work.
Standing apart in the novel are the so-called "biblical chapters" - chapters from the novel created by the Master, where Bulgakov presented his own interpretation of the events that took place in the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ.
The novel The Master and Margarita was never published during the author's lifetime. An abridged version of it was first published in 1966. The novel was officially published in 1973. Since then and to this day "The Master and Margarita" is one of the most widely read works in Russia. It was staged many times on the theater stage, and was also filmed by directors Yuri Kara (1994) and Vladimir Bortko (2005).
The fate of Mikhail Bulgakov's works was not easy, many of them did not immediately manage to find their way to the reader, but now they are among the most popular, beloved and read books.
