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Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhail Bulgakov (1891–1940) was one of the most popular Russian writers of the twentieth century, but many of his works were banned for decades after his death due to the extreme political repression his country enforced. Even his great novel, The Master and Margarita , was written in complete secrecy during the 1930s for fear of the writer being arrested and shot. In her revelatory new biography, J. A. E. Curtis provides a fresh account of Bulgakov’s life and work, from his idyllic childhood in Kiev to the turmoil of World War One, the Russian Revolution, and civil war.
Exploring newly available archives that have opened up following the dissolution of the USSR, Curtis draws on new historical documents in order to trace Bulgakov’s life. She offers insights on his absolute determination to establish himself as a writer in Bolshevik Moscow, his three marriages and tumultuous personal life, and his triumphs as a dramatist in the 1920s. She also reveals how he struggled to defend his art and preserve his integrity in Russia under the close scrutiny of Stalin himself, who would personally weigh in each time on whether one of his plays should be permitted or banned. Based upon many years of research and examining previously little-known letters and diaries, this is an absorbing account of the life and work of one of Russia’s most inventive and exuberant novelists and playwrights.
Exploring newly available archives that have opened up following the dissolution of the USSR, Curtis draws on new historical documents in order to trace Bulgakov’s life. She offers insights on his absolute determination to establish himself as a writer in Bolshevik Moscow, his three marriages and tumultuous personal life, and his triumphs as a dramatist in the 1920s. She also reveals how he struggled to defend his art and preserve his integrity in Russia under the close scrutiny of Stalin himself, who would personally weigh in each time on whether one of his plays should be permitted or banned. Based upon many years of research and examining previously little-known letters and diaries, this is an absorbing account of the life and work of one of Russia’s most inventive and exuberant novelists and playwrights.
224 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 25, 2022
This is a succinct, measured, and well-researched biography of Mikhail Bulgakov that follows his life and works in chronological order. It includes plenty of pictures, which adds a nice touch. Given that there are still so few biographies of Bulgakov (at least in English), this is probably the one to read—or at least to start with—for the time being, even if the picture that J. A. E. Curtis sketches is incomplete. To be fair, this is inevitable, given that much more than 200 pages are needed to come anywhere close to describing this man's life and the tempestuous times in which he lived. The chapters (preceded and succeeded, respectively, by a prologue and epilogue) are as follows:
1. Medicine and literature, 1891-1921
2. Moscow, 1921-6
3. Four Plays, 1926-9
4. The Years of Catastrophe, 1929-36
5. The Master and Margarita, 1936-40
I like the close attention to his plays, which have generally received less discussion than his novels. The commentary on Bulgakov's relationship with Stalin was also interesting. Hopefully, a proper 600-plus-page biography of M. A. is on the horizon—much more remains to be said.
1. Medicine and literature, 1891-1921
2. Moscow, 1921-6
3. Four Plays, 1926-9
4. The Years of Catastrophe, 1929-36
5. The Master and Margarita, 1936-40
I like the close attention to his plays, which have generally received less discussion than his novels. The commentary on Bulgakov's relationship with Stalin was also interesting. Hopefully, a proper 600-plus-page biography of M. A. is on the horizon—much more remains to be said.
June 17, 2018
A reliable, comprehensive short biography of Mikhail Bulgakov by J.A.E. Curtis who also edited his letters. It is a standard birth-to-death story that also incorporates a little bit of the historical context (but not much), some description/analysis of Bulgakov's major works, and lots of description of his tangles with the authorities as he kept trying, most of the time unsuccessfully, to stage his plays. Curtis also includes some broader reflection on whether Bulgakov was morally compromised to have survived the terror, a question I had never heard posed before (as compared to, say, Dmitri Shostakovich where it is the subject of numerous books).
This is the only complete english-language biography of Bulgakov I am aware of (but let me know if there are others), many more are needed. In addition to a fuller biography with more historical context, Bulgakov could use a biographer like, well, Bulgakov, whose amazing biography of Moliere does a much fuller job of fleshing him out as a person and character in his own right.
This is the only complete english-language biography of Bulgakov I am aware of (but let me know if there are others), many more are needed. In addition to a fuller biography with more historical context, Bulgakov could use a biographer like, well, Bulgakov, whose amazing biography of Moliere does a much fuller job of fleshing him out as a person and character in his own right.
February 26, 2017
This is a short biography of Bulgakov in the Critical Lives series, by the editor of Manuscripts Don't Burn (a selection of Bulgakov's letters). Personally I'd like to see a longer biography than this, but as a primer for Bulgakov's works and their historical context this reads very well.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews