The Master and Margarita
Bulgakov's major novel and most representative synthesis of his satire, fantasy, theology, and historical imagination.
Author guide
Mikhail Bulgakov Books in Order
Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov was a Russian and Soviet novelist, playwright, memoirist, and satirist. His fiction blends social criticism, grotesque fantasy, historical imagination, and comic invention. His best-known works include The Master and Margarita, The White Guard, Heart of a Dog, A Young Doctor's Notebook, and Theatrical Novel.
novelsnovellasshort storiesmemoirbiographyplayssatirestage adaptations
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The White Guard
The best entry point to his early fiction and his treatment of the Russian Civil War.
Heart of a Dog
A concise, highly accessible satirical novella.
A Young Doctor's Notebook
A vivid autobiographical short-story collection rooted in Bulgakov's medical career.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (8)
- Notes on Cuffs
novella · 1922
- Diaboliad
novella · 1924
- The White Guard
novel · 1925
- The Fatal Eggs
novella · 1925
As the turbulent years following the Russian revolution of 1917 settle down into a new Soviet reality, the brilliant and eccentric zoologist Persikov discovers an amazing ray that drastically increases the size and reproductive rate of…
- Heart of a Dog
novella · 1969
A superb comic masterpiece and fierce parable of the Russian Revolution by the author of The Master and Margarita. WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY ANDREY KURKOVA rich, successful Moscow professor befriends a stray dog and attempts a scientific…
- The Life of Monsieur de Molière
biographical novel · 1962
The life of Moliere, Born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, is a story of struggle and dedication, and Bulgakov tells it with warmth and compassion.
- Theatrical Novel
novel · 1965
- The Master and Margarita
novel · 1966
An audacious revision of the stories of Faust and Pontius Pilate, The Master and Margarita is recognized as one of the essential classics of modern Russian literature. The novel’s vision of Soviet life in the 1930s is so ferociously…
Short fiction (2)
- Stories
short-story collection · 1926
- A Young Doctor's Notebook
short-story collection · 1963
Plays (11)
- The Sons of the Mullah
play · 1920
- Zoyka's Apartment
play · 1926
- The Days of the Turbins
play · 1926
- Flight
play · 1928
- The Crimson Island
play · 1928
- The Cabal of Hypocrites
play · 1929
- Adam and Eve
play · 1931
- Bliss
play · 1934
- Ivan Vasilievich
play · 1935
- The Last Days (Pushkin)
play · 1935
- Batum
play · 1939
Other (5)
- Dead Souls
stage adaptation · 1930
- War and Peace
stage adaptation · 1932
- The Mad Jourdain
stage adaptation · 1932
- The Extraordinary Adventure, or The Government Inspector
stage adaptation · 1935
- Don Quixote
stage adaptation · 1938
Frequently asked questions about Mikhail Bulgakov
Where was Mikhail Bulgakov born, and what was his background?
Mikhail Bulgakov was born in Kyiv in 1891. His father was a professor at the Kyiv Spiritual Academy, and Bulgakov was the eldest of seven children.
Was Mikhail Bulgakov a doctor before he became a writer?
Yes. He graduated from the University of Kyiv medical school in 1916, practiced medicine in hospitals and Kyiv, and left the profession for writing in 1920.
Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Mikhail Bulgakov’s writing?
Nikolai Gogol strongly influenced Bulgakov’s comic and satirical style, while Goethe’s Faust was an important influence on The Master and Margarita. Bulgakov also adapted Gogol’s Dead Souls for the stage.
Sources: encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)sciencedirect.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)
Why was Mikhail Bulgakov censored in the Soviet Union?
His independent satire and criticism of Soviet society conflicted with increasingly rigid ideological censorship. Several plays were banned, and works such as Heart of a Dog were considered unpublishable during his lifetime.
Sources: encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)
What is Mikhail Bulgakov’s literary legacy?
Bulgakov is regarded as one of the major Russian writers of the twentieth century, especially for The Master and Margarita. Written between 1928 and 1940, the novel was published posthumously in heavily censored form in 1966–67 and later became internationally acclaimed.
Sources: encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)